An East Cambridgeshire windmill has topped the UK in an international competition.
Wicken Windmill claimed the title of the busiest working windmill in the country in the annual Windmill Whirloff, a friendly contest between working windmills in the UK and Europe.
The windmill was seventh overall in the international competition, beating all other mills from the UK and many from the Netherlands and Germany.
Over the course of 2025, the mill’s team of millers operated the windmill for more than 80 days, recording nearly 99,000 sail rotations.
Dave Pearce, millwright and miller at Wicken Windmill, said: "The results from the competition have been a real eye-opener.
"We always knew that we operated the mill very frequently but it was quite a surprise to see that we almost achieved 100,000 revolutions in 2025 and we are off to a good start with our intention to do even better in 2026."
Wicken ranked seventh overall in the international standings, outperforming all other UK entries and many from the Netherlands and Germany.
The data was gathered using the SmartMolen telemetry system, which tracks sail rotations at 35 traditional mills across three countries, including 21 that participated in the competition.
SmartMolen was developed by members of The Friends of Upminster Windmill, primarily to allow owners and operators of traditional windmills to remotely monitor the orientation of the mills in relation to the wind direction.
Sales of the flour produced by Wicken Windmill provide a source of income that is used to finance the ongoing maintenance and restoration of the mill.
It is free to visit and open to the public on the first full weekend of every month and on any other days when the sails are turning.
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