Bridges

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Bridges

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Cycling back to topic?
In Shropshire one might cycle from Clun Mill YH to Bridges YH

Winchester YH was a mill too
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foxyrider
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Re: Bridges

Post by foxyrider »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
Mike Sales wrote:
foxyrider wrote:My current 'thing' is collecting windmills. I've had several raids into Lincolnshire and another planned in a few weeks and have so far found something like 60. I've done similar 'raids' into East + West Yorks and Nottinghamshire - adds a little to the ride especially if it's a long 'training' ride.

Presumably you are collecting windmills which are in working condition?
Off the top of my head, local to me, are the Sibsey Trader, the Maud Foster and Heckington, the eight sailed.
Sail-less towers are common here.
I have a facsimile map of an internal drainage area in the nineteenth century which has an incredible density of pumping mills.
Do you have a handy list of working mills?

I visited the Internationale Muehlenmuseum at Gifhorn in Germany, lots of real mills of different types including the Moulin Daudet, Alphonse D wrote a book of mill stories, +1
There is even a floating mill at the museum

Interesting fact about mills
The blades of a windmill are locked when the mill is not running
The wheel of a watermill must keep turning, if part of the wheel is dry the wood soon warps


I was at Gifhorn just 2 weeks ago as part of a road trip. I first visited the museum in 2006 during my Lueneberg Heide tour - well worth a visit if anyone is out that way.

There are reasons for parking the mill blades in different positions and the variety and number of sails is a science in itself.

Another thing to collect if you are in Germany/Poland are the Bismarck Turm which are spread all over the place built to honour the man. Some are easy to find and visit, others are hidden and neglected, in city parks and lonely countryside locations. A goggle will get you the 'official' site with location maps etc.

Okay, i'm a collection geek!
Convention? what's that then?
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Hobbs1951
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Re: Bridges

Post by Hobbs1951 »

Mick F wrote:I spent an hour or two this morning with BikeHikeUK and screenshot the OS maps then annotated them.
I've found that there are 79 bridges between Exeter and Penzance.
Most are minor roads, some or major roads, one or two are pedestrian/cycle bridges, and a few are access roads.

Here's the first and the last.$matches[2]$matches[2]The hardest to get at, are over Bodmin Moor as I may have to cycle between them on the A30 dual carriageway itself.A.jpg


Hi Mick,

have you ridden across the viaduct at Calstock ? Yes, it's a railway bridge but can be done safely. Also Launceston, the 15th C Greystone Bridge SE of Launceston (B3362)- and of course Gunnislake ?

John.
Hobbs1951
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Re: Bridges

Post by Hobbs1951 »

foxyrider wrote:My current 'thing' is collecting windmills. I've had several raids into Lincolnshire and another planned in a few weeks and have so far found something like 60. I've done similar 'raids' into East + West Yorks and Nottinghamshire - adds a little to the ride especially if it's a long 'training' ride.


Have you collected what is regarded as the finest windmill in England - the Five Sail Mill at Alford, also the location of the largest thatched house in England (Alford Manor House) ?

John.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Bridges

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Hobbs1951 wrote:
foxyrider wrote:My current 'thing' is collecting windmills. I've had several raids into Lincolnshire and another planned in a few weeks and have so far found something like 60. I've done similar 'raids' into East + West Yorks and Nottinghamshire - adds a little to the ride especially if it's a long 'training' ride.


Have you collected what is regarded as the finest windmill in England - the Five Sail Mill at Alford, also the location of the largest thatched house in England (Alford Manor House) ?

John.

Why five sails?
I thought four was standard

Rydw hoffi felinau/we love mills!
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Mike Sales
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Re: Bridges

Post by Mike Sales »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Why five sails?
I thought four was standard

Rydw hoffi felinau/we love mills!


I have a memory of reading about a windmill hub which was adaptable to different numbers of sails. I have not been able to find the reference. It may have been a Lincolnshire invention.
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foxyrider
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Re: Bridges

Post by foxyrider »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
Hobbs1951 wrote:
foxyrider wrote:My current 'thing' is collecting windmills. I've had several raids into Lincolnshire and another planned in a few weeks and have so far found something like 60. I've done similar 'raids' into East + West Yorks and Nottinghamshire - adds a little to the ride especially if it's a long 'training' ride.


Have you collected what is regarded as the finest windmill in England - the Five Sail Mill at Alford, also the location of the largest thatched house in England (Alford Manor House) ?

John.

Why five sails?
I thought four was standard


To be honest when I was at Alford last month I wasn't that impressed by it, there are many nicer mills even within Lincolnshire. The five sail mill at Burgh Le Marsh, Ellis 5 sai in Lincoln and Heckington 8 sail spring immediately to mind and of course the Wragby post meal.

I've seen mills with 4,5,6,8 and even 12 sails. Four is pretty standard as it's easy to construct but if you need to carry out repairs you have to stop using the mill. With 5 you can remove a single sail for repair, for 6, 8 or 12 you can remove a pair and still have full operation. More sails tend to be used where wind strength is less predictable too so in flat country you will find more 'extra' sails or alternatively higher towers.

