Fords (shallow rivers and streams that cars drive through)

styles · Wednesday at 09:48

I don't have a photo of it, but there's a mountaineering hut in Langdale called Low Hall Garth.

The club who runs it have detailed instructions which include:

Warning: Do not try to use the ford from Little Langdale with vehicles.

As well as a disclaimer made necessary by just how awful the condition of the road is (barely a road at all, more like a chair massage):

Please also note that formal responsibility for its upkeep lies with Westmorland & Furness Council (and not the YRC or the National Trust).

I suspect they've had one too many people complaining to them that the road is horrendous

RailUK Forums

jon0844 · Wednesday at 10:23

pitdiver said:
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

I think the council had a poll on reopening it and the majority said they wanted it open again.

Now I have no clue how they managed such a poll, as the online community have been very upset about losing such good content, so did they check if all the positive votes were from locals and not because the link was posted on Reddit or YouTube?

I think the current thinking is to put in traffic calming to stop people racing through, which I guess will stop the amazing videos I'm sure we've all watched since that location became - literally - world famous.

The exile · Wednesday at 10:42

Sun Chariot said:
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.

I quite possibly watched you with envy from the bridge - I wasn’t allowed to go down (probably wisely knowing my then propensity to fall into any water around!)

Sun Chariot · Wednesday at 12:31

The exile said:
I quite possibly watched you with envy from the bridge - I wasn’t allowed to go down (probably wisely knowing my then propensity to fall into any water around!)

Young Chariot's parents were perhaps a little more laisse-faire!

The exile · Wednesday at 12:36

Sun Chariot said:
Young Chariot's parents were pethaps a little more laisse-faire!

Almost certainly.

AY1975 · Wednesday at 12:43

steamybrian said:
Complete listing of all "fords" -

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

That site also lists fords in the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. It doesn't seem to cover the Channel Islands, though: maybe there aren't any fords there. At the top of the homepage there's a clickable menu including a link to a list of overseas fords but you don't seem to be able to click on "overseas".

High Dyke said:
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.

I wonder if there are any other bus routes that go through fords?

Haywain · Wednesday at 12:45

steamybrian said:
Complete lising of all "fords" -
https://www.wetroads.co.uk/

Complete? Unlikely. But certainly comprehensive.

E27007 · Wednesday at 16:51

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! ..

A friend from the USA, he drives a rugged "tackle anything" Mercedes G-Wagen, warns of not of aquaplaning, but of vehicles being carried away by fast-flowing rivers in flood.
Drivers underestimate the buoyancy of vehicle tyres, the driver navigates a road crossing affected by a flowing river in spate, the buoyancy of air-filled tyres causes flotation of the vehicle and loss of control , the vehicle and occupants being carried downstream with unfortunate consequences

izvor · Thursday at 03:19

AY1975 said:
I wonder if there are any other bus routes that go through fords?

The tidal roads to Holy Island (Northumberland) and Mersea Island (Essex) still have bus services (the former's timetable dictated by the tides). I believe the tidal road to Sunderland (Lancs) still has a school bus.

Does the ford in Kersey village (Suffolk) still have a bus service?

Mcr Warrior · Thursday at 08:22

izvor said:
Does the ford in Kersey village (Suffolk) still have a bus service?

Don't think so. Buses run near to Kersey Mill but not Kersey itself.

dgl · Thursday at 09:03

Cowley said:
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

View attachment 210771

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

I remember my Auntie seeing a big 4x4 just about make it and think we'll be fine in her X prefix Fiesta, thankfully there is an "except for access" road that saved us from the rising tide!

More locally Beaminster has a ford that I didn't know about until recently, between two roads off the village centre.

CarltonA · Thursday at 09:42

There is a ford fairly close to me near Fulmer, South Bucks. Normally it is fairly shallow but once I chanced it when it was deeper. The car was ok going through but developed an O2 sensor fault a few weeks later. Not sure if that was related but I've been more cautious since.

izvor · Thursday at 10:40

I don't know this one but it looks interesting.

John Webb · Thursday at 18:51

Reputedly the longest ford in the UK; it is called "Violet's Lane" and runs from Furneux Pelham northwards along the bed of the River Ash for around 1 kilometer (five-eighths of a mile) - first picture is from the south end looking north:
Furneux Pelham Ford

© Copyright John Walton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
A view at the north end taken by myself in 1991 when there was no water present:
North end of Violets Lane - without water

© Copyright John Webb and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
And when there was, a year later in 1992:
Violets Lane ford - with water - looking South from near N end

© Copyright John Webb and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Near Colne in Lancashire is this rather shorter ford:
Ford

© Copyright Alexander P Kapp and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
where Moss Houses Beck and Cockhill Lane share each other. (I've driven this one as well.)
And my first-ever ford in 1991, through the River Rib on the south side of Standon in Herts.:
Standon Ford in use, seen from the West.

© Copyright John Webb and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
(Click on the above photos to go to the larger originals on the GeoGraph website. A search on that site for images tagged as 'ford' results in over 7000 images!)

Sun Chariot · Thursday at 20:52

John Webb said:
Reputedly the longest ford in the UK; it is called "Violet's Lane" and runs from Furneux Pelham northwards along the bed of the River Ash for around 1 kilometer (five-eighths of a mile)

Amazing. My wife and I are scouring online videos. Halfway through this linked one, look how deep the water gets. o_O

Cowley · Thursday at 21:29

Sun Chariot said:
Amazing. My wife and I are scouring online videos. Halfway through this linked one, look how deep the water gets.

