Photo-story: The River Ate Our Road: I'm probably pushing it to use just two rather similar photos to tell a story. However, due to some rather obvious hazards I was limited in my...

R.G. Loc: Scotland

I'm probably pushing it to use just two rather similar photos to tell a story. However, due to some rather obvious hazards I was limited in my composition options. And on top of that the pictures need a fair bit of dialogue to convey the story. Despite that, I felt the subject matter was sufficiently dramatic to warrant the post.

Due to some persistent high rainfall the river Dee (which flows through Royal Deeside) became very swollen and burst its banks in various places - most noticeably in the town of Ballater, where it caused extensive damage to shops and houses, and a small holiday caravan park (trailer park) was completely washed away.

But the damage that came to my attention most was the complete removal of part of the main Aberdeen to Braemar road (the A93). The lost section of road (about a mile from Balmoral Castle) has now been replaced and is just out of sight behind the piles of earth that can be seen on the right of the scene.

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To take this shot I was standing on what was the verge of the road.

(Download)

This shot shows a concrete barrier similar to the one in the above photo but blocking the road from the other direction - which gives a rough idea as to the course of the road before it was washed away.

(Download)

Frank2013 Loc: San Antonio, TX. & Milwaukee, WI.

R.G. wrote:

Despite that, I felt the subject matter was sufficiently dramatic to warrant the post.

With the road covered in snow I would have never know it to be a road to start. With your narrative and two photos its quite evident what was once there is gone. Well done. I feel a new twist in normal travel between the locations in the future.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Hi RG, nice "short story"!

You have a beginning, and an ending. Action happens. You explain and illustrate it with images composed to bring us into your story and they are clearly well connected.

What more can we ask of you, unless you show us some poor cow floating down the deluge trying madly to escape?

Interesting picture of the power of nature, and how even with all our modern knowledge, we cannot take it for granted.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Frank2013 wrote:

With the road covered in snow I would have never know it to be a road to start. With your narrative and two photos its quite evident what was once there is gone. Well done. I feel a new twist in normal travel between the locations in the future.

Thanks for the positives, Frank. The replacement was built to full specification despite the fact that it was done as quickly as possible. This road is the main means of access to Braemar and the surrounding rural community.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

minniev wrote:

....What more can we ask of you, unless you show us some poor cow floating down the deluge trying madly to escape?.... .

Thank you Minniev. I see your years in journalism have left you with a well developed sense of the dramatic lol. Unfortunately there were no scenes of desperate struggles for survival. What I could have got from other scenes was debris that had obviously been deposited from the swollen river showing that the water level was in some places several feet above road level, which would put it at about 10ft above normal.

But that was other areas - not this one. In this area I think it was the speed and force of the water that did the damage, not its depth.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

You've had more than your fair share of rain up there. I think it's hard to do a pictorial essay with only two shots. Something to consider should you do similar again would be to take a screen grab of an O/S map or google satellite view and annotate it showing the washed away section.

I used to do this for local walks for Scouts etc., but now have found something that does it all for me.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

R.G. wrote:

I'm probably pushing it to use just two rather sim... (show quote)

I live in an area with frequent flooding. What struck me is that the road was completely washed away with no trace of the original. That is quite unusual.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

John N wrote:

......Something to consider should you do similar again would be to take a screen grab of an O/S map or google satellite view and annotate it showing the washed away section.......

A good idea, JN. I did look for other views of the scene but couldn't find anything that added to what I already had. I was hoping to get a shot of the edge of the tarmac dropping away to what is now the river, but unfortunately they've removed the road surface in the immediate area of the drop, and the snow would have covered it anyway. But a map or satellite shot would definitely have given it another dimension.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

ebrunner wrote:

I live in an area with frequent flooding. What struck me is that the road was completely washed away with no trace of the original. That is quite unusual.

Thanks for commenting, Erich. After it happened, the reports that we were hearing were that the road hadn't just been damaged - it was gone. That road is probably many centuries old, and it and the river have probably seen quite a bit of heavy precipitation in their time. The fact that there was so much damage this time indicates the severity of the flooding. This wasn't the only area where riverbank and topsoil have been washed away.

Having water levels rise is one thing - having things totally washed away is another. I wasn't there to witness the force of the flow, but I didn't have to be because there's enough evidence of it along the riverbank. Another surprising aspect of this damage is that it's so far upstream. If it was down near the mouth of the river it would have been expected, but it's so near the source and in the heart of the catchment area, it's amazing that the flow intensity built up so quickly.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

R.G. wrote:

I'm probably pushing it to use just two rather sim... (show quote)

Few or not, I'm glad you posted them . I've seen the Dee high on a couple of occasions, but never in spate! Impressive! Balmoral? Isn't that where the Royal Family has liked to go play Scottish dress-up since the days of Prince Alfred? And wasn't that where Winston Churchill's mother gave him birth in a cloakroom? I'm sure there are far more important facts I ought know about Balmoral ( if indeed even these are true...???)
Well, Spring is on the way. When do the salmon beats open? I recall that there is brief period between the end of skiing in the Cairmgorns and the opening of salmon fishing when one never has trouble finding a vacant B&B!
Damn, but I'd love to get back for a visit to your fair land!

Best,
your Coz' in the Territories

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Uuglypher wrote:

Few or not, I'm glad you posted them . I've seen t... (show quote)

Hi Colonial Coz. Glad you liked. Balmoral Castle is where Queen Victoria retreated to when she was mourning the loss of her beloved Albert, and it was with much reluctance that she returned (eventually) to her royal duties in London. According to my quick search, Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

Apparently salmon season begins about now, and given the unpredictable nature of the snow covering, it would be very hit-and-miss as to whether there was a gap between skiing and fishing. But I would expect the cold weather to limit the enthusiasm of the fishing enthusiasts.

Your comments are much appreciated as usual.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

R.G. wrote:

Hi Colonial Coz. Glad you liked. Balmoral Castle... (show quote)

Albert, not Alfred...Blenheim.not Balmoral....damn.but I'm having more those days lately...didn't expect loss of that long term whatchamacallit...?

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Uuglypher wrote:

Albert, not Alfred...Blenheim.not Balmoral....damn.but I'm having more those days lately...didn't expect loss of that long term whatchamacallit...?

You done good considering it's not your own history - and you were right about the royals playing dress-up :-D .

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

R.G. wrote:

You done good considering it's not your own history - and you were right about the royals playing dress-up :-D .

When I was in grade school my dad, an avid avocational historian, impressed upon me that "history" is everyone's history...and by the way, have you made reservations yet for lodging at the big family reunion...at Olduvai Gorge?..
... next year, I think it is....there are going to be parts of the family that haven't gotten together for...oh gosh...many generations....

Your Coz' in the Territories

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Uuglypher wrote:

When I was in grade school my dad, an avid avocational historian, impressed upon me that "history" is everyone's history...and by the way, have you made reservations yet for lodging at the big family reunion...at Olduvai Gorge?..
... next year, I think it is....there are going to be parts of the family that haven't gotten together for...oh gosh...many generations....

Your Coz' in the Territories

It sounds like Oldupai Gorge is indeed part of everyone's history. Is it a clan gathering that you're talking about?