Last walk of 2010

The end of the year and the snow has gone, except in few places behind the hedges. The temperature yesterday, at 9.5C, was nearly 20C higher than it was last weekend and today was 12C higher than on our last walk, when it was -6C. We can walk the roads, but not the tracks which are now very muddy. Just before Christmas the roads were too slippery to walk at all as there was frozen packed snow all around and no snow plough or gritting on the side roads.
So we enjoyed the freedom to walk again. Now we need some good dry weather and time to walk for longer carrying our full weight rucksacks.

Trees on the skyline
and
snow on the road side

Snowed in

This past week we have had snow and ice so walking is not possible until conditions improve. It is a struggle to walk even as far as the shops since we had 8" (20cms) the other night; deeper where it had drifted. There are compensations however, such as roasting chestnuts on our open fire and building a snowman.

With too much snow for walking the best excercise was to build the snowman

More Winter Walking

It has remained bitterly cold with hoar frost looking like snow. The fields were white and the ground like iron. An hour's walk across the fields and back round the lanes was far enough. It helps to keep our legs moving but without getting too cold. Home for a café con leche, as we didn't pass any cafés, and to warm up by a log fire.

The frost on the moss and the granite stones of the bridge was beautiful

Winter Walking

We managed a walk earlier this week, before the snow came. It was bitterly cold, but at least the mud was frozen. We had a steep uphill climb, including a very rough piece of track under the trees, then along the hilltop before working our way back down to the stream and the road.
Our path can just be seen from the lower right hand side of the photo, uphill past the first trees, then disappears into the wood to reach the top near the white wall - top left.
Snow and ice then stopped our walking for a few days, but we hope to be 'back on track' this coming week.

The track leads up through the woods to stile.

The view across to the moors from the hilltop, with snow in the distance.