Here’s something interesting — a webcam showing one of the more remote parts of the Lake District — Ennerdale. It’s run by a partnership between BBCi Cumbria and the YHA [Youth Hostel Association] and is located in the Common Room of the Ennerdale Hostel at Gillerthwaite about 3.5 miles up the valley from Bowness Knott. The camera shows the view from the common room looking up the valley with Pillar and Pillar rock in the background. The image is currently updated every 2 hours from 8am until 4 pm.

Why the slow refresh? Well, because there’s no broadband in Ennerdale — the webcam is “probably one of the most remote webcams in England” — it’s 18km from the nearest telephone exchange.

But that’s not the really interesting thing about it. The Ennerdale cam is the only one I know of that gets its electricity supply from water. The hostel has had its own hydroelectric generator since 2003. In its first year of operation, the back-up diesel generator was only needed for two days.

Thanks to Boyd Harris for the link.