I have say 50m of driveway on a gentle slope, which then gets steeper as it comes into the yard. Over the last couple of wet winters, a lot of mud and small stone has flowed down and left channels in the steep parts of the drive and puddles in the shallower bits. What is my best option for reducing the flood of water that comes down? I'm thinking concrete channels running across the drive at strategic places leading to drains off to the fields but I want to avoid them becoming ramps if/as stone erodes away with people coming/going. Grading to a gentle crossways angle (drains to the side) will help a bit at the top but once it gets to the steep parts that is not an option really but I need to do something as opposed to fill the puddles every now and again with gravel.

 

Help!

Would French drains be a better option?

1 hour ago, Ferdinand said:

Would French drains be a better option?

I don't know but from looking at them, possibly not. I've got other places where they would be used though (fields with running water!).

You’ve got various choices but will depend on slope and water volume. You can buy ready made drainage channel with a removable grate on top but there are more suitable for low gradient slopes as they have a tendency to erode at the back on steeper slopes. I built a series of gentle angled burms / rollover humps that shed the water of my road but I am in agricultural land so it looks fine, but would not look good in a suburban setting ! You can diy various things out of wood or concrete but again it’s all site dependent. Can you post some pictures and I will advise you what I think. The main thing to remember is to get the water OF the road BEFORE it starts to move the aggregate, so many people put the drains in where the damage is occurring rather that slightly higher up the slope..... to low and they just fill with gravel rather than water ! Anyway it’s what I used to deal with for 20 years but pics would be helpful. 

As I think other have suggested getting the water to seep though the gravel into a drain if the best bet. But anything porous under the gravel will do the trick but you could put a drain system in as extra cost.
Cheapo me might do cheapo way - After clearing the gravel to one side put down a plastic sheet, then put the plastic grid they use to protect grass so cars can park on grass, then some everyday porous garden blackout, then put the gravel back. Idea being the rain quickly seeps though the gravel down to the plastic sheet then runs off down hill under the gravel so doesn't take the gravel with it. A little test area would cost much.

 

I'll get some pics but its not so much gravel around here but what is dug out the ground. Its VERY stony soil and somewhere a hole is dug and what is dug out gets put on the driveway. So, all that I dug out of the ground for foundations I will eventually use on the driveway. Underneath its just not dug but is starting to wash away in places. Seeping water into a drain may not work unfortunately because earth/clay holds the drive together, so might not seep and water tends to run over the top of it like tarmac.

22 minutes ago, Puff said:

I'll get some pics but its not so much gravel around here but what is dug out the ground. Its VERY stony soil and somewhere a hole is dug and what is dug out gets put on the driveway. So, all that I dug out of the ground for foundations I will eventually use on the driveway. Underneath its just not dug but is starting to wash away in places. Seeping water into a drain may not work unfortunately because earth/clay holds the drive together, so might not seep and water tends to run over the top of it like tarmac.

Well it sounds like you need to section it and in each section put drain grill to take the running water. You can either direct the water down the drain to either side or run a pipe the length of the drive and find an outlet for it.