Winter Contrasts

The 'Cat and Fiddle' pub sits on a precarious bend on the 'Cat and Fiddle' road that connects Macclesfield and Buxton. The webcam looks out along the road and across the moors. I have been itching to see if it is possible to ski from the pub to the summit of the nearby Shining Tor.

As soon as Kirstine and I had finished our hot chocolate pre-ski warm up. The weather began to close in.

Un-detterred, we carried on through the wild, wintry blizzard and snowdrifts in search of the junction in the paths where we could head for the (as yet unseen) summit.

When we reached the summit, we headed back down as quickly as possible to escape the fierce wind. Having been skiing in a blizzard for over two hours, I was beginning to worry if the car would be buried and indeed if the road would still be open. We had no shovel!

Back at the pub, our car was fine (if a little camouflaged) and the road was still passable.

On the next day, the weather was much nicer with golden winter sunshine. This looked like a perfect opportunity to visit the Manchester Canoe Club slalom course for some gentle river paddling.

I have borrowed a Pyranha Z One to try out with a view to buying one. The boat is everything I would hope for. It is reasonably forgiving whilst being sporty enough to remind me that river paddling requires some degree of skill.