You think with all this rain the dams will be full by now, but no. We visited Avon Dam which is 90% capacity, so the serpentine spillway wasn’t operating. The dam is spectacular with an Egyptian inspired design with massive stone gateways. The dam has been inaccessible for most of this year due to a bridge needing to be rebuilt after the heavy rains earlier this year, and then lockdown.

This visual feast of wildflowers covering the earthfill on the downstream side of Avon Dam makes it feel like a cultivated terraced field.