Mills on the Air, 2026 🌍

The "air" referred to in the name "Mills on the Air" is not so much the moving air that makes up the wind that powers windmills, but rather refers to the airwaves over which radio travels. Thus Mills on the Air (MOTA) is an event where amateur radio operators run radio stations at mills throughout the UK, and indeed across the world. It takes place on National Mills Weekend, and thus this year is on 9th and 10th May, 2026.

Whilst some of the radio stations may be set up inside the mills themselves, the more usual arrangement is for the radio simply to be operated from the vicinity of the mill. The mill itself may not actually be open as part of National Mills Weekend, or if it is, may well have different opening times than the operating time of the radio station.

See the list of stations taking part in the event in 2026. When I last checked, there were 59 UK mills, and 40 spread across the rest of the world.