Thursday 2 December 2010

It's Snow Fun!



Last week I went over to help a friend do some chainsawing and catch up with some friends whilst there. The trip ended up as eventful as the beginning i.e. missed ferry!

We worked Thursday to Tuesday with the Sunday off. Which I know my back was definitely pleased about. Until the Tuesday the weather, although cold, was fine and the conditions good for the work we were doing. Tuesday was a completely different matter and 6.5cms of snow had fallen by 7am and it was still coming down.

It was fun (well sort of) at first and the woods were very picturesque. Then one chainsaw gave up working and the snow got even harder. We got wetter and wetter and the conditions got more difficult. Eventually we had to stop as we couldn't even see the tops of the trees and by then we were soaked through and apart from it being dangerous, enough was enough.

The conditions were getting worse and the traffic news for Kent was not good and we were able to get packed up and changed quickly and then got on the road. Fortunately I knew the back roads to the M25 and we arrived at the Orpington junction to find stationary chaos. The roads to Orpington and Bromley totally blocked as was the road from the motorway.

We risked going onto the motorway and on the roundabout over the M25 we looked down and saw the Northbound carriage way moving at less than a snail's pace - southbound completely clear. And we were going snowbound. As we drove further round the M25 the conditions improved but listening to the traffic news we knew we had, by the sound of it, got out just in time.

I really didn't fancy missing another ferry although I did have a days leeway as I was staying in Poole on the Tuesday night! But I was hoping to visit someone on the way to Dorset but decided getting there was the priority.

I got home late Wednesday evening and the snow was not too bad here. For most of the journey the roads had been gritted and were clear. Well except for the last two steep hills which I took very slowly.

4 comments :

  1. The snow looks pretty but it makes travelling a bit of a mission doesn't it!

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  2. So beautiful, I love the snow, seldom get any in NC.

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  3. CTF - yup - I tend to hole up when it snows so the boys have another day off school.

    WW - thank you

    This moment - welcome to the blog. I might come and join you in NC if snow is a rare there ;-)

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