As with the rest of the UK we've been suffering the seemingly incessant rain. The Somerset Levels get soggy, and the villages further out over South Somerset have had a tough time. But here in Cheddar the Mendip catchment discharges the water from the caves and it flows down the lower gorge, through Cheddar village as a small river called the Cheddar Yeo. At times like this though the river can swell alarmingly, the series of ponds and lakes in the gorge get very full. Anyone sitting in the Riverside Inn can see the images of how the gorge flooded badly back in the Great Flood of 1968.
But thankfully the flood defences developed after that bad time (which are very prettily done) do their work and this time the gorge and village generally mostly survived unharmed although pulses were racing for some. The top of the gorge shops were hit a bit, because the water literally came out of the caves entrance (see picture), and the flow down the road was substantial. But only a few unlucky shops and cottages actually had water coming in.
Further up the gorge (where there are no buildings the water was still significant and the damage done to the road surface, including a lot of rubble dragged out and down, made it a bit difficult to navigate and so they've closed it for some weeks awaiting road repairs. The canny locals do have a habit of driving around the barriers and cutting up and through the gorge. Probably not advisable so don't do this at home!
But thankfully the flood defences developed after that bad time (which are very prettily done) do their work and this time the gorge and village generally mostly survived unharmed although pulses were racing for some. The top of the gorge shops were hit a bit, because the water literally came out of the caves entrance (see picture), and the flow down the road was substantial. But only a few unlucky shops and cottages actually had water coming in.
Further up the gorge (where there are no buildings the water was still significant and the damage done to the road surface, including a lot of rubble dragged out and down, made it a bit difficult to navigate and so they've closed it for some weeks awaiting road repairs. The canny locals do have a habit of driving around the barriers and cutting up and through the gorge. Probably not advisable so don't do this at home!
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