Don Quixote in a modern context

Up close to a wind turbine can be exhilarating.

Their emergence into many of our urban and rural skylines has been quite rapid although representing only a very small proportion of the many hundreds arrayed out of common sight in the offshore industrial wind farms on which we will increasingly rely upon to keep our lifestyle powered.

It can be difficult to actually judge the size and scale of a turbine from a distance as they all tend to assume the same perception of towering proportions but as you get closer some may shrink to a modest stump set above an individual factory or premises.

The really big examples, some 30 metres and more high, are majestic.

One such turbine is located on the western bank of the tidal River Hull, some 3 miles up from its convergence with the Humber and set amongst scrubland and large industrial premises of indeterminate operation and use. It dominates the location above the low slung warehouses and retail showrooms. The gantries and drab grey towers and chimneys of the chemical plants and adjacent paint factory are made to look small and insignificant. Viewed from the residential areas further to the west the turbine pops up as a surprise at the end of a quiet tree lined  street and above rooftops when totallly unexpected.

The course of the river is very lazy in this latter part of its meandering journey through East Yorkshire.It was low tide in the estuary about a mile or so southwards as the muddy waters were coursing and bubbling quite actively past the old and mainly derelict wharfs and at the foot of old concrete steps that now led nowhere.

Me and the Boy were walking along the raised flood defences today and the turbine  was not where it usually was. From previous walks the turbine always seemed to be closer to the blue metal bridge over Sutton Road but strangely it was well over to the south east and it would take some time for us to reach a position directly opposite.

The late afternoon was calm and bright. There was the usual traffic noise from the nearby inner ring road and the audible and regular clank as vehicles hit the expansion joint on the tarmac dressed metal of the bridge itself. The factories and commercial premises which followed the course of the river bank were already quiet and vacanting at that time of the day but it would take some time for the related congestion on the roads to clear. The gypsy horses ruled the footpath, tethered to long chains and sweeping wide arcs in the thick grass. We startled one of the horses which had obviouly been dozing, on all four legs, in the sunshine and we kept a wide berth around the others based on what we had seen as the mightily disgruntled reaction to being disturbed.

There was no noise whatsoever from the massive tri-blade arrangement of the turbine and we could not really understand the opposition  from local residents on the grounds of a persistent and intrusive hum or resonance. The mechanicals in the hub had manouevred the blades into the wind for optimum performance and they were churning around freely and with regular but silent monotony.

We stood and marvelled at the impression of the rotational strength easily becoming mesmerised and a bit dizzy after a few moments.

Something we had not previously noticed but now became very aware of was the casting of an ominous  shadow which chased us along the bank.The August sun, at 5pm, was almost directly behind the white colossus. The intermittent darkness passed over us and then projected a dark stain up and over the grey sheet metallic cladding of a warehouse building which nestled at the base of the main earthworks containing the river. The process repeated like a black-light searchlight and gave quite a disorientating and disturbing effect to the surroundings.

We likened the sensation to the over flight of a large flock of birds or a low flying and muted aircraft but in a sinister and Hitchcock style and not at all pleasurable.

The scene had become menacing and overbearing from the casting of the shadow and as we turned our backs on the turbine and averted our gaze there was a noticeable acceleration from our normal walking pace and we could not wait to get away and into the full sunlight.