Pictures of The Old Ford

[Rich H]

Ohhhhh!!!!

I'm going to post this inmediatly in the spanish forums as the new travel rules for the Rohan supplement!!!

Touché, Falenthal, touché! Well done, fella.

[Beran]

The picture is still a fairly good example of a fording pooint across a body of water. the painting on the card is more of a ferry point...not exactly what I picture when i think of a ford.

A ford is a point of a river that is shallow enough for you to walk across it. I presume a "ferry point" is a place whence a ferry launches, which doesn't have to be shallow. That picture of the Black Forest isn't a ford; it's a forest stream you can jump across.

I call any place where you cross a small river (creek) without a bridge of some type and without getting you feet wet a ford.

[Andrew]

I call any place where you cross a small river (creek) without a bridge of some type and without getting you feet wet a ford.

You've not seen some of the fords hereabouts in Norfolk then - you have to take your shoes off first or else wear wellies!

[Otaku-sempai]

I call any place where you cross a small river (creek) without a bridge of some type and without getting you feet wet a ford.

In this case, we are talking about fording the Anduin River. I doubt that there is anyplace along it that one can cross without a bridge or a boat where one can keep dry feet (except perhaps while perched on a wagon). I think of the Anduin as the Mississippi of Middle-earth (only not quite as wide).

[Stormcrow]

Exactly. It's the Great River, not the Babbling Brook.

[Beran]

Even though it is called "The Great River" I doubt very much that Tolkien pictured it as wide as the Mississppi or its like. I base that on that with very few exceptions (like the Severn or Thames) there just aren't large rivers like that in Britain (that is based on my limited experience). I would think it closer to rivers like the Colorado or more likely the Rio Grande, fairly narrow, deep and fast flowing in most areas with fairly shallow locations along its route. But , each to his own.

[Beran]

I call any place where you cross a small river (creek) without a bridge of some type and without getting you feet wet a ford.

You've not seen some of the fords hereabouts in Norfolk then - you have to take your shoes off first or else wear wellies!

No, but I have seen fords in Surrey and Dartmoor that were pretty shallow and/or near dry. The whole "feet wet" thing was more a kin to ease of crossing meaning an area where you don't have to wade neck deep. Which is what most people around here seem to think of when the term Ford is mentioned.

[Beran]

Ok, I admit to having an eh? moment while checking facts about the Mississippi. Now assuming the info I have seen is correct; even Old Man River has areas that are around 20 feet across and less then 3 feet deep with surface speeds around 1.2 mph. I could certainly see locations like this as the Old Ford of the Anduin.

[Heilemann]

I always imagined The Old Ford as being a rocky, shallow, wide section of river, with ruins of an ancient bridge.

[Beran]

I always imagined The Old Ford as being a rocky, shallow, wide section of river, with ruins of an ancient bridge.

Pretty much the way I've always envisioned it as well.