Flooding
What happens when it rains. And in Wales, it rains.
While we were braving the weather on the Llŷn Peninsula, it had been raining much more heavily in the park. The next day, water levels had risen to an extreme, and most rivers had failed to cope. Virtually everywhere was flooded, so like true photographers, we went out to take pictures of it. Enjoy.
Afon Glaslyn had failed to cope, and the field opposite our cottage had flooded.
The sheep can swim, but they choose to wait out the flood on ever-shrinking islands, instead of swimming across to the much larger grazing area that is clear of the water.
Afon Glaslyn, a small stream.
Where 4x4s fear to drive, we go to take pictures.
Freeing sheep trapped in the corner of another field.
Fields at Nantgwynant.
The footpath, and bridge across the river.
The Afon Glaslyn had managed to flood the main road through Nantgwynant. We drove through it on the way out, but by the time we returned here, the water had risen about 15 cm or 6" and after watching several cars break down and need to be pushed out, we decided to take the long way around. Imagine when your car stalls in the middle, and you have to open the doors to push it out. Given that the water was higher than the bottom of the doors...
Llyn Gwynant was well over a metre higher than its normal level.
Campsite, indeed. There were several others in the same state.
Afon Feingam, normally just a small stream. Every mountain was covered with waterfalls like these, where there had not even been streams before.
The bridge over the Llynnau Mymbyr outlet, barely coping with the flow.
The Afon Llugwy by Capel Curig, normally a gentle river, barely worthy of being called a river.
The Afon Llugwy plunges over a normally graceful waterfall at the top of the Swallow Falls.
A second waterfall adds to the height, making it normally a very tall waterfall, but here a forceful raging torrent that was difficult to believe.
The viewing platform would normally be the perfect place to take pictures from. Today, it is the place to take pictures of. The surges repeatedly swept over it at a depth of half a metre.
Swallow Falls ends at a series of cascades. Or at least I assume they are normally cascades. It's a bit hard to tell.
A little downstream is the Miners Bridge in Coed Diosgydd. The river runs under the bridge to the right, OK?
The path heads down some steps, over a rock platform, then up the bridge. It is usually the end of the walking routes, leading back to Betws-y-Coed. Today, however, there is a long diversion instead.
The Pont-y-Pair Falls in Betws-y-Coed. These would normally be three very small streamlets dropping about 2.5 metres.
Pont-y-Pair.
A final artistic shot, ¼ second exposure.
Afon Glaslyn had failed to cope, and the field opposite our cottage had flooded.
The sheep can swim, but they choose to wait out the flood on ever-shrinking islands, instead of swimming across to the much larger grazing area that is clear of the water.
Afon Glaslyn, a small stream.
Where 4x4s fear to drive, we go to take pictures.
Freeing sheep trapped in the corner of another field.
Fields at Nantgwynant.
The footpath, and bridge across the river.
The Afon Glaslyn had managed to flood the main road through Nantgwynant. We drove through it on the way out, but by the time we returned here, the water had risen about 15 cm or 6" and after watching several cars break down and need to be pushed out, we decided to take the long way around. Imagine when your car stalls in the middle, and you have to open the doors to push it out. Given that the water was higher than the bottom of the doors...
Llyn Gwynant was well over a metre higher than its normal level.
Campsite, indeed. There were several others in the same state.
Afon Feingam, normally just a small stream. Every mountain was covered with waterfalls like these, where there had not even been streams before.
The bridge over the Llynnau Mymbyr outlet, barely coping with the flow.
The Afon Llugwy by Capel Curig, normally a gentle river, barely worthy of being called a river.
The Afon Llugwy plunges over a normally graceful waterfall at the top of the Swallow Falls.
A second waterfall adds to the height, making it normally a very tall waterfall, but here a forceful raging torrent that was difficult to believe.
The viewing platform would normally be the perfect place to take pictures from. Today, it is the place to take pictures of. The surges repeatedly swept over it at a depth of half a metre.
Swallow Falls ends at a series of cascades. Or at least I assume they are normally cascades. It's a bit hard to tell.
A little downstream is the Miners Bridge in Coed Diosgydd. The river runs under the bridge to the right, OK?
The path heads down some steps, over a rock platform, then up the bridge. It is usually the end of the walking routes, leading back to Betws-y-Coed. Today, however, there is a long diversion instead.
The Pont-y-Pair Falls in Betws-y-Coed. These would normally be three very small streamlets dropping about 2.5 metres.
Pont-y-Pair.
A final artistic shot, ¼ second exposure.