"A massive, UK-wide, biannual military exercise which last year sparked widespread complaints from north-west Sutherland residents is about to be held again"
Thus reports the Northern Times this week.
May is once again turning out to be a stunning month up here. The gorse is rioting, egged on by a cacophony of bird song carried on gentle breezes floating from an absolutely cloudless sky.
Operation Joint Warrior involves militaries from the UK and 12 other countries. At it's height the air forces will be sending 75 aircraft to bomb Cape Wrath on over 100 sorties per day including the new Typhoon aircraft coming in to drop 1000 lb bombs.
And there's a fair number of tourists up here to enjoy the peace and solitude. Cyclists, walkers, fisher folk and tourers. I hope they get what they're looking for - the weather really couldn't be better.
It's the climax of lambing too. We are on the flight path for a lot of these sorties - the screaming jets terrify the goats. Even the normal bombing - 30 miles away though it is - is quite disturbing. What will a 1000 lb bomb sound like I wonder?
Joint Warrior started yesterday and lasts for two weeks.
3 comments:
Good luck, guys. We get the screaming jets over here -- only in nice weather and so often that Beau the horse doesn't bat an eyelid...
'volat' - the violation to the peace and quiet by ear-spitting noise of low-flying jets
Why must they drop real bombs? Couldn't they use big bomb-shaped flour-filled balloons instead? It's just the amount of money these things cost; it winds me up that they're just chucking the majority of the European defence budget at a remote defenceless cliff.
MTB
'puralita' - the peace and quiet at the end of each day's overhead bombardment.
Bags of flour might be a bit messy - but then again they could use bags of oats - then at the end of the day all the poverty stricken crofters could scoop up the sludge (as it's mixed with sea water) and take it home to make oatcakes which they could then sell to the squaddies. Good plan Mike!
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