Fords (shallow rivers and streams that cars drive through)

AY1975 · Monday at 12:54

Does anyone here have any experience of driving through a ford or live near one? I think they've already been mentioned in passing in various threads but I'm not sure if there's been a dedicated thread on them as such.

I remember as a child being taken for a drive through a ford near Wirksworth, Derbyshire, and having a picnic in a nearby field afterwards where we watched the cars go through it. I don't know if that particular ford is still there, as it may have been where Carsington Water reservoir is now.

I also noticed a ford in Brockenhurst, Hants.

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pint · Monday at 13:26

Tissington ford, near (ish) to bakewell

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Cowley · Monday at 13:35

AY1975 said:
Does anyone here have any experience of driving through a ford or live near one? I think they've already been mentioned in passing in various threads but I'm not sure if there's been a dedicated thread on them as such.

I remember as a child being taken for a drive through a ford near Wirksworth, Derbyshire, and having a picnic in a nearby field afterwards where we watched the cars go through it. I don't know if that particular ford is still there, as it may have been where Carsington Water reservoir is now.

I also noticed a ford in Brockenhurst, Hants.

There’s a few near me that I use from time to time. Probably the longest normal ford in the area is the one on Mill Street in Sidmouth though.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zp5otdCm2DLPW3BV6?g_st=ic

Snow1964 · Monday at 13:49

There is a very long one at Laycock, Wiltshire

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Haywain · Monday at 14:00

There's a delightful ford at Leatheringsett, near Holt, in Norfolk:

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Polarbear · Monday at 14:22

I’ve been through several, though I’m limited with only having a standard clearance car & two wheel drive!

For those with an interest, there’s a website dedicated to this topic, providing details of all the Fords in the UK.

www.wetroads.co.uk

An online guide to every ford and watersplash in the UK.

www.wetroads.co.uk

thejuggler · Monday at 14:50

One from the website above is Wheeldale which I have experienced a lot as its on a back route between Pickering and Whitby which is quieter and more interesting than the main route.

It is one of many on the North Yorkshire moors.

bramling · Monday at 15:16

AY1975 said:
Does anyone here have any experience of driving through a ford or live near one? I think they've already been mentioned in passing in various threads but I'm not sure if there's been a dedicated thread on them as such.

I remember as a child being taken for a drive through a ford near Wirksworth, Derbyshire, and having a picnic in a nearby field afterwards where we watched the cars go through it. I don't know if that particular ford is still there, as it may have been where Carsington Water reservoir is now.

I also noticed a ford in Brockenhurst, Hants.

There’s a rather notorious one at Walcot Lane, just round the corner from Pershore station. Constantly seems to be having incidents, including a fatal one some years ago. Unfortunately the lane it’s on offers something of a shortcut, so people seem to chance it.

ls2270 · Monday at 16:33

There is one at Eynsford in Kent.

Trainguy34 · Monday at 16:36

I'm presuming there's one in Ford, near Barnham (West Sussex). If not I've been through one in the ironically named Bridge, near Canterbury.

E27007 · Monday at 17:12

A ford in the village of Shilton near Burford in the Cotswolds.
I do not recommend driving through a ford, they should be avoided, a neighbour drove into a flood, his Mercedes ingested water into the cylinders, the connecting rods bent, a major bill to replace the engine, £12,000 for engine ex luring labour fees

Engineer · Monday at 17:23

Lunch time Fridays in the mid 70's we often took a short cut through Redlake Lane Wokingham, on the way from ICL Bracknell to the Crooked Billet pub. The Emmbrook Ford is still there. Once in a Ford RS1800 rally car road testing, I drove took fast and aquaplaned on the sump guard, slight flow took me sideways; hit part of bank and drove out on two wheels for a few feet! ..

swt_passenger · Monday at 19:24

Trainguy34 said:
I'm presuming there's one in Ford, near Barnham (West Sussex). If not I've been through one in the ironically named Bridge, near Canterbury.

Not present in modern times, but Google suggests the place was named for a crossing of the tidal River Arun. But there’s nothing shown on OS maps going back well over 100 years.

JohnofWessex · Monday at 19:59

Rufford Ford

Rufford Ford: Safety or Convenience?

Now rightly closed

AlastairFraser · Monday at 20:13

Engineer said:
Lunch time Fridays in the mid 70's we often took a short cut through Redlake Lane Wokingham, on the way from ICL Bracknell to the Crooked Billet pub. The Emmbrook Ford is still there. Once in a Ford RS1800 rally car road testing, I drove took fast and aquaplaned on the sump guard, slight flow took me sideways; hit part of bank and drove out on two wheels for a few feet! ..

There's quite a few in that area. I think the one between Sandford (east end of Woodley) and Hurst is in Whistley Green, and there's a few more dotted around the Loddon valley I believe.

ChiefPlanner · Monday at 20:31

Yes - the Amman Valley in south Wales (fed from the Black Mountain) , and also the water power mill at Redbournebury near St Albans !

MicroLithium · Monday at 20:36

I had a short walk in Weardale this afternoon and passed two just off the A689, near Westgate and St John’s Chapel

steamybrian · Monday at 20:59

Complete lising of all "fords" -

https://www.wetroads.co.uk/

Cowley · Monday at 21:08

One of my favourite stretches of soggy tarmac is the tidal road at Avaton Gifford in the South Hams.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ei7L6pRTwtxjBfdL7?g_st=ic

You really don’t want to take a chance with that road if the tides coming in!

