Winter Weather Report

All over the country people are reporting wintry weather, snow, ice, disruption, disaster. Here in this little corner of Cornwall, close to the coast and only 100 metres above sea level we rarely get extremes of weather - frost free in winter, and merely warm in summer when others are baking in the sun. That's what I like about it, in fact.


This last few days, however, we have actually had a bit of winter. And of course it took us (well me, anyway) by surprise. Last Friday morning was when it began. It was chilly in the morning but bright sunshine - a lovely day dawning as I took Ty down the coombe. At 9.15 I picked up a neighbour to drive into Liskeard to a meeting. No ice on the car, started nicely, out of the car park and round the corner, sun shining on the windscreen, ooh it's dirty, use screen washers, windscreen covered with ice! Luckily I was still on a very quiet side road so I could stop and clean up.


Friday night was cold. As I was making the first coffee of Saturday morning I watched a blackbird and a sparrow hopping across the top of the pond - icy! By the time Ty and I got down to the creek it was snowing, but just a very light powdery proto-snow which could not be felt, although it didn't melt... When we got back I checked the garden - the pond was covered with ice, and a planter which was full of water had ice over an inch thick on it, which I removed. The birds' waterbowl was frozen solid so it had a wash and new fresh lukewarm water put in it. I also filled two seed feeders and put out more crumbs. Once I was back indoors I watched for a few minutes as the starlings lined up to drink from the nice fresh waterbowl. But not for long - the world disappeared in a sudden white out. Ron was down at the waterside at the time, helping someone take a boat engine out, and says they couldn't even see the tools they had out on the deck. They couldn't stop work, though, as the crane had been hired and had to be paid for.


The blizzard didn't last too long, but left a couple of inches of nice crisp snow everywhere. That didn't last too long either - it had pretty well disappeared again by the time it got dark and the freeze began again.

Sunday morning dawned clear, cold and bright. A lovely day for a walk, which was just what we'd got planned anyway. It was a bit slidey underfoot, but nothing that couldn't be coped with, and the nasty white stuff on my car windows slid off easily with a towel. The roads weren't as clear as they could have been but I got to Hessenford without incident, only one very gentle slide pulling in to the side of the lane going downhill to let a line of traffic up. The Copley car park, however, was pure skating rink. It was much, much colder than Saltash as well. I watched a man try to start his car which he'd left overnight - ten minutes to get in the doors, 20 to scrape the windows even with the engine running.

Once the company was assembled - six people and four dogs, including the new and adorable Harvey - we set out. Just crossing the road was quite frightening, but we thought once we got into the valley we'd be fine. Not quite; much of the valley trail has duck boards covered with chicken wire to give a grip, but when covered by sheet ice the wire doesn't work. So it took us about twice as long as usual to get to Seaton, where it was different again. We walked along the beach in brilliant sunshine under a sky as blue as I have ever seen anywhere in the world, the sea calm, the light amazing. As far as Coleadon and back for lunch at Seaton Beach Cafe before marching carefully back through the valley to Hessenford as the light began to fade.

Winter Sunshine Walking

It is so much nicer to go walking when the sky is blue and the sun is shining. Even if it is a little on the cool side. Not quite freezing in the morning, but a slight touch of frost on the grass at the side of the coombe. In truth, the weather has been clear and bright for a few days and I've been actually enjoying dog walking, just locally around the creek and Churchtown, instead of dutifully carrying out the miserable obligatory chore it is when it rains and rains and rains...

A proper walk had been scheduled for today; the fine weather was a very welcome bonus. From the small coastal village of Pentewan, half way between St Austell and Mevagissey, up and over inland round the edge of the lost gardens of Heligan, down through the woods to Mevagissey itself and back along the coastpath for lunch at the Ship Inn. Five and a half miles or so, some very steep bits with which I struggled a bit, but managed better than I had expected. I'm lucky to have companions to walk with who at least pretend to be happy to amble along at my slowish pace, taking photographs and playing with the dogs.

Inland it was quite sheltered and even warm while walking so that the strong northeast wind blowing along the coast took us a little by surprise when we dropped down into Mevagissey before climbing back up along the coastpath. No surfers, far too rough for them, and just one solitary inflatable bobbing about in the waves.

After a very enjoyable lunch (carvery, but they knew we were going to be lateish so saved some for us special) with even more enjoyable draught pear Rattler at the Ship we resisted the temptation to sit and listen to the jazz band for the afternoon and took the dogs on to the beach, as the sun was still shining and the surf still running. Ty swam for sticks, although I was careful only to allow him where it seemed fairly safe away from the rocks and the biggest waves.

On the east side of the 'harbour' (now landlocked) there's a vertical cliff about 100ft high covered in dense and mostly thorny vegetation. A terrier, Boris, had run up there after a rabbit and got himself stuck half way up in a gorse bush. His family of Mum, Dad, two small girls and another dog were standing below calling him, but for all his panicked scrabbling and whimpering he could not seem to get free. He even attracted the attention of a buzzard who came in and alighted about twenty feet up from where the dog was caught, before deciding that either the thorns were too thick or the dog wasn't weak enough to make a meal.

It was odd; there was absolutely nothing we could do, but one still feels somehow committed to stand around and wait for an outcome. We had to leave eventually after twenty minutes or so, but I still need to know. Did he eventually manage to escape? Did they call out the Coastguard? There's been nothing on the news yet...

Latchbrook walk

It's still sunny and cold - really nice weather for the time of year and not unpleasant for walking in, either. Bluebells, primroses and arum lilies are shooting up in the coombe. There was a solitary redshank down in the creek this morning hunting alongside the sandpiper and the egret.

I took Ty to Latchbrook in the early afternoon on the way to Waitrose. Although we were in brilliant sunshine, there were still quite a lot of white frosty patches on the grass there. More bluebells and arum lilies there, too, and one hazel with ripe catkins, the pollen blazing yellow in the low sun. Wanting to give him a slightly longer walk than usual, we went exploring up one of the paths which go up the side of the valley to the actual Latchbrook estate and discovered an abandoned looking building in a playing field surrounded by broken down fences. When we went for a peer through the cracked glass of the front door we discovered it to be the Latchbrook Community Centre, offically opened by the Mayor in 2002. There doesn't seem to be much of a community spirit in this modern estate of desirable suburban residences...

Winter Wonderland...

This is what I consider to be perfect winter weather - a heavy frost followed by a clear, calm blue sky. Down at the creek this morning the water was completely still, although it wasn't possible to see all the way across for the steam rising off it.

The sandpiper has been joined by a curlew. I wonder sometimes why we only ever seem to have one each of this occasional bird varieties - one egret, one sandpiper, one curlew, one kingfisher.