Thanks to Graham Barron for supplying these images of the Whicham Valley as it currently is with the 132kV pylon line. 

   

   

   

The photomontage below has been created by Power Without Pylons and shows the proposed new pylons running up the eastern side of the Whicham Valley. You can also see the existing 132kV pylons (half the height and 12% of the volume of the 400kV pylons) on the left hand side of the picture.

This photomontage shows the size of a 400kV pylon compared to the existing 132kV pylon where it is to be sited in the middle of Greety Gate Marsh. The photo was taken from within the Lake District National Park from the A595.  The proposed pylon will have a significantly greater impact on the views out of the Lake District than the existing pylon.

Pylon size and volume comparison (figures taken from National Grid's consultation Fig 4.3.1)

National Grid has stated many times in the media that their new pylons will only be slightly larger than the existing pylons.  However, our calculations based on Grid's consultation details shows something very different.

The 400kV pylons will be 7.76 times the volume of the existing 132kV pylons,

The 132kV pylons are 12.9% the volume of the proposed 400kV cables.

This doesn’t include increased wire and insulator sizes which will further increase the visual impact.