In Holland for example, the mills are generally fairly low if you are in exposed coastal areas but move inland and you get much taller towers. The reverse is true too, mills on exposed hilltops are generally fairly short squat affairs. Of course there are exceptions to these 'rules' and all sorts of combinations. In Germany the other week I found several fixed mills, ie the sails cannot be turned into the wind, combination mills where a post mill is mounted on a tower.

Then there are materials, timber, brick, thatch, field stone - they can be used for mills almost next to each other! Factory mills, water pumping mills, grain mills, saw mills, purely power generating mills - I do know of people who collect wind farms - a step too far even for me.
Convention? what's that then?
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Mike Sales
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Re: Bridges

Post by Mike Sales »

Out on a ride I happened to come across an open day at Dogdyke Pumping Station, near Tattershall.
It's the last in Britain stll steaming, though there is another steam pump near PinchbeckI have visited and several preserved diesel pumps. The pumping engines progressed from wind pumps to steam to diesel to electric.
The internal drainage boards keep us dry, I live in the Black Sluice IDB.
The drainage of the Fens is interesting. In many ways it is similar to the Enclosures, or the Highland clearances. There was sabotage and unrest from the "slodgers" who had an independent way of life.

http://www.dogdyke.com
http://www.wellandidb.org.uk/museum
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
yutkoxpo
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Re: Bridges

Post by yutkoxpo »

I know nothing about the bridges in the OP, but just wanted to say what a great thread this is turning out to be! Lots of inspiration! Many thanks!
rjb
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Re: Bridges

Post by rjb »

Mike Sales wrote:Out on a ride I happened to come across an open day at Dogdyke Pumping Station, near Tattershall.
It's the last in Britain stll steaming,]


Not the last as this one in Westonzoyland on the river Parrett in Somerset gets a regular steaming. https://www.wzlet.org. :wink:

And there is a handy cafe there too which you can use.
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Bridges, Mills, Ditches, Hotopp

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Mike Sales wrote:Out on a ride I happened to come across an open day at Dogdyke Pumping Station, near Tattershall.
It's the last in Britain stll steaming, though there is another steam pump near PinchbeckI have visited and several preserved diesel pumps. The pumping engines progressed from wind pumps to steam to diesel to electric.
The internal drainage boards keep us dry, I live in the Black Sluice IDB.
The drainage of the Fens is interesting. In many ways it is similar to the Enclosures, or the Highland clearances. There was sabotage and unrest from the "slodgers" who had an independent way of life.

http://www.dogdyke.com
http://www.wellandidb.org.uk/museum

*Progressed* from free wind power to electric? :wink:
The locks on the Elbe-Luebeck Kanal are operated by gravity only, no external power is needed (Hotopp system), +99, but if the locks are rebuilt they will have electric pumps, not sure why, maybe to save a few seconds (the barges do 9 kmh)

Very interesting argument going on now about upgrading the canal
Chamber of Trade is in favour (lots of jobs and concrete), naturalists oppose, they assert that the canal would not carry much more, a couple of trains a day could be run instead
Who knows, maybe both are right :wink:
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Mike Sales
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Re: Bridges

Post by Mike Sales »

rjb wrote:
Mike Sales wrote:Out on a ride I happened to come across an open day at Dogdyke Pumping Station, near Tattershall.
It's the last in Britain stll steaming,]


Not the last as this one in Westonzoyland on the river Parrett in Somerset gets a regular steaming. https://www.wzlet.org. :wink:

And there is a handy cafe there too which you can use.


If I get the chance I shall have to tell the Dogdyke people that their publicity material is wrong.
It's the same the whole world over
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It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Bridges

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Is Dogdyke maybe the only one in regular service? Do you live below sea level?
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Mike Sales
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Re: Bridges, Mills, Ditches, Hotopp

Post by Mike Sales »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
*Progressed* from free wind power to electric? :wink:


I suppose one may progress in the wrong direction though I have read that there were problems in prolonged calms.
It's the same the whole world over
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It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Mike Sales
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Re: Bridges, Mills, Ditches, Hotopp

Post by Mike Sales »

Cyril Haearn wrote:The locks on the Elbe-Luebeck Kanal are operated by gravity only, no external power is needed (Hotopp system), +99, but if the locks are rebuilt they will have electric pumps, not sure why, maybe to save a few seconds (the barges do 9 kmh)



I had never heard of the Hotopp system, so I have looked it up. Ingenious. What a pity that they are being scrapped. It seems not all are though.

The locks of the Elbe-Luebeck-Canal were constructed in 1898.
They started operation in 1900 and still are still working well today. A first thorough renovation of some locks has been done in early 2006 leaving the original Hotopp system in function.
Apart from water they do not need any other source of energy.


http://www.autokaffee.com/DDD/Hotopp2.html
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
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