Parwich Road Works: Orchard Farm is Nearly Cut Off from the World

No access to Orchard Farm!

For years and years there has been a leak/spring/stream sometime gushing down the road round the corner from Orchard Farm, just after you take the right fork at the grassy triangle with the Road Narrows sign when you are coming to Orchard Farm. We have more or less learned to live with it until the weather tunes icy or it snows and then the whole road freezes over in a most unhelpful fashion. Everybody has periodically complained to the District Council who until last Monday didn’t appear ever to have thought it mattered.

The suddenly, a couple of weeks ago, yellow notices popped up warning us that there were to be drainage investigations and Monsdale Lane was to be closed for  week. We were however subsequently assured that the potentially entrapped residents would be allowed access so we did not worry too much. However, no such luck! By access they must have meant on foot: there is a large and deepish hole across the corner and some pretty serious barriers. It is very obvious where the so-called spring was coming from  as there are two sections of drain visible, separated by a couple of feet. I trust it was waste water from drains higher up, not from someone’s  metered water supply.

A muddy hole and one broken drain

Of course we can all go round the ‘back’ lane, Monsdale Lane ,what our children used to jokingly refer to as our back drive, so we are not really cut off at all by more than a mile or two of charming (we really love it and so do all the local and visiting dog walkers) but decidedly narrow country lane. All is well until one meets someone coming the other way which is fine if one has all the time in the world to back cautiously to the nearest spot where there is enough space to pass, and the moral is to be sure to leave enough time…

So at the moment it is a minor hardship to be endured and commiserated over. A week will be long enough, so let’s hope they will be finished as promised by Friday 16th although it isn’t looking very promising to the untrained eye.