The River Sid rises above Sidbury and runs through the charming village – with recent photos and report from the Herald:
Historical links in Sidbury | Sidmouth Herald
The levels of the River at Sidbury are not too high:
River Sid at Sidbury :: the UK River Levels Website
As this photo from further up the valley shows:
Ford at Plyford Farm © John Walton :: Geograph Britain and Ireland
However, this photo shows what a sudden spate of flooding can do, even further upstream:
Flood damage near Plyford Farm © David Smith :: Geograph Britain and Ireland
With another photo of the ford, from 2012:
Ford on River Sid © David Smith cc-by-sa/2.0 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland
The head of the valley above Sidbury is also the home to some ancient woodland – which helps to keep the erosion at bay:
‘You can’t see the trees for the wood in Sid Valley’ | Sidmouth Herald