Totnes pothole trending on Tripadvisor
A local wag has amusingly set up the now infamous Morrisons pothole as a local “Geologic Formation” on Tripadvisor.
At time of writing, there are 16 reviews and is trending at Number 42 of 51 Things to Do in Totnes.
JohnE of Totnes claims “Visited on Saturday a majestic feature and the kids enjoyed throwing stones off the edge znd listening for the echo would definitely visit again”
Isabelle says “A lovely place to visit for a family day out! The council have really done our town proud with this one. I would recommend not bringing your car as permanent damage to its underside is unavoidable if you visit.”
Mike Craddock of The Totnes Pulse ran a story including this feature recently explaining that : According to the Devon County Council (DCC) website a pothole must be a minimum of 40mm deep with a vertical side and at least 300mm wide. So any hole in the road with a sloping side, even if it’s bigger or deeper than this, doesn’t count as a pothole and won’t have any priority for repair. It seems reasonable to assume that the crater must have fulfilled this criteria several times since inception however, now that it has become an area of road space so large, it might as well be left as as tourist attraction.
ChrisH reviews it with “I love this pothole. I once spent an entire fortnight exploring its vastness, there is just so much to see. After the first few days I got a little bit lost on its western extremity, but thankfully I was directed out by a family of four who had been wild camping for the weekend with their pet Alsatian.”
The geological anomaly has been developing for several months now and all joking aside is causing damage to vehicles and is an obvious traffic hazard causing vehicles to drive into or around it, obstructing flowing traffic flow. However that hasn’t prevented our comic citizenry having some entertainment at Devon County Council’s expense.
Castle Curioso says “Had a fabulous trip here yesterday! Really well located, very close to amenities (supermarket is a stone’s throw away, with plenty of loose stones to test this theory with) and within easy walking distance of both the high street and train station. Lots to see and do, for all the family. The shallow end is best for families, with child-friendly swimming spots (best after periods of heavy rain), and the deep end is a thrill seeker’s paradise, with plenty of death defying extreme 4×4 off-road experiences available.”
Daniel B’s review of the Morissons Pothole explains: “This landmark crater rivals many of those found across the globe and is purposefully avoided by South Hams council. It has become an arduous task to be able to purchase yourself some bogroll from the Morrisons and in order to do so you should probably have in your possession an immaculately preserved 4×4 or SUV as your basic front wheel drive is not going to cut the mustard to get you through this iconic pothole…… “
You can check all the reviews here (Addendum: Note that sadly, the spoilsports at TripAdvisor have deleted the listing.)
Looks all the reviews and photos have been taken down. Makes sense as the last thing we need is a massive influx of visitors looking for the definitive pothole experience. The infrastructure just wouldn’t cope.