Let it Rain

Always been a bit of a Clapton fan - and you've got to admit the jangly guitar solo at the end is pure class. However, let it rain takes on a whole new significance when you work in the wettest valley in England. In many respects the Lake District is a tamed landscape, influenced by a thousand years of settlement. Every so often however, nature takes back over, reminding us that we might think we have everything under control, whereas in reality all it takes is a combination of thawing snow and heavy rain to realise that essentially this is still a wild land at the mercy of uncontrollable elements. In such weather the easiest of pastimes morph into fabulous adventures, a swirling cacophony of sounds and sights that quickly overload the senses. Just before Christmas we drove unsuspectingly up the Ashness Road and this is what we found...


Such big becks however, can be incredibly damaging, so then we had to check the obvious features, such as bridges, that were most at risk, and then wait to see what else was reported over the next few weeks

Whilst we were out and about we took the opportunity to make sure the new water heck at Honister was functioning properly. Essentially a heck is a fence crossing a beck. In normal
weather it helps in managing livestock, keeping them out of places where they do not need to be. When we have a big beck situation, the hecks have to rise to let the water flow. As that flow decreases so the heck gradually falls back into position. It gave Jack and Robert and Rod great satisfaction to see that their heck (see how personal it gets?) was working to perfection.