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050-057 Q7-32Sb.Pdf 048 BREAKING THE WAVES A stretch of ‘desert’ along the Kent coast, Dungeness was once the base for a primitive form of radar. What better way to visit than in a radar-equipped Audi Q7? WRITER John Silcox PHOTOGRAPHER Richard Pardon Audi Magazine 049 the estate – and he is an encyclopaedia of local knowledge. ‘You wouldn’t think so but the sound mirrors are easy to miss, even though one is more than 200ft long,’ he says. ‘Nowadays they are slowly being overrun by the overgrowth and despite our best preservation efforts the bushes are slowly taking back control of the area. Before long I wouldn’t be surprised if the sound mirrors were relegated to the confines of history books.’ We follow Owen along a dirt track and soon we’re staring up at three giant decaying concrete structures: two parabolic dishes and one enormous curved wall. Even today, these buildings are still incredibly impressive and tower above the landscape, standing nearly 30ft tall. However, their state of disrepair is evident: the harsh weather of the location has taken its toll on the stained mortar, and chunks have crumbled away. ‘In the 1930s these were at the forefront of technology,’ explains Owen. ‘Sound mirrors were an early military experiment in ranging and detection, and it was thought they would be the best way to give early warning of an air raid. Instead of using electric wave signals like radar does now, these sound mirrors were based on acoustics. Dungeness was the perfect spot for these to work as it was empty and nice and quiet. The military could run all the he landscape ahead is bleak. Through the rain-soaked windscreen we can experiments they wanted without being disturbed.’ see dark clouds rolling Tacross the sky, casting a grey shadow down on the During the First World War, most European countries flat and barren land. Apart from a few old fishing shacks and a couple of had successfully experimented with various listening black lighthouses, the only thing that catches the eye is the looming devices to determine where enemy armaments were industrial outline of a nuclear power station. This is a child’s idea of located. Scientists then decided to apply and develop this summer holiday hell, yet to an adult there’s something oddly mesmerising technology to tracking aircraft. and beautiful about it all. ‘At one point, this acoustic detection was poised to be A quick look down at the sat-nav confirms that we have nearly reached implemented all across the British empire,’ explains our destination, the Dungeness National Nature Reserve in Kent – Owen. ‘But sudden advances in the development of radar although we may as well have arrived at the end of the world. This place put an end to further experimentation with the technique is often called Britain’s only desert, but think more post-apocalyptic in the late 1930s. Since then, the Dungeness mirrors have wasteland than golden Saharan sand dunes. been abandoned.’ Sitting on a headland that juts out into the English Channel, this However, far from being a wasted effort, there were 468-acre estate is one of the largest expanses of shingle in the world. For long-lasting benefits of the acoustic mirror programme. years it has been abandoned to the military, a nuclear power station, a It gave Britain the methodology to use interconnected handful of fishermen and nature. But despite appearances, Dungeness stations to pinpoint the position of an enemy in the sky, is home to an array of wildlife, with over 600 different types of plant. and the system developed for linking the stations and It is also one of the best places in Britain to find extremely rare varieties plotting aircraft movements was given to the early radar of moths, bees, beetles and spiders, some of which cannot be found team, contributing to its success. anywhere else in the country. Fast forward 75 years and Audi is at the forefront of Today we have come down from London in another rare beast: the technology with the new Q7. Its flagship SUV boasts >> all-new Audi Q7. But our primary interest isn’t the incredible biodiversity of this area. We’re here to find out more about sound mirrors: sci-fi acoustic structures used for ranging and detection before the invention of radar – a technology that now plays a key role in many of Audi’s innovative driver assistant systems. Meeting our guide Owen Leyshon, we quickly realise that we could Opposite (from top): the three sound mirrors now stand have done with some ranging and detection of our own, as we’ve driven isolated on a man-made island; a single concrete road straight past them in the bad weather, without noticing. Owen is the leads to the