My view

Hot (well, cold really!) on the heels of the first snow, we had a little more overnight. It was very wet and the roads locally soon cleared but the same forecast persisted for a day or two. It rarely gets too bad here in the valley but higher up on the moors and dales it is usually far worse. 

For various reasons I wasn't able to go out to 'enjoy' the snow, too many tasks to do inside. I'm never very sure if I do enjoy it anyway! It's better when it is crisp and bright but it was the wet, slushy, misty kind of snowfall. So I stayed lingering luxuriously for a while in my cosy bed with a cup of tea and my iPad, before reluctantly rising and getting on with life. I like to open the curtains a bit and enjoy the lovely view of trees outside, always beautiful, in snow or none. The little orange patch that's visible is the netball post in the yard of the school opposite. After 25 years of it, I shall miss this view, though I will be able to see trees from my new flat. When I was looking for a new place, I realised that was a non-negotiable element.

First snow

We woke on the last day of November to find the first snowfall of the winter had happened overnight. It wasn't entirely expected in this part of Yorkshire. The 'amber alert' area had been further north and east but was revised overnight. It was jolly cold, a heavy frost exacerbating the effect of the minor flurry of snow. When the sun came out it soon melted the ice where its rays touched but in the shadows the frosting lasted all day.

I had already planned to go for a walk so it was pleasant to stroll along the riverside at Bolton Abbey. I enjoyed the effect of the sunshine catching the trees and turning them gold, whilst the river was mostly enveloped in a blue-brown shadow.  

I crossed over at the aqueduct bridge, that strange crenellated structure, and walked back to the Cavendish Pavilion along the higher route at the other side.

Snow changes everything

A few more photos from our snowy day on Friday. It's fascinating how everywhere looks so different, not only with the covering of white but with the way it reflects the light. I went out fairly early; it was still snowing a bit but vehicles had eroded the snow on the roads and, amazingly, the main pavements had been cleared and gritted. Schools were closed, I believe, so there weren't many people about, though a few excited children were heading to the park with sledges. 

The lion called 'Peace' appeared to be enjoying an ice cream! Whilst 'Vigilance' looked pretty bored by all the fuss. 

Just beyond the park, there were a few youngsters sledging down from the path round the Higher Coach Road estate. I stood and watched for a while but never caught more than one sledge coming down at a time. Then they take ages to walk back to the top again! Luckily it wasn't too cold - one or two of the mums seemed still to be in their dressing gowns! 

The covering of snow only lasted a day or so. The temperature rose again and it all quickly melted, though the huge drifts in the High Pennines will take longer to melt. 

Snow!

It snowed heavily overnight on Thursday so that by Friday morning we'd had about four inches down here in the valley. (Clearly much more on higher ground.) I obviously needed to get out there with my camera! Good snow is quite a rare event these days round here, it seems. I had a pleasant walk; it wasn't really cold and, indeed, by the time I returned home the sun was out and it was thawing rapidly. 

First snow!

Storm Arwen brought high winds and snow to Scotland and the north of England over the weekend. It appeared that we had missed the worst of it here but on Sunday morning it started to snow and by mid-afternoon a covering had settled, even in the valley. Some of us still get a little bit excited by snow since it is a relatively rare occurrence here these days. When the blizzard abated I went out for a short walk, ostensibly to post some letters. It was quite pretty everywhere so I walked a little further into the village centre with my phone and took a few photos. The snow was already starting to disappear where people had walked and overnight it will be icy. It's impossible to predict whether that will be our only snowfall of the winter or the precursor of much more. Either way, it's nice to capture the moments in a few photos. 

'War' tamed

'War' doesn't look nearly so fierce with a dollop of snow on his head! I took the photo when we had a few days of snow a while ago. 

There are four lions that guard the centre of Saltaire, carved by Thomas Milnes originally for Trafalgar Square in London but then snapped up by Sir Titus Salt as a centrepiece for his new village, when Landseer was given the London commission. 

Wintry waterways and snowy fields

Snow scenes like these are enough of a rarity round here to justify getting out to make the most of it and capture a few pictures. (It has all disappeared now and we have relentless rain.) The canal (from Hirst Lock) looked really peaceful and pretty.

