The last weekend in November has been the coldest such weekend for many years, and brought with it the first snow-dusting of the season. The days have been harsh, very cold and powdery snow has mixed with rime to repaint the landscape in hues of white, blue and grey. Returning home this evening, the temperature recorded by the cycle computer was a nippy -4 degrees celcius. I get the feeling it’ll be an interesting winter…
Chasewater looks frozen and barren - and the site security is still very poor. I cycled round the barriers, walkers ambled along the dam and kids in cars were cruising along the dam road. 3:07pm, Sunday, 28th November 2010.
Work on the dam itself seems to be starting slowly. It'll be interesting to see if the cold snap delays operations significantly. 3:08pm, Sunday, 28th November 2010.
Hayfield Hill is a tricky ride at any time, not least on a day when you're watching out for black ice. 3:41pm, Sunday, 28th November 2010.
Staffordshire rendered an ice-kingdom from Castle Ring. The sunset was beautiful. 3:59pm, Sunday, 28th November 2010.
As night falls, the backlanes become hazardous and are negotiated with care. Holly Hill Lane is not on a gritting run, and so I dismounted and pushed the bike downhill. 4:19pm, Sunday, 28th November 2010.
Conversely, cycling an icy canal towpath by night is fun and challenging. Traversed at low speed with a good light, it's actually great fun. A careful watch for wildlife is required, however. 5:00pm, Sunday, 28th November 2010.