Wet wet wet marshes

 

Rain, rain, rain. Although the skies have been variable - sometimes blue, sometimes grey - and the temperature relatively mild for winter, it has been WET.

These are the Doxey Marshes, near Stafford.

Underwater path

The constant rains of the last months have caused flooding even in our relatively weather-untroubled county of Staffordshire.
Here at the Doxey Marshes Nature Reserve, you can only walk the paths so far before encountering water - and one has to turn back.

Hot wet marshes in 2014

Well, it is now virtually a certainty that 2014 will be Britain's hottest, and possibly wettest year since records began 350 years ago.  
The summer, without being outstandingly hot, was consistent and long, so I guess that's what it's about.

Doxey Marshes on the outskirts of Stafford (see pic) were completely impassable a lot of the year...

And, it's only going to get warmer in years to come.

Flood blocks path

The constant rain of the past few weeks has not caused the same level of problems in Staffordshire as it has in the south of the country - but this photo shows how water-logged the ground has become even here.

This is my usual path across the Doxey Marshes - but, as you can see, it's flooded.  It's a foot deep at the worst; I'd have needed wading boots to get along it and still have had dry feet...