Monsal Viaduct, Derbyshire, England

It is amazing how things can blend into the landscape. That is a point worth remembering with regard to the construction of wind farms and electricity distribution networks. Also, nature can repair the damage after human intrusion as has been proved in the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines. As with many ill-fated designs in the Scottish Highlands, it defeat you too.

Why have I added the preceding words? Well, the construction of the Monsal Viaduct in Monsal Dale near Monsal head was not without controversy. For example, Victorian environmentalist John Ruskin hated the thing and wrote of it only with derision. Given that we now see railways as an environmentally more responsible way to travel, that may seem strange but we have been gifted peace and quiet in the dale again following the closure of this railway line. In fact, it forms part of a walking and cycling trail, the Monsal Trail, though the tunnel is shut and you have to climb up to the road as part of a diversion around it to reach Bakewell, one of the termini for the trail.