Flood update

We have finally made it through to Bowness - the roads are flooded but thankfully we are nowhere near as bad as Cockermouth and Keswick, I hope everyone is alright up there.

We took a circuitous route due to blocked roads and saw that the River Crake has burst its banks at Spark Bridge flooding houses there. At Newby Bridge there are major tailbacks on the main road and the road to Bowness is officially shut. The Swan at Newby Bridge is under water and Fell Foot is flooded. At Bowness the lake is right over the road at the jetties - even deeper than last year which seems unbelievable. There are quite a few folk about though, I guess everyone is trapped! Our shop has remained dry but up the street a couple have flooded at the bottom of the hill. Thanks for all the messages we have recieved from our StridingEdge family, we appreciate everyone's concern.

Update and photos later hopefully.

Sean and Louise 

The Lakes under even more water

 The latest is that Louise has indeed decided to bail out leaving the shop open in Julie's capable hands - no problems when you live in walking distance. She has been turned back by the Mountain Rescue on the A5074 Lyth Valley Road - usually the one that stays open in these conditions! Now I am playing Mr Sat Nav via the mobile directing her home on the minor roads. Fingers crossed!

Update: Made it! Two and a half hours of fun on waterlogged roads and it is still raining. Windermere (the lake) has made it up to road level now.

Sean

The Lakes under water!

The road from Newby Bridge to Bowness this morning is a river. Is it just me or does anyone else pat the car's dashboard and tell it "well done" when it gets through a particularly hairy patch of water? (Julie has just told me that she always thanks her car at the end of a hairy moment journey). I also love it when us motorists keenly eye up the vehicles coming in the opposite direction to gauge whether or not they're going to make it through (Corsas and Fiat 500s had no chance). I guess they'll have shut the road by now which begs the question how I'll get home as the Crook Road is already shut and the Kendal bypass is notorious for its inability to cope with torrential rain. Ah well, its 10.30 and I've just heard the till ring so maybe it will be worth it.
Update:
I feel as though I am going to be marooned on an island now, the schools around here are closed the A591 is closed between Windermere and Keswick and I was the last car through on the A592 from Newby Bridge this morning. All the jetties in Bowness Bay except the main one for the steamers are under water and, as I drove past in my amphibious vehicle, I saw a swan tapping its beak gently on the ticket booth - maybe it's too wet for him and he's looking for a boat to take him out of here - I think I will join him!

Louise

Wetter than wet

It has been wetter than wet in Cumbria today with more to come according to the weather man. Apparently we will have up to 8" of rain in the next 36 hours and that is more than a normal November's worth. As the ground is already saturated it could be interesting times on the roads around here as the water flows from the fells. The Bowness to Newby Bridge road is always an interesting experience when it is wet and sometimes an amphibious vehicle would be the only sane choice to travel along it.

We were shop hunting again today and a decision has almost been reached. We had to mull it over with nice coffee and a big piece of cakey at Chesters where Sean took these photos of the swollen River Brathay.

Louise