Two years ago this month, Shirley and I visited the Rufford Abbey estate north of Mansfield. I blogged about that visit here. To the north of the country park we came across a ford near Rufford Mill. It allowed vehicles to cross a little river called Rainworth Water. I took a picture of a white van crossing the ford when the water level wasn't very deep.
Since our visit, the ford has become a bit of a TikTok phenomenon. Many short films have been made of vehicles negotiating or failing to negotiate the ford and the footage has attracted worldwide interest.
I have just spent a mesmerising half an hour checking out a small number of those TikTok filns and I would like to share three of them with you...
3. Boy on bike
If you search for "Rufford ford" within TikTok or without you can look at dozens more videos taken at the ford.
It has been a place of fun, daredevil drives, soakings and vehicles conking out. As far as I know, nobody has been drowned and nobody has been injured but some drivers have ended up blushing with embarrassment.
The ford used to be a local secret but now that its fame has spread, the police in league with Nottinghamshire County Council have decided to shut the road and substantial concrete barriers have been installed. Spoilsports! This also means that local residents now have to undertake a 1.5 mile detour to get to the opposite side of Rufford Lane.
That's a shame. The tik tok trend will be all over in a week and something else will come along but the road will still be closed
ReplyDeleteVery inconvenient for locals.
DeleteClose to where my mother-in-law lives in Ripon, there is a ford across the Ure. If this now becomes the latest TikTok fad, drivers will have to use the busy road crossing the river near the Water Rat pub and the old enamel works.
ReplyDeleteShhh! Don't mention that particular ford - just in case.
DeleteI've seen that same effect when heavy rains here flood the gutters so half the road looks like a lake, and I have stood at the roadside waiting to cross and gotten soaked by a bus coming in too close to the kerb.
ReplyDeleteAs it is hot in Adelaide I bet you were grateful for the cold shower.
DeleteIt was early spring and very cold, though you might laugh at what we call very cold. I wouldn't have minded so much if I'd been on my way home, but I was catching a bus to go somewhere and had to stay damp all day.
DeleteWell, I clicked on tractor with trailer and got a girl dancing! Obvs I did something wrong!
ReplyDeleteI swear I have not been researching "dancing girls" as I am not a dirty old man!
DeleteAlthough I don't frequently drive through deep water like that, I have been taught that the best way to do so it to go SLOW so that you don't drown out your car's spark plugs or pull in splashed water through the air intake. Evidently there are a lot of people who don't yet understand these concepts.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of TikTok clips showing sensible drivers steering slowly through the ford.
DeleteAs always, a few selfish and thoughtless idiots bring inconvenience to all.
ReplyDeleteI assume you are referring to the police and the County Council?
DeleteNot forgetting Oxford home of Inspector Morse, C S Lewis and JRR Tolkien. I wonder if oxen still cross the rivers there YP?
ReplyDeleteOxen? Only in dreams of a rural life long gone.
DeleteKeeping you safe from yourself.
ReplyDeleteThey would need a straitjacket for that.
DeleteI may have told this story before, but I totaled my minivan many years ago by driving through a puddle that I did not think was that deep. The minivan stalled in the middle and I used my emergency flip phone to call my husband, (now ex), for help. In a panicked voice, I was explaining how I was stuck and I shouted, "The water is coming in over my feet!" and he responded, "Who is this?" Your picture brought that memory back!
ReplyDeleteOh dear! Husbands who do not recognise their wives' voices? Not a promising sign of enduring love. Glad to know that you did survive the puddle Ellen!
DeleteTo add to Ed's comment, I was told to always check my brakes afterwards to make sure they still worked.
ReplyDeleteWere you a rally driver Carol?
DeleteI think that there was a motor cyclist who was quite badly injured which brought about the closure.
ReplyDeleteJane
Maybe the closure is temporary until the fuss dies down. I can't wait to see the clips. I saw one video where are car was travelling along a flooded road at a decent pace and the water pressure ripped the rear bumper off the car.
ReplyDeletePublicity ruins everything!
ReplyDeleteCategory: why we can't have nice things.
ReplyDelete