A dramatic day........adventure before the real adventure !

It’s been an exciting if slightly harrowing day ! Thank the Lord for John and Julia who managed, with the aid of a tractor, lots of salt and a shovel, to clear one route out of Littlebeck and then move my car for me up the snowy and icy hill out of the village ! It was with a sense of dread I opened the curtains this morning  and yet another layer of snow added to yesterday’s blanket. I truly thought that it was a fete accompli and Australia was receding into the distance ! Anyhow the miraculous Weeks’ got me out and on my way.

The roads in Yorkshire were adequate and the temp around 0 degrees, but the further south I drove the lower the temperature plummeted and the more the blizzards blew until it was - 7 on the lower section of the M1. My windscreen washing squirter was permanently frozen so it was often impossible to see out of the heavily salted windscreen, so stopping every 10 miles or so was mine, and hundreds of other drivers only option. Then to cap it all there was serious congestion on the M1 so we sat in a traffic snarl up for around two hours moving only 5 miles or so. At this point I had given up ever reaching the south !

By the time I reached Leicester Forest East Services Sara called to tell me that they were snowed in and in the process of sending all boarders home, and closing the school. It became increasingly obvious that I would not get to rural Sussex and that the hideous weather was dogging my entire journey ! After much discussion we decided that she couldn’t be sure that taking me to Heathrow on Saturday morning would be a possibility so it was best, though sad because I wouldn’t see the family, to book into a Heathrow hotel from now until my early start on Saturday morning. I stopped 

at a Starbucks with free WiFi and managed to find a hotel online which had some free rooms for tonight, and Thursday and Friday night. There were so many folk trying to find hotel rooms because of the weather so I was very lucky to grab a room ! As I was bringing my cases into the hotel the blizzard began again and the temperature plummeted yet further, but I knew I was warm and safe and very near the airport !

I noticed as I drove into the hotel car park, that a Polish shop was opposite the hotel, so tomorrow I shall explore that with a view to cheaper lunch and dinner options ! Three days of hotel meals is rather an addition to the pre planned holiday expenses ! That’s about it, it’s been a very tiring day but I can rest all day tomorrow if I choose.......Ah.

On the road from Whitby to Teesside A171 - quite challenging.......but I did it !

Salted windscreen in a traffic jam.......M1 around Rotherham

Lord of the Rings - Littlebeck style

Will I make it to Heathrow, Petworth or even out of Littlebeck ! We are all being positive here and enjoying the glorious snow besprinkled grounds. It is true fairytale snow for snowballing and sledging.....we did none of that of course, just gently scrunched our way through the pure white and untouched white blanket. 

I have been watching the traffic England website with much earnest interest, hoping that there is a break in the Siberian flurry and a journey to Sussex becomes a pleasure and not a pain !

The week forecast is looking more travel friendly than today’s weather so I have everything crossed. It is not impossible for me to delay a day if needs be, and thank goodness I allowed so much time to make the journey south !

World of Coffee 2

A Littlebeck cafetière cup in the warmth of the sun room !

The virgin snow around the Littlebeck grounds - quite breathtakingly beautiful. I’m sure Legolas is hiding just beyond the bridge !

First small step......

I left Skye in freezing cold conditions, sun but with an  iron grip frost all over the car which took some thawing. The snow built and built as I reached Cluanie and then Fort William and was about six inches deep in Glencoe. The roads were, thankfully completely cleared so driving was a breeze. I can’t quite believe I am on the way. After the last six weeks it seems, ( to me personally) a miracle that I feel up to such a huge journey with all the stress of travel and alien, largely non diabetic food ! Wonderful friends who helped, encouraged and allowed me to stop teaching guiltfree, are the reason why I am here and fit enough to make it, for which much thanks are due ! Well, here I am on the very first tentative leg which will take me to Yorkshire and Littlebeck to break my journey to the South. I say break my journey, but frankly it will be a delicious little holiday in itself I know ! Gorgeous surroundings, much loved old friends and total quiet. What more could I want for a couple of restful days.

There is also going to be a ‘World of Coffee’ special theme running through the trip,  so apart from pictures and comments about my travels I will also mark the passing of time  with a good cup of coffee in my round trip of 18,886 miles ! So the first moment is now ! A Costa coffee at my favourite costa waterering hole, five miles from the A66 in north Cumbria on the M6 in the north west of England. Average to decent drink, not quite hot enough, but deep and comfortable arm chairs......Ah.

World of Coffee 1

( exciting and where will they all be ???)

Cumbrian Costa Coffee

 (is that a tongue twister ? Watch out pupils !)

Driving to Cluanie

Clean pure snow and the most blue sky I could wish for !

On my way........