Anyone doing rides in the Surrey Hills should check local flooding reports. Whilst not as high profile as the South West (understandably), there are particular points under water in the South East. The top of White Down Lane (on way UP to Ranmore Common) had an abandoned car, but the hollow was being drained (slurped?) by the council/a contractor (but couldn't really see the point, due to the forecast for heavy rain late pm, which turned out to be spot on). I managed to push through, but it was one of those "please don't get any higher" moments, when you have to put a little bit of effort into it due to the "drag". I had thought the "Police - road closed" at the bottom of the climb was in place because of the Boxing Day shooting (favour to aristos shooting at pheasants - felt like a war zone, spent most of the climb in an aero tuck "just in case") but turned out it was for the flooding.
Shudder to think what Ashdown is like, particularly if it got the same heavy rain I was entertained with at 2pm onwards. The ford on the way to Fairwap was ok, but some of the brooks a bit agitated when I was out on Xmas Eve. Some of the fields in the Low Weald between Lingfield and Edenbridge were at a tipping point when I passed the other day.
Thankfully, at some point, this post will become a relic of historical interest only, frozen in time.