Ventured out on 7 January to the flood plain between Culham and Sutton Courtenay in my thigh waders. The road bridge was closed at Culham, and Culham Lock had become a weir. I walked carefully up Culham Cut towpath to the footbridge, and was able to fly the drone from just the other side. I’ve never seen it this high before.
The hydroelectric Archimedes Screw near Sutton Courtenay, fed by the Thames. Abingdon top right. Culham Cut this side of the green field on the right. The Thames bottom left is only navigable up to Sutton Courtenay.
Culham Cut. I walked the towpath on the left carefully in my waders to the bridge from Culham Lock. I flew from the right side of the bridge. The Cut was built in 1809 with the lock at the far end. It joins the Thames at Culham Reach behind. Previously, there was a huge mill lock at Sutton Courtenay which was inefficient and expensive.
Well the flood pain is doing its job, but it must have been a week or two before it became navigable through the lock again. The two narrow boats by the bridge in the last shot must have had a rather wet trudge for supplies.
On topic of the flood & weather we’ve had recent, when I went out Tuesday towards Oxfordshire / near the Thames passing through streatley & goring way, I also realised how bad it has really been of recent, no sooner has waters started to recede, again with the down pours its back to square one in places, was also many roads closed due to the floods, I’ve never seen or known it to be this bad.
I must have a look down Streatley way. It goes down a little, but very little rain tops it up again. The causeway between Stadhampton where I live and Chiselhampton has flooded twice at the bridge this year. Been here 35 years, and I don’t remember it flooding there before. The ground has been soaked since July basically.
I hate to think what it will be like this July then,
I often head out there as & when, something usually pops up when you take a few turnings off the A329 I do like it out that way, many good memories from years ago too.
