Isn't the East Coast of Scotland Supposed to be Dryer than the West?
A less than perfect introduction to our new home
Our first two weeks living here in Aberdeenshire have not gone according to plan.
When we were trying to decide whether we should take the plunge and purchase our new home in north east Scotland (an area we were totally unfamiliar with), one of the factors we took into consideration was that the east coast of Scotland tends to have a better climate than the more scenic west.
On average the east coast has significantly less rainfall and more sunshine hours. We thought this would be better for gardening. And with climate change and rising sea levels, we thought there would be less chance of extreme weather events and, in particular, flooding.
But of course, this is based on average figures, and averages don’t always apply. Just before we moved in there was heavy snowfall in the area. And since we took possession, just over two weeks ago, it has rained heavily every single day. The forecast is for rain or sleet to continue every day for at least the next two weeks.
The photos above and below show the small river next to our land. When we viewed the property in early October, this was just a trickle - hardly sufficient to be called a stream. Certainly nothing to be concerned about.
In the photo above, the trees on the left are at the edge of our property, and our bungalow is just behind them (thankfully at a higher level).
In the photo below, you can see the river beginning to flow over its banks into the field adjacent to our land.
Before we put in our offer, we checked the flood risk on the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) website. The result showed no significant risk, except for a small area close to the bottom of our large pond (which was classed as low risk - i.e. a 0.1% risk of flooding in any particular year).
Our ‘pond’ is now more like a lake, spreading in all directions and getting closer to the house every day. The photo below was taken yesterday, and it has expanded significantly overnight.
The two photos below show a culvert which takes rainwater from the property to the pond. The first shows Matt on the frosty morning we took possession, and the second shows the culvert this morning. What a difference two weeks can make!
The grass areas on either side of the culvert are where I was planning on creating my kitchen garden - clearly not a good idea!
We are seriously beginning to wonder whether we should have a bag packed just in case we have to leave!
But Matt got chatting to a neighbour this morning who told him that she has seen it worse, and that it is nothing to worry about. She thinks the river has now peaked, and that when it goes down it will be like someone pulled out a plug, and our pond will drain. I hope she is right. But with weather patterns changing I still feel more than a little concerned that events like this will get more regular, and more extreme, in the future.
It is ironic that we lived for many years just outside York - a city known for its regular floods. And for the last 6 months we lived close to the wettest place in England. But this is the first time we have been seriously worried about flooding affecting our property.
Watching the water slowly rising, I am beginning to realize just how frightening it must be for all the thousands of people who have been affected by floods.
And meanwhile it has just started raining again….
At least our resident cormorant seems to be happy!
I’ve only known it rain like that once – many years ago, when there was a landslide at Pennan… – and I’m sorry it happened again just as you moved in. At least you’ve seen it at its worst! (Perhaps raised beds are the answer for your kitchen garden idea?)
I really hope it stops soon; and that your resident badgers are okay. Nice to have a visiting cormorant, though (an unusual one for the RSPB Garden Birdwatch, perhaps)!
Look after yourselves!
PS: I bet Matt is pleased you didn’t make him stand in the same spot for the second photograph!
It has been quite appalling, and unusual even for the north of Scotland. I'm in Moray, and have never known such sustained rain. Hopefully your water level is going down now, and Spring is almost on the horizon.