High Dyke · Monday at 21:32

thejuggler said:
One from the website above is Wheeldale which I have experienced a lot as its on a back route between Pickering and Whitby which is quieter and more interesting than the main route.

It is one of many on the North Yorkshire moors.

I haven't been through the Wheeldale one for many years.

I used to take school bus through the ford in Kirkby Green, between Lincoln and Sleaford. We have a few around where I live though they are on minor roads.

Bald Rick · Monday at 22:09

JohnofWessex said:
Rufford Ford

Rufford Ford: Safety or Convenience?

Now rightly closed

Annoyingly closed, that was our route to Center Parcs at Sherwood, and always excited the kids* as we went through, as it was a bit of peril, but when we were through it meant we were almost there. Shame it has closed because of some idiots.

*Ok, me, not the kids.

ChiefPlanner said:
Yes - the Amman Valley in south Wales (fed from the Black Mountain) , and also the water power mill at Redbournebury near St Albans !

Also across the Lea near Brocket Hall (Waterend Lane) and the Mimram south of Codicote (St Albans Road). Both are part-time, and are only fords when ground water in the aquifer is above a certain level or after a day or so of heavy rain. Both are dry currently.

JohnMcL7 · Tuesday at 01:25

JohnofWessex said:
Rufford Ford

Rufford Ford: Safety or Convenience?

Now rightly closed

That was the one that came to mind when I read this topic. While it was open it was certainly a surprising demonstration on how many people didn't understand they needed to be cautious when taking cars through water.

Egg Centric · Tuesday at 01:52

I have a recollection, as a student, going for the sake of it to a ford that was described as the longest in the UK, this would be about 2005-2006ish. I cannot for the life of me find it now. All I recollect is you went from Cambridge via Watford Gap to the M45 and then... somewhere?!

From OpenAI it seems it *may* have been Little Packington Ford which is now permanently shut. However I don't think I trust OpenAI here because when I look at the photos of this it doesn't seem like the ford I remember; I remember the ford being out in the middle of nowhere, not having a village nearby.

Wherever it was it was clear when doing it that it was a very silly thing to be driving along. You essentially drove along the river for a couple of hundred yards. In my mate's Audi A2 that was less than wise but we got away with it.

izvor · 2026-09-02T02:00:22+0100

There's a few on the lanes around Ashdown Forest, Sussex, I can think of Newbridge, Twyford and Jarvis Brook.

Egg Centric said:
You essentially drove along the river for a couple of hundred yards. In my mate's Audi A2 that was less than wise but we got away with it.

There's one like this in Kent at Derringstone, though it's intermittent being on a chalk stream (Nailbourne) that is usually underground. It runs along South Barham Road for several hundred yards and crosses Railway Hill as a more "conventional" ford in the village centre. When it rises too high (as in 2024) they have to close the road, to the irritation of locals.

Tetchytyke · 2026-09-02T08:53:01+0100

There's one near me.

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Little Tyke always wants me to drive through it, normally I'm happy to oblige but not when it's been raining. If there's been lots of rain the police normally come and close it anyway.

The warning sign for ducks on the approach is just beautiful.

pitdiver · 2026-09-02T08:59:07+0100

JohnofWessex said:
Rufford Ford

Rufford Ford: Safety or Convenience?

Now rightly closed

I live about 10 mins from Rufford ford. I wouldn't dream of driving through it. As you say it is closed but there is a local rumour doing the rounds that it will reopen in 2027

D6130 · 2026-09-02T09:05:51+0100

The ford across the Finham Brook on Castle Road (B4103) in Kenilworth was always a highlight of family trips from Scotland to visit friends in Hampshire back in the late 'sixties/early 'seventies. Nowadays it's been - partly - replaced by a shallow bridge....but when the brook is in flood it still flows across the road.

CharlieSpotted · 2026-09-02T09:08:08+0100

This thread has bought back vivid memories of childhood holidays in the Yorkshire Dales, and frequent visits to this ford, near Reeth:

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3642181

Apparently, it was featured in the opening credits to 'All Creatures Great and Small' - which tracks!

We used to stand on the little bridge and play pooh-sticks. Would often take a picnic and occasionally be forced to defend it from interested sheep. I remember the road down to it being pretty scary, as a kid, steep, narrow and winding. My Dad loved driving in the Dales - my Mom much less so.

Sun Chariot · 2026-09-02T09:33:31+0100

Cowley said:
Probably the longest normal ford in the area is the one on Mill Street in Sidmouth though.

I remember playing at the edge of Sidmouth's, in my 1970s youth, during my family's summer visits to see my maternal grandmother in Exmouth.

Two local fords: one (Mill Chase Road, Lindford) where I lived for five years; the other (Pigeon Lane, near Portsdown Hill) is below the high ridge of land overlooking The Solent and Portsmouth.

Two photos of Lindford's ford; and a Transit negotiating a local lane near my home: it's on a natural spring-line and floods so often that it almost qualifies as a permanent ford!

SJL2020 · 2026-09-02T09:38:41+0100

CharlieSpotted said:
This thread has bought back vivid memories of childhood holidays in the Yorkshire Dales, and frequent visits to this ford, near Reeth:

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3642181

Apparently, it was featured in the opening credits to 'All Creatures Great and Small' - which tracks!

We used to stand on the little bridge and play pooh-sticks. Would often take a picnic and occasionally be forced to defend it from interested sheep. I remember the road down to it being pretty scary, as a kid, steep, narrow and winding. My Dad loved driving in the Dales - my Mom much less so.

I recognised it from the 70s show straight away (before I read your text).

Fords (shallow rivers and streams that cars drive through)

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