Wednesday May 31st


Another ride on William and looking at the Yelland Farm Site




George and the Shetland pony
Wednesday I gave my ankle another rest - being sensible - and did a bit of riding instead. Mel had arranged for us to ride up to  Bowerland Cross where we would meet with a photographer. She wanted to raise awareness of another problem, the difficulty of crossing a busy road on horseback.
lane
This is the lane that leads to the main road at Bowerland Cross. It is lined with some wonderful old trees, and has a magical charm. Although it isn`t far to the main road, which is busy, for some reason the sound of the traffic vanishes once you are in the lane.

going up the lane
I took this photograph from William`s back. He is a twenty year old cob, and I was assured that he was virtually bomb-proof, even with an amateur rider like me. I hadn`t been on a horse for more than thirty years, so it was quite a treat. the view from his back was stupendous, I had forgotten what a difference it makes to be so high up.
Mel on Robbie
Mel on Robbie, leading the way.
bowerland cross
The cross road - for once the absence of traffic gives a false impression, the road was busy, with cars and lorries coming by at speed. A horse was killed crossing over here some time ago, despite warning signs saying that horses cross here.
mel at the cross road
Mel on Robbie, trying to keep him still for the photographer.
He photographed us both and it took quite some time to get both horses positioned correctly.
sheep from William`s back
Going back down the lane - you can just see William`s ears in the photo.
ray and William
Ray holding William, after I had dismounted.
Robbie grazing
Robbie grabbing a mouthful of grass.
view from farm
The view towards the turbine site. They will be under 700 metres away.
Yes Tor
In the afternoon Mel drove me to Meldon ( a diversion by car to see the site from various viewpoints, as I was unable to walk that far with a bad ankle) . Yes Tor is the peak in the distance.
On the left is Connie, Mel`s mother, who came with us.
Connie
site from Meldon
Looking back from Meldon, the trees on the skyline mark the place where the turbines would be.  They would be very dominating.
Mel at site
This is a view from the other side of the site. Mel is leaning on the gate and looking across at the site.
yes Tor
Two more views of the site, the second shows the line of trees again.
turbine site
Modern wind turbines are so large that they alter your sense of scale. If the turbines are put up here, these trees will look like tiny bushes, and Yes Tor will appear to shrink in comparison.
Back