Just a short trip & report today
I'd had to stop in this morning until 11:00, but I was straight out after the ladies here had departed.
I'd been listening to the traffic-reports on Ken Bruce (Radio 2; 09:30 - 12:00) & Lynn Bowles had read out the report that Snake Pass (A57 Sheffield-Manchester) was closed & that
Holme-Moss (A6024) had recently been reopened.
So what would you do in my position :D ?????
Surprisingly there was only a dusting all the way up through Clayton West & Denby Dale, with wet roads, not even slush!
On reaching Upper Cumberworth & turning off, I joined Dearne Dyke Lane for the trip past the windmills.
Again, unusually, this had only a light covering
At the point I had to abort
last years trip there was nothing in comparison, just a dusting :(
After the descent to Millhouse Green (Penistone) & seeing that my old Discovery is
still on the forecourt
C'mon someone, feel sorry for it, buy it!Woodhead was okay, but with a nice coating alongside the road, which surprised me as I expected a lot worse.
To say that HolmeMoss had been shut it was like a 'Sunday drive', until I got flagged down as there was a Fiesta on the snow-crusted verge.
It looked like the young lady had been coming down, braked & swapped ends.
She was
very lucky as to the other side was a sharp drop into a sloping grass-land that ran down to a deep gulley.
We couldn't find the screw-in tow-eye, so the first motorist 'on scene' & myself (plus 2 chaps in a LDV flat-bed) ended up shouldering it out.
One good deed done :D
It was fairly cold, got towards the top & I could see the snow blowing sideways off the escarpment.
A Celica came down towards me, with (as it turned out) the male passenger walking in front of it for some reason :? :?
His wife wanted assurance that it wasn't too slippy, why he didn't just drive it instead escapes me :!: :?: :?
Then I came across the LDV that had helped with the Fiesta (one of the modernised Sherpa types)
He'd lost traction on the steepest (snowy) part :roll:
Once more into the breach :roll: .........
Having advised him of the dead-weight (3tons??) I would have to move & his help being required by also driving the wheels.
So, 2nd low & diff-lock, a fair bit of wheel-spin & subsequent hunting for traction I got him moving, slowly but surely :)
At the top by the mast, I pulled in & 'chuffing hell' was it bl**dy cold up there as I removed shackles & towing-plate.
I pulled over into the car-park at the top & just sat there with the heater on & thermal gloves.
The differance in weather conditions can be seen here (only separated by 5days);
2005 (beautiful blue skies & 'see for miles' clarity)
2006 (the white flecks are snow & I had to keep turning out of the wind to breath properly)
I'll be watching the weather tomorrow & might take SWMBO & 'Small-Child' up there to play snow-balls :lol: :lol:
Sorry, no incident photos. as we were all more concerned with clearing the road.
I was parked on the 'wrong-side' as I helped with the Fiesta
I had to park straddling the white-line to avoid some snow as I hitched up to the LDV.
Don't think photographing their predicamants would have been appreciated anyway :? (even with permission)
