What was Sarn Ford Like?

[Valandil]

A ford in a river is a place where crossings are easier - often not deep enough to keep one from walking across, or at least to keep one from riding a horse or wagon across.

We get a description of the Fords of Isen in Unfinished Tales. It all seems pretty reasonable. This is not too far from the sources of the River Isen, so a ford at this location seems natural enough.

However - Sarn Ford, on the Baranduin (or Brandywine) River, puzzles me now that I think about it.

The Baranduin is a few hundred miles along in its course by this time. And it doesn't start at a small spring - but as drainage of the very large Lake Evendim. Sort of like the Saint Lawrence River coming from the Great Lakes down to the Atlantic. It seems like the Baranduin would drain lots of territory - eastward at least halfway to the Mithlond, but probably further, to that line formed by the southern part of the Blue Mountains, the Tower Hills and Emyn Uinen. Northward at least a little above Lake Evendim. Westward - probably halfway to the Gwathlo in the south and at least to the Weather Hills in the north.

That's a lot of water!

So I think there must have been a lot of water in the Baranduin by the time it reached Sarn Ford. To me, that gives several possibilities about Sarn Ford.

1. Maybe it was no true Ford at all - just a relative ford, or maybe a partial ford nearer the banks.
2. The ford was seasonal - at times the water was lower.
3. The river was especially wide at this location. This is my preferred. In this case - perhaps as far back as the early Numenorean visitors, soldiers and colonists - perhaps it was somewhat artificially made, or at least enhanced.

If that last is true - passage of the river would have been a nice thing to have, and if it's very wide here, a ford might be more practical than a very long bridge. However - another interest would be preventing enemies from crossing the river. Might the ford have had some sort of indirect route it followed? A zig-zag course?

We know that some of the Nazgul crossed Sarn Ford (scattering the Ranger guards) in pursuit of the Ring. But if there was a non-linear path, it was likely known to them. At least any who were Numenorean. Or who had come to know it at an earlier time.

The ford would also cause a complication for river navigation. Nothing with a deep draw could pass it. Perhaps at the heyday of Arnor it was an active area. Larger boats coming from the sea could go no further - and their cargo was transferred to shallow boats to take it further upriver. Maybe all the way to Annuminas.

Please share your thoughts on Sarn Ford.