Drought....

Pegasus

Administrator
Staff member
I've never seen it as dry in The Dales and the forecast shows no sign of rain for at least a week  :eek:

Many plants in the hedgerows are under stress and wilting, leaves on some trees are turning yellow, ground cracking etc.  Badlad and I went for a walk along the Lune to where it meets the Wenning yesterday - never seen it so low.

I'm hoping the fells stay safe from fire and admire those fighting the awful fires in Lancashire and beyond.  Are they really going to hold a lantern festival near the Peak????!!

https://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/mp-calls-for-buxton-sky-lantern-festival-to-be-cancelled-1-9232673

Now, don't get me wrong - as someone who cursed (and I mean cursed) last Winter - the rain, the cold, the flippin wind and the dark, dark nights I have been loving the sunshine, however now, even I would like it to rain (never thought I'd hear myself say that  :-[ ).

What effects of the drought have you seen, both above and of course below ground?

I'll look back at this thread next January to remind myself the nights will lengthen, the rain will stop and the snow will melt  ;)

wl
 
wl


The Lune looking upstream from Gressingham bridge and the Wenning/Lune

wl


Stressed hedgerows  :(
 

crickleymal

New member
It may have killed the baby hazel tree we planted in the garden.
On the plus side if it keeps up the exploration prospects in the FoD mines this autumn will be great.
 

tony from suffolk

Well-known member
Those Sky Lanterns, or whatever else you want to call them, are a real menace, to both property and wildlife, and should be banned completely. As owners of an old thatched cottage, we live in fear of the blasted things. "I know, let's light fires and send them into the sky. They look so pretty, we really don't care where they land..."
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
I was looking at the lower slopes of Ingleborough this morning and noticed a definite start of a change to brown. Last time I saw the fells properly brown was the 1976 drought, which I can just remember. My caving diary tells me that 1984 was a spectacularly dry summer too.
 

2xw

Active member
The water tables in Dales blanket bog are very low at the moment being around 30cm from surface a lot of the time (but on the plus side, methane release is almost nonexistant). I wouldn't worry *too* much about fire - the Peak fires have been caused by excessive dryness as well as management issues which aren't really present in the Dales (I still wouldn't like to light a barbeque anywhere though).

On our sites in Mossdale and Nidderdale, a lot of the grass has completely died early (Eriophorum sp. etc) but the deeper rooted reeds etc are looking okay and the moss will reinvigorate itself after some rain.

There's some sumps in the peak I'd be interested in looking at but sure whats going on in the Dales - I know someone said notts II is almost a trickle at the moment.
 

SamT

Moderator
Reckon Namraed sump will be pretty close to being open if not already open in Bagshawe. 

Far Drought may also be accessible at some stage.
 

Laurie

Active member
I wonder if we'll ever get another like 1976 when you could go through the upper series of Porth yr Ogof without ducking...?
 

royfellows

Well-known member
Nant y moch is lowest I have ever seen it. (Mid Wales)

I am waiting to see if the Brynyrafr adit becomes accessible. It will be full of mud in the entrance but may be able to ab down the stope.

Below is the bizarre world of Nant y moch
 

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The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Rained most of the afternoon in Somerset when we just had passing showers forecast. As previously stated nobody wants to go caving. Nobody in Vurley for a month now. I was tempted to go on my own this week but SWMBO threw a tantrum. Now would be an ideal time to get some cement into the bottom choke as its usually quite wet there. Mr O'Doc is in full diving mode as the viz is so good. Rob H is helping in Thailand and another member plays cricket.
 

Graigwen

Active member
royfellows said:
Nant y moch is lowest I have ever seen it. (Mid Wales)

I am waiting to see if the Brynyrafr adit becomes accessible. It will be full of mud in the entrance but may be able to ab down the stope.

I went looking for it in 1976. Failed.  I got unbelievably covered in mud. I was convinced I had been on the site of it. I visited Si Hughes on Sunday, I could have asked him about it.

.
 

Graigwen

Active member
I have just spoken to Simon.

He says he last saw Bryn yr Afr deep adit in about 1962 when his uncle Dennis was working on the dam as an engineer. It was already more or less inaccessible at that time as walls intended to hold back spoil tipped above it had failed and the entrance was largely concealed by debris. This was of course before the reservoir was filled.

He recommends going down the Engine Shaft, when you hit water you know you have reached deep adit level! (Of course logically the normal water level would now be above deep adit level, before the current drought.)

.
 

royfellows

Well-known member
I will probably take a look this weekend, its a definite opportunity as there has only been access for a few years after a run in the engine shaft gave access to the main stope with a way down.
 

Huge

Active member
Laurie said:
I wonder if we'll ever get another like 1976 when you could go through the upper series of Porth yr Ogof without ducking...?

I didn't realise that was ever possible! Might be worth a look, with the dry weather set to continue, although we did have some rain yesterday.
 

Laurie

Active member
Huge said:
Laurie said:
I wonder if we'll ever get another like 1976 when you could go through the upper series of Porth yr Ogof without ducking...?

I didn't realise that was ever possible! Might be worth a look, with the dry weather set to continue, although we did have some rain yesterday.
In '76 we had no rain from May to early September.
 

Laurie

Active member
Huge said:
I do have memories of that summer Laurie but I was only 8 at the time!  :)
The drought was so severe in Leeds that the council shut off water to houses and put standpipes at the ends of the streets in an effort to save water. When the rain finally arrived it was so severe as to cause flooding. I still have a nespaper picture of people queing knee deep to get their water from a standpipe.
It could only happen in Britain!
 
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