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Severe flooding Lake District...northern England, Scotland, Ireland

For those of us who love this region of England the last few days have been heartbreaking to watch. Almost 13 inches of rain fell in just 24 hours. The flood barriers in Keswick were breached yesterday along the river Greta and the entire lower part of town is now under several feel of standing water. Pooley Bridge near Ullswater, that has been there since the 1760s, was destroyed, and parts of the railway track/footpath that were raised on steel bridges above the river running out of Keswick were taken out by a holiday caravan that washed down river. Farmers rescued as many Herdwick sheep and other livestock as they could and emergency services has been trying to help but unfortunately many have been lost. Hundreds of people are displaced and stranded. Glennridding is full of debris and stones with water running through buildings. Grasmere's main street was a river. Roads washed away. It's just a mess. Fortunately I haven't heard of any lives lost. I could go on and on about the affected areas but you get the idea.

If you are so inclined, there is a page called "I Love the Lake District" on Facebook where you can see pictures and video of the devastation. There are several links as well to organizations that are trying to raise money for those whose homes have been destroyed right before Christmas. Reading FB over the last few days I have been amazed at the community spirit in the area...I always have found Cumbrians to be lovely people and this just confirms that view!

If you are thinking of going to this area in the coming year I encourage you to go. Their economy could really use our tourist $$$ to help them recover.

Posted by
503 posts

Very sad to hear this as I've been to most of those areas mentioned over the years and they are so beautiful. Glad to hear there is no loss of human life.

Posted by
14826 posts

My word Anita, wow, those pictures are something else. Thanks for posting. I really enjoyed Keswick on my RS Best of England tour this Fall and the pictures are heartbreaking.

Posted by
17563 posts

This is very distressing news. I feel for the people whose homes are in ruin and their livestock lost.

We have booked a walking holiday near Keswick next May. Of course we will not cancel. But it is possible the hotel where we are to stay, near the shore of Derwentwater, has been badly damaged, so they will cancel us. I will wait and watch.

Posted by
32363 posts

Anita,

I've seen some of the same coverage on BBC and agree, it's very upsetting. I don't "do" Facebook so wasn't able to have a look at the photos in the link you posted. Hopefully all those affected can recover quickly.

Posted by
4637 posts

I just saw it on TV and it's terrible. At least some good thing that no lives were lost. It brings back memories of great floods of 1997 when my birthplace town with water in the streets and squares somewhat resembled Venice.

Posted by
34005 posts

I'm sorry to say that there has now been loss of a human life.

Posted by
80 posts

I am on the "I Love the Lake District" Facebook page and it is heartbreaking to see all the pictures. I stayed in Keswick this past June at a B&B (Bramblewood Cottage) that overlooked the Greta River. I haven't reached out yet to the owners yet to see how they have fared. What is heartwarming though are all the posts on the Facebook page of people offering up their homes to anyone who needs a place to stay or who are stranded. This is definitely a community page and an interesting read if you want to understand the true Cumbrian spirit!

Posted by
2252 posts

Thank you, Anita, for posting this. Heartbreaking, indeed. Thank you also to all who posted links for the relief efforts. It's good to be able to do something to help from here.

Posted by
5837 posts

Matt@GoLakes wrote in a Thursday email:

We invite you to Lake District, Cumbria as it's still the

theplacetobe ... Matt @ Golakes Thu 12/10/2015 12:28 PM

Dear Edgar Despite recent weather events
experienced in Cumbria over the weekend, large areas of the county
remain unaffected and are open for business. Many of the regions
hotels, pubs, restaurants, shops, cafes, visitor attractions and
galleries are welcoming visitors...