Ike and Jane decided to cycle to Whitelee Windfarm, located in the Whitelee Forest near
Eaglesham in East Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Whitelee is the UK’s largest onshore windfarm and its 215 turbines generate up to 539 megawatts of
electricity, enough to power over 350,000 homes. There are more than 130 kilometres of trails to
explore and it is owned by ScottishPower Renewables.
Windfarms are vital for the future of the planet. So far, they have helped prevent over 600 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming!
The paths through the windfarm are dirt paths and some of them are in better condition than others. This is because the windfarm shares the land with the Forestry Commission who use the area for harvesting timber and therefore the paths where the trees are being cut down are in very poor condition due to the heavy vehicles used to transport the timber.
The extent of the cutting down of trees in the area became clear when Ike was looking at the surrounding landscape.
Ike and Jane soon found the trees piled up ready for transportation to the various timber mills.
Cycling further along the path, Ike and Jane came closer to the wind turbines, fortunately managing to stay upright and not fall off on the dirt paths!
Ike and Jane were impressed with the number of turbines in the area as it showed how the preparation for energy conservation has improved nine-fold.
Ike sat next to a turbine to give an idea of the size of it:
Ike and Jane then cycled around more of the trails trying not to get lost in the process before
heading home. The return journey was much easier because it was mostly downhill. Ike and Jane saw many lambs
and calves in the fields as they cycled along the quiet country roads.
Many of the farms were selling milk and free-range eggs and other dairy goods. Near one farm, they
found some sheep and lambs on the road. Fortunately, they were able to alert the farmer who
managed to move the animals safely back into the field.
The entry to one farmhouse had some cartwheels painted in different colours which looked very
nice.
You can catch up with Ike’s Scottish Adventures by clicking this interactive map: