WRITERS’ ROVERS
Snow and floods brings out the best in most Land Rover drivers – but the worst in others
IT happens every winter. Deep snow drifts and severe flooding put people’s lives at risk until big-hearted Land Rover and other 4x4 owners come to their rescue. It ought to give all 4x4 enthusiasts a good name, but unfortunately there is a lunatic fringe of idiots who spoil it all.
I’m talking of course of the nutters who can’t resist testing the wading skills of themselves and their vehicles by plunging into deep water and getting stranded, wrecking their vehicles in the process and, often, putting their lives as well as any would-be rescuers in danger.
One road that always floods in winter – sometimes in spring, summer and autumn, too – is the A1101 across the Ouse Washes near the fenland village of Welney, in west Norfolk. Here, the road is often under four or five feet of debris-strewn, fast-flowing, brown floodwater. There are barriers and prominent signs across the road to prevent people from driving it in flood conditions, but there is always one who can’t resist trying it – even though there are depth gauges at the barriers to inform motorists how deep the water is out there.
One night during a flood early this year the gauge stated 41 inches, but one Discovery 3 driver decided to try it anyway. He only got a few hundred yards before he ground to a halt, with the water pouring into the cabin and up to the steering as he opened a window to clamber out into freezing-cold floodwater, in pitch darkness. Maybe he had a passenger or two as well, who knows? Nobody knew about the incident until the next morning, when a local kayak enthusiast ventured out and took the images you can see here (left). Here’s one Disco 3 that won’t be going on any more adventures.
It’s the same story in the neighbouring Nene valley, where I live. Here the river has flooded surrounding fields and many local roads. When this happens the area all too often becomes a magnet for 4x4 owners, much to the annoyance of many local residents. Actually, there have been far fewer this year, partly because of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions urging people to stay at home and partly by the local police, who have put up prominent signs as well as
stretching incident tape across the access points. This has kept gung-ho 4x4 owners away but it has not deterred a few determined delivery drivers who, under pressure to meet their targets, have risked driving through flooded roads rather than taking long detours. Sadly, it usually ends with hydraulicked engines and soggy groceries or Amazon parcels. Happily, they aren’t usually driving Land Rovers.
Although these daft drivers are giving us a bad name, I can understand why they do it. Wading is fun. But there is a time and place – the best of which is any weekend at a pay-and-play off-road site. There you can do it under the watchful eye of the trained marshalls, who will soon get you out of trouble if you get it wrong.
Incidentally, if you are attempting to wade for the first time, start by checking the depth of water. Never blunder in without ensuring that it is below the recommended maximum wading height for your vehicle. If you’re driving a V8 or any other petrol-engined Land Rover, it’s probably best to avoid any wading at all, because spark ignition engines hate water. Diesel engines are better, but don’t go beyond the wading depth unless you have a raised air intake and breather pipes fitted, to avoid water getting into the engine or transmission and causing expensive damage.
If you look at the photo above of the white 110 wading at an off-road site, you’ll see a
bow wave in front of the vehicle, followed by a shallower trough under the engine compartment. This is deliberate, as it ensures the vulnerable engine and ancillaries are getting minimum contact with the wet stuff. Accelerate steadily until you see the bulge of the bow wave being pushed in front of your vehicle, then maintain that speed to keep it there.
I’ve done my share of wading around the world, but the only time I’ve felt in danger was when I got cross-axled and stuck fast in a crocodile and hippo-infested river in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. I was in a standard Td5 Defender 110 and it was double-embarrassing when a Mercedes G-wagen turned up to rescue me.
My most exciting wading adventure was closer to home, driving across Morecambe Bay, from the Cumbria shore to the Lancashire shore and back again, at low tide. I’ve done that drive twice now – on both occasions with a professional guide to ensure we steered clear of the bay’s notorious quicksands, which have claimed a few 4x4s over the years – some of which are reputed to still be there, buried beneath those shifting sands.
PS: If you ever do find yourself in the Fens and need to drive the A1101 across the Ouse Washes, check out the Welney Flood Watch Facebook page, which will tell you the state of the road. The information is constantly updated by local volunteers.