Station Details
Public Access by Telephone
Live Winds NOW call 0900-900-7000 and enter 11 after the opening beep.
Calls cost 50p/min at all times. Details...
Subscribers Access
Subscribers call 01433-621-602 Details... and help....
Station Situation
Bradwell Wendy station is on the premises of the Derby and Lancs Gliding Club, near Great Hucklow, south of Castleton. It is around 10 miles West of Sheffield. Bradwell Edge ridge runs along the Western edge of the airfield, and the station is sited on the actual edge, so is in the "compression" or "venturi" zone. By the way, the Sailplane fraternity know this site as "Camphill", whereas the Hang and Paragliding fraternity know it as "Bradwell Edge". For detailed location, see the linked map.|OS Grid ref:
SK179790|Altitude: 1200ft (366m)
Interpreting Readings
Being sited in the compression zone, the station often reads quite high figures in Westerly winds, due to the venturi effect, and also due to Wave Doubling, where the atmospheric wave is in phase with the hill, making local winds on the edge often double the general forecast winds for the area. This station regularly records winds over 100mph! In Easterly winds, there is flat ground in front of the station, so it reads "true" windspeed. This often confuses people trying to use it to guess winds on Mam Tor, an easterly flying site 3 miles away. Because Mam Tor blocks the west end of a V-shaped valley, and is a substantial hill with a good venturi effect, the winds on it are often up to double those that the station at Bradwell reads out in Easterlies! more...
Pilot Notes
You are asked to contact the local Hang and Paragliding Club, the Derbyshire Soaring Club before flying a Hang or Paraglider in the area. The actual ridge at Bradwell site is not actually a DSC takeoff, though - although club pilots do fly there after taking off from other hills in the area. Sensible site rules have been agreed with the Derby and Lancs Gliding Club over avoiding flying conflict on the ridge, and these rules have mitigated the midair collision risk. Basically, Hang and Pargliders should not fly over the airfield, or in front of it, when it is active, unless they have a substantial height above the field, such as not to interfere with the glider's circuit. Use a radio on 143.950 MHz to listen for help and advice in the area. The Wendy station at Bradwell is also used by many Model flyers using Calow Bank (Stanage Edge), and it seems to read fairly well for this purpose. The anemometer is approx 25 feet above ground level. There is a display screen showing the station output in both the D and L Gliding Club clubhouse, and in the Woodbine Cafe, on the high street in Hope, near Castleton. Many local Hang and Paragliders congregate there to wait out the weather, and catch up on gossip, whilst keeping an eye on the Wendy readout.
Local contacts
Derbyshire Soaring Club A BHPA registered Derbyshire hang-gliding and paragliding club [Mike Johnson Is their Chairman] Derby and Lancs Gliding Club.
