This last week has been quite drippy and the river came up quickly but it is dropping fast again. The Cocker is reputed to be one of the fastest rivers in the country . It is only about twelve miles long and drains quite a large area of the fells. It rises very quickly but also drains down very quickly too. As it rises it changes colour from crystal clear ,dark green, sandy brown and then dark brown but as it falls it includes this wonderful almost blue colour. At this particular spot we frequently see the heron and kingfisher and it is a favorite place for the red squirrels to cross the river high overhead through the trees,
While I had the camera out I thought I would take some pictures of the damage done to our lane by the Cockermouth floods in November 2009. This collage is what we see as we set off walking towards the town
This one shows the same lane only returning from town. You can see the last bit of riverwall still standing but also just how narrow it is ,where a couple of metres of the width of the road has been washed away. Incidentally you can get an idea of the height of the floods at this point. The river is nearly three metres below the road here and at the height of the flood the water was through that hedge on the right and well up that telephone pole.
When all my quilts were parcelled up and ready to be sent to Grosvenor Shows ready for Malvern and the Spring Shows they had to be trundled along here in the wheelbarrow to meet the courier.
Fun!
:o)