The river (from the footbridge near Hirst Lock) was a little more swollen and turbulent. From this spot, you can just see the New Mill chimney in the distance. 

A little further out from Saltaire, the scenes looked even prettier. Trench Meadows and the fields around Milner Field farm were white over. There were the usual geese, still trying to graze through the snow and I saw a couple of deer bound across the Upper Coach Road, though too fast for me to get a photo before they disappeared from sight.  

Winter scenes in Roberts Park

Wintry scenes in Saltaire's Roberts Park. It's amazing how a bit of snow transforms the landscape. 

There weren't many people about, though it wasn't particularly early. I saw a family sledging and a few dog walkers, that's all. From the well trampled state of the snow, it looked as though more people had been out the day before. Someone had built a snowman. It hadn't occurred to me before that that's a good thing to do for the environment, as well as being fun. It slows the snow melt and mitigates against flooding. 

 

Snowy Saltaire

Two views of Victoria Road in the snow: 

Above, looking south from the canal bridge. Salts Mill is on the left and the stable block on the right, and in the distance you can see the tower of the Victoria Hall. 

Below, looking north towards the river and park. The building on the left is the part of the stable block adjacent to the canal bridge. At one time the road used to continue straight down over a bridge across the river, but the bridge was demolished in the 1950s and that wall built (where the New Mill sign is), and now there's just a footbridge lower down. 

These were taken on Friday morning, after it snowed gently for much of the day on Thursday. Friday dawned dry and crisp, though misty. Normally you'd be able to see Hope Hill above the trees. Only the main through routes are gritted so all the streets in Saltaire were iced over and vehicles were having a bit of bother. The snow was really crunchy underfoot. It was a lovely morning to be out walking and my trusty snow spikes and a stout walking pole meant I was safe from slipping. 

Moody blues

Up on Shipley Glen, the view down into the valley became quite dramatic as a dark cloud passed over. It was odd to see the green fields in the valley bottom being picked out by the sun's rays, when up on the Glen everything was snow-covered, even though the snow wasn't deep.

A snow day

We had another fall of snow last Friday, though it came down as sleet in the valley and didn't settle. I knew there would be a bit more higher up, so on Saturday I walked up to Shipley Glen, and found a light covering, not enough to sink into but enough to wash the world with white and make it look quite pretty. 

The sheep had found a strip under the trees where there was enough grass uncovered for them to graze. In this kind of weather, the farmers often have to provide hay or pellets for their flocks. There were lots of folk out walking, and a few sledging down the fields, though there was barely enough snow for that. 

The lockdown restrictions don't expressly state how far we can go for our daily exercise but there are strong messages of discouragement being made. Police have in some areas fined people for driving to beauty spots. Sadly, it is not really explicit enough what exactly we can and can't do. In an ordinary year, on a day like this, once the roads were clear I might have hopped in the car and driven up to the high moorland to take some 'proper' snow pictures. However, the new variant Covid virus, rampant in London, seems now to be taking hold in this area and it's a lot more contagious. It's rather worrying and home seems the only really safe place to be, so I won't be going far! I'd rather wait for another, safer time to get those pictures. I was especially careful not to slip (I'd put spikes on my boots) as you hear stories of people waiting hours in the freezing cold for an ambulance and I'm sure the medics can do without self-inflicted accidents, on top of the Covid surge. 

 

Snow

It's been pretty cold and we've had a few flakes of snow here in the valley but it didn't really settle and didn't last long. Of course, higher up on the surrounding moorland any snow usually falls more heavily and stays longer. I have avoided driving over the moor road to see the family but I had something I needed to deliver to them, so I chose a day with no precipitation forecast and hoped for the best... The road had been gritted and was clear and what snow there had been was clearing, though on my return journey it started to sleet again. There are few places to park up there so I just pulled off for a second and took a random shot. It may be the last snow I see this winter... or then again, it may not.  Good thing I did the delivery too, as a new strict lockdown was suddenly announced last night for the whole of England, so I won’t be going anywhere for a while (again).