JUST over 25 years ago I was in Africa. I had just spent a few days exploring Botswana’s amazing Okavango Delta in a Land Rover with photographer Bob Atkins and, with a day to kill, I suggested making a detour to Victoria Falls. As we headed across the Zimbabwe plain towards it in our new-fangled Td5 Defender 110, we could see what appeared to be a cloud of smoke a few miles ahead. It was the permanent cloud of spray that hangs above what is the largest waterfall in the world.
Once there, we stood in awe for a few minutes. Bob snapped away taking photographs for a few minutes more. Then we stood in awe for a bit longer. Then Bob yawned, I laughed and we headed back to the Land Rover. I’d set aside half a day to spend at the falls, but we left after an hour. Even looking at one of the most impressive sights in the world gets boring after a while.
It’s the same with floods. I live in the valley of the River Nene, which gets more than its fair share of floods and there used to be a time when I would rush out and drive through them in my Land Rover. But I don’t any more.
This is partly for the same reason I left Victoria Falls. Driving through floodwater is fun, but there’s only so much you can do before it becomes boring. I’ve done some very serious wading in my time, including twice across treacherous Morecambe Bay at low tide, as well as through a crocodile-infested river during the Okavango Delta trip mentioned above. I can assure you that trips like that tend to overshadow driving along a flooded road in Northamptonshire.
Everyone knows that Land Rovers will get through deeper water than other vehicles, so why do they need to prove it again and again?
Another reason for my abstinence is the sheer number of prats in modern 4x4s — usually modern Range Rover variants — who think it’s a good idea to test their vehicles’ wading capabilities, despite the cruel truth that they haven’t got a clue what they’re doing. End result: a swamped Range Rover (needing very expensive repairs) stranded in the road that prevents the emergency services from doing their already-difficult jobs.
Instead, I waited for the floods to subside, then went for a gentle drive around the valley in my Ninety, taking in a few riverside tracks in the process. I only had to wade through one small pool caused by a swollen stream. All in all, it was a pleasant afternoon in the winter sunshine — and I didn’t get bored once.
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