Easter Acquhorthies Recumbent Stone Circle

The Easter Acquhorthies Stone Circle
Image credit Jamie Stone

The Easter Acquhorthies Stone Circle  is said to be one of the oldest stone circles in Aberdeenshire, and when a planning application was made by the farmer to erect a wind turbine 2000 feet from the circle, objections were raised by Historic Scotland that the 150ft tower would have an adverse visual impact on the Easter Acquhorthies stone circle.  Also it must not be forgotten that wind turbines come with a lot of extras in the form of  access tracks and trenching of the ground for the cables that have to be taken to a substation, which can often be a considerable distance away.

The planning application was approved last Tuesday by the local council, though there is  one more hurdle to overcome… The application will go to the directorate of the built environment, who will decide if it can be cleared back to the council or called in by ministers.

Wind turbines have an uneasy relationship in our landscape, the argument that we need green energy to counteract the effects of climate change has made them popular with governments and business, but they also fall foul of many who say that the turbine’s  visual impact in the landscape scars its beauty.  That the wind turbine is only 2000 feet from a very impressive stone circle seems a little unfortunate, but it must not be forgotten that the landscape we see today would have been very different in prehistoric times, history accrues over time.  Is there a compromise? lets see.

Stonehenge: Visitors’ impressions

Interesting article by Steve Kemp of Amesbury, Wiltshire in This is Devon.

Western Daily Press reader Steve Kemp, of Amesbury, Wiltshire, met foreign tourists as they marvelled at the Stonehenge World Heritage site – and asked them for their impressions. Many shared his view that more could be done to present the stones more helpfully and favourably when the world comes visiting. The nearby A303 is a major distraction for many visitors, Steve found.