Cotswolds: Water Water Everywhere...
Jul 25th, 2007, 06:00 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cotswolds: Water Water Everywhere...
And Not a Drop to Drink.
Cotswold Hills are one of England's tourist meccas - i wonder how the current crises in drinking water will impact tourism there in the immediate future?
Cotswold Hills are one of England's tourist meccas - i wonder how the current crises in drinking water will impact tourism there in the immediate future?
Jul 25th, 2007, 06:39 AM
#2
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,087
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The affected area - and that is not just the flooded parts - is growing daily, because of the closure of a large treatment plant near Tewkesbury, the reservoirs supplying many other towns and villages in a 30 mile radius have no fresh water. All reports say it will be 7-14 days before our supply is back to normal.
I live 25 miles from Tewkesbury, so am not directly affected by the floods, but have had no water in my home for 29 hours. So far we have been using bottled water for personal use, and using buckets of rainwater to flush the loos from time to time. My garden is arrayed with a wide variety of buckets, pots, pans, bowls etc to catch more rain as it continues to chuck it down! Temporary water tanks called bowsers are due to be delivered to the village today.
Any visitors staying in the area will be doing the same as the rest of us who are without water, unless they decide to move on elsewhere.
Once the water is back on then I can't see it will have an impact on tourism in areas not affected by the floodwater. But in those areas that have been under water, the cleaning up is going to take months and obviously that part of the county is going to suffer.
I live 25 miles from Tewkesbury, so am not directly affected by the floods, but have had no water in my home for 29 hours. So far we have been using bottled water for personal use, and using buckets of rainwater to flush the loos from time to time. My garden is arrayed with a wide variety of buckets, pots, pans, bowls etc to catch more rain as it continues to chuck it down! Temporary water tanks called bowsers are due to be delivered to the village today.
Any visitors staying in the area will be doing the same as the rest of us who are without water, unless they decide to move on elsewhere.
Once the water is back on then I can't see it will have an impact on tourism in areas not affected by the floodwater. But in those areas that have been under water, the cleaning up is going to take months and obviously that part of the county is going to suffer.
Jul 26th, 2007, 02:08 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,552
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, in terms of tourism I can tell you we were planning to stop at Moreton int the Marsh and Chipping camden for a few days on the way to see my uncle in Chaddsley Corbett outside of Bromsgrove. We leave SFO on Monday and were planning to be there on Tuesday.
The hotel in Moreton-in-the-Marsh is closed because of the flooding but the one in Chipping Camden, Charingworth Manor, is on a hill and is currently open. Hidcote Manor Gardens have now reopened but I don't imagine the pubs within the village would be open. Given the situation we'll probably avaoid the Costwolds entirely, though the hotel is encouraging us to come. Frankly a agree with PalenQ the the issue seems to be drinking water.
The hotel in Moreton-in-the-Marsh is closed because of the flooding but the one in Chipping Camden, Charingworth Manor, is on a hill and is currently open. Hidcote Manor Gardens have now reopened but I don't imagine the pubs within the village would be open. Given the situation we'll probably avaoid the Costwolds entirely, though the hotel is encouraging us to come. Frankly a agree with PalenQ the the issue seems to be drinking water.
Jul 27th, 2007, 09:13 AM
#8
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The drinking water crisis, though ghastly for people going through it, covers a limited area. And the bloke from Severn/Trent Water was saying at lunchtime today they expected to start restoring supplies (though not necessarily drinkable supplies) early next week.
The wider damage is patchy and hard to summarise. There's more rain due over the next 48 hours, though heaven knows where. The trains from Kingham to Oxford restart tomorrow, though through trains from Oxford to London are off till next week. Lots of people and businesses are practically unaffected, and all the pubs etc in my neck of the woods are looking as if there'd never been more than a normal shower. However, Gloucestershire has over a hundred damaged roads, but much of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds are now more or less normal
Obviously some hotels will take a while to sort themselves out, and there may be invisible structural damage. But, unless the weather gets worse, it looks like most tourism will resume by the end of next week.
The worst victims might be altogether different people. We've got back (thanks for the concern, WillTravel) to find hardly anything untoward, but architect neighbours got all their computer records AND backups destroyed. Other almost-neighbours report similar computer problems, and there might be more economic damage to the area's immense network of knowledge-based cottage industries than to tourism.
For welltravelledbrit: the local rumour is that a 150 yard stretch of line at Moreton has been washed away. There have been more rumours than fact for the past week, but things are now getting a lot clearer. I'll post you a new report later in the weekend.
Julia: Hope things are getting better for you.
