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23rd June. Villages of brick and red tile roofs – splayed at the eaves like British Liberty Caps – sit like islands in a sea of ripening crops. I just about topple my bike as I sneeze repeatedly into my helmet but manage to right myself and continue unscathed through Gainsborough and Scunthorpe. As I pass a series of power stations, sat in the same verdurous and unbroken plain, I think of Güssing a town and region in Austria, near my destination, Graz where they have achieved energy neutrality. The province had been the poorest in Austria, the sluggish economy, revolving around timber and farming was drained further by its dependence on imported energy, in response the local government in partnership with the University, invested heavily in renewable energies in which it is now a world leader and also a net exporter of energy. The idea took further ground when over a small hill I was confronted by a stand of white masts and tumbling sails. Even more so now, as I sit, floating down the Humber, looking to the coast, lined as it is with oil refineries and unknown cathedrals of industry – complete with spire like cranes and loading rigs bedecked and twinkling with an array of warning lights – I can see a continuation of this industry and energy production long after the north sea oil has been used up. The Hull-Rotterdam route is proving to be the perfect bridge to Europe, a back door it might be but it has considerable benefits over the alternatives. Entering Hull via the Humber Bridge, a confident effort in concrete and tensioned steel spanning the wide estuary, I experienced a rush of excitement and was happy to pay the £1.50 toll for the ride, which had attracted a small crowd of evening dog walkers, cyclists and joggers. Embarking on the P&O service at 7.30 in the evening I will emerge in Rotterdam early tomorrow morning well rested, washed, fed and ready for a days sight seeing. |
June 23rd, 2009
23rd June. Sheffield-Hull: In Search of the Perfect Art Venue
by Craig | Posted in Art Along the Rhine (RIBA Journal) | No Comments » | Tags: Architecture, Hull, Sheffield, Travel