Sheffield under water

It took more than luck, getting home last night. It took considerable persistence!

The Builder left work at around half past three. At quarter to four he reported that he was in stationary traffic and not getting much closer. I girded my loins, put on my raincoat, put up the poor, wind battered umbrella and walked off to meet him. A quick u-turn and we were heading home.

Actually, it wasn't too bad getting out of Sheffield. Heeley bridge was flooded and we were diverted up a few little roads and around. Chesterfield Road in Meersbrook, where there had been a waterfall and a fountain yesterday morning was closed and we had to divert up the road that leads to Freyja's road and around the top of Meersbrook. Back down onto the main road and off to Woodseats, where I was expecting there to be major problems. But nothing. Roads nice and clear. And not all that much traffic. So far so good.

Along the bypass. All was well.

And then we reached the Dronfield Unstone slip road. Traffic at a standstill. Came off and headed towards the Dunstan Hall Garden Centre.

Or - we tried to. The road was behaving like a baby river, about to reach toddlerhood. Traffic heading down the road, especially the 4 wheel drives, where rushing down at ridiculous speeds, causing waves and currents and almost drowning the few pedestrians braving the weather. Eventually, we reached the Dunstone Hall Road and made our way across the back of Chesterfield. Not too bad, until we reached the Slack Lane roundabout, where the traffic was heavily queued. Sloshed our way down and decided at the bottom, where we usually take a dog leg turn and keep heading down, that we would stay on the main road and head down further along. This may have been a mistake, though it's hard to say.

We were inexorably pushed towards the huge big roundabout where sits B&Q, passing through several flooded areas on the way. The big roundabout was effectively impassable and we were directed by a very harassed looking police officer to head back uphill to the west. Which dropped us onto Ashgate Road which took us back, eventually, through more flooded roads to the Slack Lane roundabout. Something like an hour after we had gone round it for the first time.

Traffic was at a standstill heading down. We decide to go straight over and take a later road down.

The problem was that the Hipper valley stood between where we were and were we wanted to be. The River Hipper (Always want to call it the River Hippo!) is usually a tiny stream-like river. Not yesterday. Yesterday it was a properly grown up river and it was making it practically impossible to cross the valley.

We missed the later road we had intended to head down, which is probably just as well. Instead we found ourselves splashing our way into Old Brampton, which is a pretty village we had never previously visited. Another day, perhaps, for a proper look around. It was a bit tempting to stop at the pub for a pint or two and a bite to eat. But we decided if we did that we might never get back in the car.

The roads were better - but we were heading in the wrong direction.

Eventually, we saw a signpost along a country lane to Beeley. Beeley will do. We can (probably) get home from there. Not much traffic but quite a bit of water. Saw another sign. Holymoorside and Chesterfield. Excellent. Can certainly get home from there. Slightly misplaced in Holymoorside (I *do* wish the English would sign their roads properly. The Germans can't still be a threat after all this time, surely?) Relocated on the right road. And home.

Three hours it took. And about 2.25 hours of that was getting from the Unstone slip road to our place. Usually takes about 14 minutes! Still, not too bad, all things considered. The Builder's mate, who lives in Chapeltown in the north of Sheffield, took 5 hours to get home and had to contend with over 1.5 metres of water.

There were dire warnings of closed roads this morning. We decided to try anyway. Most of the big junctions on our side of Chesterfield were still flooded, but we don't usually use them, and certainly not during peak hour traffic. Radio Sheffield declared the A61 in Meersbrook to be closed. My Spy on the Ground declared that she was in her accustomed place waiting for us, and the traffic was flowing. Flowing remarkably smoothly. Effectively there was no traffic. Took no time to get to work. And we nearly hadn't bothered. Having ignored the "Don't travel unless you must" warnings of yesterday, I nearly heeded them today.

Mind you, there are no trains running today. It was quite eerie this morning. Normally when we get up there is the quiet rumble of goods trains waiting in the sidings while the commuter and express trains thunder along. Not today. Sheffield station is completely closed. The north of the city is effectively cut off. No transport is getting in from Rotherham. There is now fear that a reservoir in Rotherham may yet burst. It is, apparently, the worst flood in South Yorkshire since the Great Sheffield Flood in 1864 (http://www.mick-armitage.staff.shef.ac.uk/sheffield/flood.html). And the wettest June ever. And we had a month's worth of rain yesterday, apparently. So no watering restrictions for us this week!

I am enormously pleased that none of this happened last year. Once we got out to Old Brampton we had fallen off my map of Chesterfield and surrounds. And I wouldn't have known where the villagers and hamlets which were signposted were in relation to where we wanted to be. We might never have got home!! I must remember to put my street map of Derbyshire back in the car.