Quote: Originally posted by Papa Pip on 29/7/2009
Hi Michael, certainly doesn't look so good on the Cumbria News website. Pleased you managed to get out before any damage was caused. Hopefully not too much damage to other folks outfits either.
Quote: Originally posted by blacklagoon on 31/7/2009
I am so sad to hear you got flooded out,it must have been awful for you all.I am glad you are all ok.
yes safety is our first concern thank you.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
We arrived at Keswick C&CC site on Saturday 25th of July for 7 nights in glorious sunshine....little did we know what would happen next! The rain started on Sunday and didn't really let up until the Wednesday. We were already on flood alert and the next step after that is evacuation.
Although the rain had stopped on Wednesday morning, one of the site assistants came round and told us to take our awning and annexe down and to be ready for an evacuation as the rain was due back again Wednesday afternoon/Thursday morning. Although the lake was right up the path and into the play area, they said they were more worried about the rivers Derwent & Greta which flow alongside the camp and meet in the far corner of the site. The rivers must have already risen as the site was beginning to flood at the end opposite the lake. We were then told to evacuate the site for our own safety and the wardens were ringing round other C&CC sites in the area who could accomadate us but they were either water-logged or all full. We also gived a piece of paper with directions to a temporary "site" which they used for overnight stays in emergency cases like this one which turned out to be a lay-by on the A66!!! So it looked like we would be heading home!
We started to ring round a few ourselves and managed to get Wed/Thur night on a smashing camp site called Scotgate near Bassenthwaite with was about 2.5 miles away. As we were leaving the Keswick site, I was asked to do an interview by ITV Border News on how we coped with the conditions. They said it would be broadcast at 6pm on the local ITV news but we didn't see it! (Did anyone see Yours truly on TV in his Metallica cap?)
We went back to the Keswick site on Thursday morning to assess the damage, but to our amazement, the water had receded but it was still quite bad by the lake and all our neighbours were still there! When we spoke to them they said they were advised to leave for their own safety but it was up to them if they wanted to stay and chance it, which was what most of them did! We then went back to reception and asked could we book again for Friday & Saturday night and was told we could but the would still be a chance of another evacuation. We booked the 2 nights but left the awning in it's bag. Although it did rain Fri/Sat it was only light drizzle so we Barbacued both nights under the brolly!
We still enjoyed our "summer" break despite the weather and despite having to camp/decamp 3 times in one week (Satellite dish et al) but the biggest boon was discovering our new site for next year, Scotgate!
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this site is very susceptable to flooding and turning into a mudheap . recieved a call from the c&cc club two days before journey last year telling us not to bother coming
We were on that site from the 20th July for 6 nights so left 2 days before the evacuation, but while we were there the area we were in became very water logged, it was called 'the ripples' and it literally was a series of shallow dips and areas of higher ground running at a diagonal to the pitches. When we had heavy rain the dips filled up with water and as they ran under the tent so did all the water which then got trapped between the SIG and the footprint, parts of the tent were like a waterbed!. We spent a couple of nights with our 2 boys sleeping together on the high ground in one corner and us on the only other solid surface in the living area. We only stuck it out because the ground did drain off quite quickly on the couple of days it didn't rain, so giving us a bit of respite. The tent stood up to the torrential rain a treat but by the end of the holiday the water had started to ooze up through the SIG, especially in areas were we walked a lot, we also had to break camp in the pouring rain and just stuffed the soggy tent in the roofbox and then spent the next 2 days drying everything and getting all the mud off. However we felt like we had got away lightly when we saw the site on the news and the front page of the Daily Mail. It's such a shame as the site is in such a beautiful setting and the wardens were wonderful but we will not be going back.
Glad all are ok, it is a shame when its supposed to be a summer holiday and the lakes is a fantastic place with the right weather.... however my dad always says "its the lakes....and you don't get lakes without rain"!!!!!!
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
We just returned from Braithwaite Fold, CC site next to Lake Windermere.
I had to ring my dad as I knew he would see the News and would worry as it showed the dreadful pictures of flooding in Cumbria and The Lakes.
Although we had torrential rain overnight for 2 nights, and drizzly stuff every night, the site drainage was amazing and we didn't even have a puddle. The public car park next door was flooded, and when we went for a steam cruise on Ullswater the boat couldn't dock anywhere as the water was too high, in fact their car park had joined into the lake, but although Lake Windermere was very high our site was OK.
I felt desperately sorry for all those invloved, it's meant to be your summer holiday and you wait all year, then this happens again. It's the reason we moved from a tent to a caravan 2 years ago.
back at keswick now,i could not believe the water had gone so soon after we left.one day.if you had seen it you would not have thought it possible.will not put us off though.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.