The wider damage is patchy and hard to summarise. There's more rain due over the next 48 hours, though heaven knows where. The trains from Kingham to Oxford restart tomorrow, though through trains from Oxford to London are off till next week. Lots of people and businesses are practically unaffected, and all the pubs etc in my neck of the woods are looking as if there'd never been more than a normal shower. However, Gloucestershire has over a hundred damaged roads, but much of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds are now more or less normal
Obviously some hotels will take a while to sort themselves out, and there may be invisible structural damage. But, unless the weather gets worse, it looks like most tourism will resume by the end of next week.
The worst victims might be altogether different people. We've got back (thanks for the concern, WillTravel) to find hardly anything untoward, but architect neighbours got all their computer records AND backups destroyed. Other almost-neighbours report similar computer problems, and there might be more economic damage to the area's immense network of knowledge-based cottage industries than to tourism.
For welltravelledbrit: the local rumour is that a 150 yard stretch of line at Moreton has been washed away. There have been more rumours than fact for the past week, but things are now getting a lot clearer. I'll post you a new report later in the weekend.
Julia: Hope things are getting better for you.
Jul 27th, 2007, 11:25 AM
#10
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,087
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi flanner, hope you had a good time in France (or wherever you went - look forward to the trip report!). I thought of you when I heard about problems in the North Cotswolds.
Update... Day 4 and still without fresh water in the village. Free bottled water at the supermarkets in town, bowsers nearby (but rapidly emptying), nice Army men willing to fill my bottles (!!!) from their big tanker truck just down the road, and plenty of rainwater.
We could have it a lot worse, we are just glad to still have electricity, and not to have suffered with floodwater deluging and devastating our home.
But we are still being told it will be a fortnight before supplies are back to normal.
I just want to wash my hair!
welltravelledbrit - I used to live just up the hill from Chaddesley, my ex-husband was born and brought up there, and I have fond (though hazy) memories of the Swan Inn.
Update... Day 4 and still without fresh water in the village. Free bottled water at the supermarkets in town, bowsers nearby (but rapidly emptying), nice Army men willing to fill my bottles (!!!) from their big tanker truck just down the road, and plenty of rainwater.
We could have it a lot worse, we are just glad to still have electricity, and not to have suffered with floodwater deluging and devastating our home.
But we are still being told it will be a fortnight before supplies are back to normal.
I just want to wash my hair!
welltravelledbrit - I used to live just up the hill from Chaddesley, my ex-husband was born and brought up there, and I have fond (though hazy) memories of the Swan Inn.
Jul 27th, 2007, 12:12 PM
#11
So glad the both of you julia and flanner are managing OK. I've been seeing the photos/flood maps in the Telegraph and Times but we don't get BBC or SkyNews here. I knew it was especially bad up around Tewkesbury, but its hard to get really detailed info.
It is shocking to see pictures of a pub I know or roads I've often driven, under several feet of water.
It is shocking to see pictures of a pub I know or roads I've often driven, under several feet of water.
Jul 27th, 2007, 03:32 PM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,552
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Julia t, I'l send your regards to Chaddsley!
Flanneruk thanks for the update.
Initially I was thinking of changing our reservation but I think we will go to Charingworth, we were planning on seeing several gardens/houses in the area around Chpping Camden and they all seem to have reopened. Quite a number of the hotels and pubs seem unaffected and I think they're now worried about people cancelling at the very time they need to get back on their feet.
Flanneruk thanks for the update.
Initially I was thinking of changing our reservation but I think we will go to Charingworth, we were planning on seeing several gardens/houses in the area around Chpping Camden and they all seem to have reopened. Quite a number of the hotels and pubs seem unaffected and I think they're now worried about people cancelling at the very time they need to get back on their feet.
Jul 28th, 2007, 05:52 PM
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well Prince Charles visited Glochesterchire and Worchestershire so it will be OK
Glad to see tourists not changing plans as the local economy i think somewhat depends on you.
If you were stretching the refief efforst then maybe but it seems just a matter of drink bottled water, which i think is in fully supply,
Glad to see tourists not changing plans as the local economy i think somewhat depends on you.
If you were stretching the refief efforst then maybe but it seems just a matter of drink bottled water, which i think is in fully supply,
Aug 7th, 2007, 09:11 AM
#16
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,087
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
QUICK UPDATE
Although we got the water back flowing from our taps a week ago after 8 days without, we were warned not to use it in the kitchen, even if boiled. That lasted until Saturday when we were told we could drink it and use it for washing up if we boiled it first.
Today we have been told that we can now drink it straight from the tap!
Although we got the water back flowing from our taps a week ago after 8 days without, we were warned not to use it in the kitchen, even if boiled. That lasted until Saturday when we were told we could drink it and use it for washing up if we boiled it first.
Today we have been told that we can now drink it straight from the tap!
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Ryan
United States
18
Sep 21st, 2004 11:01 PM