No thanks. Especially in the dark!

dgl said:
I remember my Auntie seeing a big 4x4 just about make it and think we'll be fine in her X prefix Fiesta, thankfully there is an "except for access" road that saved us from the rising tide!

I didn’t know that there was an escape route?

We deliberately got ourselves marooned down there one night just to sleep in our camper. It was great once the tide was in and you knew that nobody could drive past.

John Webb · Thursday at 22:54

Sun Chariot said:
Amazing. My wife and I are scouring online videos. Halfway through this linked one, look how deep the water gets.

I certainly never drove along it with water that deep! And I would not have done it at night either.
That run was from the north end heading south. The deeper bits are mostly where there are entrances to fields and the river bed is deeper where farm machinery has turned into or out of the field; not very obvious in the dark.

dgl · Thursday at 23:28

Cowley said:
I didn’t know that there was an escape route?

We deliberately got ourselves marooned down there one night just to sleep in our camper. It was great once the tide was in and you knew that nobody could drive past.

We didn't, just saw a road and took it, it's not far from the Averton Gifford end so no good if your further on. Think we had one or two close calls on our various stays down there (7 stays in total iirc).

Llanigraham · 2026-09-04T17:08:16+0100

Haywain said:
Complete? Unlikely. But certainly comprehensive.

That website was started by the owner when he was doing hydrology research at University and I understand studied all the OS maps of the UK and traced all their references to fords that were on or near any public Right of Way, and it is considered the most accurate list of fords available. I have contributed photos of several.

There is also this website:

Welcome to English Fords: English Fords

A Photographic Inventory

www.englishfords.co.uk

which is also considered to be very accurate, although it only covers the English counties.

Haywain · 2026-09-04T22:08:16+0100

Llanigraham said:
That website was started by the owner when he was doing hydrology research at University and I understand studied all the OS maps of the UK and traced all their references to fords that were on or near any public Right of Way, and it is considered the most accurate list of fords available. I have contributed photos of several.

There is also this website:

Welcome to English Fords: English Fords

A Photographic Inventory

www.englishfords.co.uk

which is also considered to be very accurate, although it only covers the English counties.

All very well but I know of one that isn't on the website and there must be more, therefore it is not "complete". That's not to say it isn't a great bit of work even if the website is somewhat clunky.

John Webb · 2026-09-05T10:24:12+0100

Llanigraham said:
......There is also this website:

Welcome to English Fords: English Fords

A Photographic Inventory

www.englishfords.co.uk

which is also considered to be very accurate, although it only covers the English counties.

John Walton, the 'englishfords' originator, also posts his photos on the Geograph website. Indeed, the first photo in my post #44 above is one of his.

Miles Bown · 2026-09-05T11:27:21+0100

There is a ford on the road between Hinxton and Duxford in Cambridgeshire, across the river Granta. Not particularly exciting compared to others on here, although it is only about 200 yards along the road from Duxford level crossing on the West Anglia main line; is it the only ford visible from a passenger rail line in the country?

Failed Unit · 2026-09-05T11:51:45+0100

Bald Rick said:
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.

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.

Often cycle through the later one, it did surprise me after a recent storm it return (for a coupe of days - it is gone again at the moment). Never that deep, there are worse puddles (where water has gathered at the bottom of gradients) on roads in that general area which you can get your feet wet cycling through.

Bald Rick · 2026-09-05T12:51:57+0100

Failed Unit said:
Often cycle through the later one, it did surprise me after a recent storm it return (for a coupe of days - it is gone again at the moment). Never that deep, there are worse puddles (where water has gathered at the bottom of gradients) on roads in that general area which you can get your feet wet cycling through.

Yes I go through it on the bike a lot. Like many fords, it is annoyingly at the bottom of two inclines (being in a river valley), which means having to slow right down at exactly the olace you want to be conserving momentum to get a boost up the other side. I learned my lesson the hard way through Traitor’s Ford in the Cotswolds 30 years ago - going through it at pace, losing the back wheel and somehow only emerging with wet feet.

Failed Unit · 2026-09-05T13:23:50+0100

Bald Rick said:
Yes I go through it on the bike a lot. Like many fords, it is annoyingly at the bottom of two inclines (being in a river valley), which means having to slow right down at exactly the olace you want to be conserving momentum to get a boost up the other side. I learned my lesson the hard way through Traitor’s Ford in the Cotswolds 30 years ago - going through it at pace, losing the back wheel and somehow only emerging with wet feet.

That was fortunate. Like most Fords as well, if you were brave enough to fly though it at a higher speed there is a lot of gravel as you exit near the junction, which I am also nervous of coming off the bike when passing over it. I friend of mine once used the bridge beside it as he wasn’t sure how deep it was. It ended up falling into the ford as result as the bridge was slippery. (The bridge is really just a couple of planks for those that don’t know the area, not wide enough to ride over) No damage done, he just regretted his decision on that occasion.

Bald Rick · 2026-09-05T14:20:30+0100

Failed Unit said:
That was fortunate. Like most Fords as well, if you were brave enough to fly though it at a higher speed there is a lot of gravel as you exit near the junction, which I am also nervous of coming off the bike when passing over it. I friend of mine once used the bridge beside it as he wasn’t sure how deep it was. It ended up falling into the ford as result as the bridge was slippery. (The bridge is really just a couple of planks for those that don’t know the area, not wide enough to ride over) No damage done, he just regretted his decision on that occasion.

Yes that bridge is slippery. I used it once (walking the bike) and got a puncture on it !

Fords (shallow rivers and streams that cars drive through)

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