A walk on the North Devon Hills

July 3rd 2011


 Video 1

Perhaps about half an hour's walk from Barnstaple, this view from a footpath going up the hill towards Prixford, looking back down, gives you an idea of what the North Devon countryside is like.  It was very quiet, church bells that had been ringing had gone silent.


Video 2

Further up the same hill, looking back across towards Barnstaple and the Taw Estuary. The three Torrington turbines were visible on the far horizon but do not show up on this video. You can see them in this close up cropped from the photograph below that I took at the same spot. 

Torrington turbines



Video 3

Looking across the Taw estuary, in the company of some friendly young cattle.  When I turned ahead I could see the tip of a turbine blade across the hill ahead.




Video 4

A quiet track beyond the small village of Prixford. Looking through the hedgerows a little earlier I had seen startling glimses of turbines, as in the photographs below.

Beyond Prixford
Click for larger version. This was one glimpse through the trees lining the path.
turbines
This view of two turbines, one behind the other,  reminded me of The Shrike, from the books by Dan Simmons.


Video 5


Looking across the valley towards the turbines (not visible in this video which is low resolution, but very apparent when standing there)  The photograph below is a little better, but still does not show the impact these turbines make on the viewer - perhaps the light was too bright.

Across valley





Video 6

  After walking through the wooded valley, and Middle Marwood, this video shows the turbines ahead, as I came up onto the hills again.  One turbine's blades were moving slowly in the breeze, the otheres were still.  I saw birds flying above the trees, and wondered how safe they would be once the blades start turning.




Video 7

From the same location, looking around, many turbines in sight, across the line of the hills.


Video 8

On the hills across from Pippacott four turbines close to the Taw Estuary. Notice birds flying around at the start of the video.  A large bird, probably a buzzard, was circling overhead. 


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