beach on the Dungeness estate leader of the Romney Marsh Countryside Project, the charity that runs 050 INSTEAD OF USING ELECTRIC WAVE SIGNALS LIKE RADAR, SOUND MIRRORS USED ACOUSTICS Audi Magazine 051 052 AUDI Q7 3.0 TDI QUATTRO S LINE Price from £53,835 OTR Engine 3.0 TDI 272PS Transmission eight-speed tiptronic Drivetrain quattro all-wheel drive 0-62mph 6.5 seconds Top speed 145mph Efficiency 45.6mpg combined*, * 163g/km CO2 * Standard EU test figures for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results . With optional 21-inch 9.5J 5-arm turbine design alloy wheels IPAD EXTRA Watch a film of our Dungeness trip on the Audi Magazine iPad app Audi Magazine 053 ABANDONED WOODEN HULKS ARE DOTTED ABOUT THE VAST SHINGLE BEACH 054 a number of innovative driver assist systems that use a combination of radar, cameras and satellite navigation to predict what is about to appear Opposite (from top): a wooden fishing vessel lays abandoned on the road ahead. on the beach; the Q7 demonstrates the power of quattro all-wheel drive across the difficult terrain This technology made an enormous difference on our drive down to the coast from London, especially the adaptive cruise control, which takes account of type of road and conditions and adjusts speed accordingly, and the active lane assist, which adjusts the steering to stop the car from crossing the white lines. Setting off from the mirrors, we decide to explore some more of the Dungeness estate, and drive down the only road leading to the urban shrine for fans wishing to pay their respects – and as we ‘centre’, composed of a pub, a shop and a railway station. The weather has pass by the black cottage with its beautifully maintained slightly improved, and the first tourists have arrived on the Romney, garden, we see a fishing boat pull up to the shore and Hythe & Dymchurch miniature steam railway. beach itself. Owen recommends we introduce ourselves, ‘Dungeness is increasingly popular with visitors,’ says Owen. ‘They so we set off across the deep shingle, after putting the Q7 come to witness the unusual landscape we have here, and there are a lot into off-road mode. of budding photographers. The abandoned hulks of wooden boats The quattro technology is more than a match for dotted about the vast shingle beach are very picturesque and have the treacherous terrain that Owen tells us claims many proved to be a popular attraction. Quite a few films and video clips feature vehicles each year. At the boat we meet Joe Thomas, these rotting hulks. Quite a few people also come to pay homage to Derek who is repairing the nets ahead of tomorrow’s outing, and Jarman, the film director, who lived here.’ his uncle David, who is landing a bumper catch of skate Jarman was an influential film-maker and gay rights activist who and dover sole. The Thomas family owns the Dungeness lived in one of the fishermen’s shacks. He made many critically Fish Hut on the estate, and are now the only fishermen acclaimed films during the 1970s and 1980s, and also directed music based in Dungeness. videos for famous bands such as The Smiths, The Sex Pistols and ‘When I started fishing in Dungeness, there used to The Pet Shop Boys. Since his death in 1994, his home has become a be 14 trawlers here, but now there are only four,’ Joe tells us. ‘There is still plenty of fish, but European laws are very restrictive and lots have been put off. Life here is now very different – instead of this being a fishing 02 community, the cottages are now being snapped up by rich city folk who want a holiday house with a view. PREDICTIVE 01 TECHNOLOGY FOR At the moment quite a few of the long-term residents are A SAFER DRIVING worried because the estate is currently up for sale for EXPERIENCE £1.45 million. That’s cheaper than some flats in expensive 04 areas like Chelsea.’ Despite the traditional aspects of a lot of his work, Joe 01 & 4The new Audi Q7 uses front radar sensors (on left also uses a surprising amount of technology on his boat. and right) to maintain a safe He eagerly tells us about the high-tech satellite navigation distance behind vehicles when he has on-board. adaptive cruise control is activated. The optional traffic ‘We use up-to-date marine charts on our ships that jam assist system also uses map out the detailed ridges, banks and trenches of the these sensors and a camera to bottom of the sea. Fishing boats have had satellite detect any traffic jams ahead navigation for years – in fact, we were using this 02 & 03 Acoustic front and technology before cars.’ rear sensors provide an As we talk, the skies close in once again and the heavens invaluable aid to Audi parking open.
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