Abington TL534490 (1*) Restricted Access Sent in by Kevin Miller & Graham Hardy (04/12/2005)
'Passable only by bikes + horses (due to narrow entrance + bollard) this is
right next to the road bridge.'
Alconbury (x4!) TL183763 (2*) Suitable for All TL178769 (3*) Suitable for All TL176770 (3*) Suitable for All TL187756 (3*) Suitable for All Sent in by Biff Vernon (Image 1: 06/06/2003), Chris Jones (Image 2 mouseover, 3 & 4: 24/01/2004), Jerry Birman (Images 2 & 5: 29/01/2004) and Chris Shoebottom (29/07/2004)
TL183763: Image 1.
TL178769: 'In the village of Alconbury Weston, this ford appears to be tarmaced and was
a foot deep and fast-flowing after a rainy week. The ducks were making the
most of it. Sadly the ford also sported a lot of cones, "Road Closed" signs
and very new-looking steel gates which prevent access for now, at least. (Image 2)'
TL187756: 'In Alconbury village itself, this ford has tarmac entry and exits and a
depth gauge showing just under 2 feet after a rainy week (Image 3). There's a
footbridge alongside. Unfortunately the ford also has new gates and "Road
Closed" signs, so any enthusiasts looking for some deep-water action will be
disappointed. Apparently the gates have been closed for the last month (Image 4).'
TL176770: 'At the western end of Alconbury Weston, this ford has muddy entrance and
exit making it 4x4 territory. It was too dark to take a photo, but a local
farmer I met said that the ford has a firm stone and concrete bottom and he
uses it regularly. It was blocked with a lump of fallen tree which he was
planning to clear away when the water receded a little. He also expressed
frustration at the new gates on the nearby tarmac fords. Interestingly, the
footbridge alongside is supported on big stone piers which apparently
carried a vehicular bridge until it was washed away!'
Bourn TL317572 (4*) Suitable for All Sent in by Chris Jones (31/01/2003)
'An interesting ford because one brook joins the road and flows along it for about 30m before joining another, larger brook in a deeper ford. The bottoms of the fords are all hard surfaces, varying from tarmac to sets. It's deep enough so that the last time I went through it in my Land Rover (admittedly a little too quickly) I had to put the windscreen wipers on afterwards!' Image mouseover sent in by Simon Stirley (22/06/2004)
Caxton TL300582 (1*) Suitable for All Sent in by Chris Jones (12/05/2003)
'A tarmac-bottomed ford, only a few inches deep at the time of our visit. Regularly used by local vehicles, apparently it becomes quite fierce in flood. Has depth gauge and ford signs, and there's a footbridge alongside.' Image mouseover sent in by Simon Stirling (13/02/2004)
Fen Drayton TL339686 (1*) Suitable for All Sent in by Simon Stirley (19/02/2004)
Hail Weston TL172631 (3*) Suitable for All Sent in by Dave Taylor (22/01/2003)
'A fairly impressive ford which I have not visited for a few years. It used to be passable by car but was interesting in that the river crosses right on a corner and you could easily drive straight on up the river by mistake! It has a good concrete bottom with easy access. The depth on this particular visit was 2 foot, but there was evidence of it being at least 2 foot deeper still.'
Mouseover sent in by Christine Conely (26/06/2003)
Hildersham TL545485 (3*) Suitable for All Sent in by Chris Jones (31/01/2003)
'The ford is paralleled by a bridge, but the ford is still very much usable - it even has "no parking" signs on the approaches to it. The approaches are muddy grass, but I think the bottom of the ford itself is concrete matting, although it's a while since I've been through it. It's about 2 car lengths long.'
Hilton TL291661 (1*) Irish Bridge Sent in by Simon Stirley (12/08/2003)
Details by Jeremy Clark:
'Ford with concrete base on a road used frequently by locals (Image 1). During hot spells it dries out completely, but probably averages around 5 inches throughout the year.'
Image 2: (7/01/2008) and for once there's some water in the ford at Hilton!
Hinxton TL491453 (3*) Suitable for All Sent in by Chris Jones (14/04/2003)
A concrete-bottomed ford on a well-used back road between Hinxton and Duxford. At the time of my visit, it wasn't very deep (less than 6 inches) but was surprisingly fast-flowing, and the base is covered in slimy green stuff, so two-wheeled users should take care. There's a footbridge alongside the ford, and a very comprehensive selection of signposts and depth gauges. One of the signposts on the Duxford side says "Ford 1170 yards". I wonder who measured that? Image mouseover sent in by Simon Stirley (22/06/2004)
Linton TL564466 (1*) Irish Bridge Sent in by Kevin Miller (20/12/2003)
'This is a hidden gem. The River Granta flows over the weir + through
culverts under the ford normally but I've seen the torrent that results
after heavy rain and you really wouldn't try to drive anything through it.
Has a concrete base, raised footway + an excellent, new depth gauge. The
road carries on into Linton village (behind the camera) through the mill
buildings + is signposted as being "Unsuitable for Heavy Goods Vehicles". Image Mouseover sent in by Chris Jones (01/02/2004)'
Sutton Gault TL426797 (3*) Suitable for All Sent in by Kevin Miller (06/01/04)
'This is one of 3 roads that cross the Hundred Foot Washes in the Fens (the
others are the B1050 at Earith + the A1101 at Welney). The 1st to flood is
usually this road at Sutton Gault (take the Bury Lane from Sutton - leads to
the Anchor Inn) + as you can see from the photo it can become impassable.
There's a very good footbridge for the entire length (this road is designed
to flood) which gives views of the flat Fens landscape - afterwards you can
visit the Anchor Inn.'
Weston Green (x2!) TL628524 (2*) Off-Roaders Only! TL631533 (1*) Off-Roaders Only! Sent in by Simon Stirley (Image 1: 13/04/2004) and Graham Hardy (Image 2: 04/12/2005)
'Nice muddy ford at the start of a byway (Image 1). 2nd ford is smaller though just as muddy (Image 2)'
CLOSED FOR REPAIRS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE - DO NOT USE!
