C2033

Worst weather conditions ever

2010-12-21T10:23:00.000Z

The snow continues unabated. We put on the snow chains yesterday and took the children to Is y Coed whilst we got on with the Christmas shop for the whole extended family. Arriving back with a full load we gracefully slid down a third of a mile amidst ever increasing layers of snow. The dogs were pleased to see us. Shopping is left out in the car as it's colder than the fridge. Unfortunately presents are going to be mostly remote this year as we haven't done our usual round of in-store shopping. The kids are nonetheless excited, as we have at least one big toy to entertain us all on Christmas Day. Plus all the right food!

The decision now is as to whether it's safe to get the children back today, or whether we wait another day. Video of our lovely driveway to follow.

Here we go again

2010-12-17T13:45:00.000Z

We were expecting this wave, and the snow chains were at the ready. However a call from the parent of another child who had already been involved in a crash on the way to school; this morning put us off attempting the track in full blizzard conditions. I called the school to be told all buses were running, but looked on the website. The larger bus companies were mentioned but not the smaller companies, and the school was adamant that the day would continue as normal. It all leaves one with a feeling that no-one is aware of what the real weather is doing in this part of the world. The weather forecast is saying heavy snow today so no chances with children will be taken!

We may still have to get the school band CD delivered for whatever sales are possible.Online sales?

Snow and snow chains

2010-12-05T08:00:00.000Z

We have now had no post for over a week, with the postman not even venturing as far as the top of the drive. This means a pick-up in the town, although getting out is an issue. We have not only to live here and get all our supplies, we have to get our children to school and significantly we have to bring the occasional customer in to record.Although the C2033 has now been gritted, there was a freeze last night so we'll see the conditions tomorrow for driving.

Snow chains and cleats arrived in the post. Has Christmas come early? YOu would think so from the flury of excitement and unwrapping. Phil set to with his chains and we soon got them on, after a few moments' doubt. The best way is that Phil reads the instructions and I grovel on the floor and do all the threading through. Circumstances make me a foot soldier for physical operations although it's not a role that I usually get cast in! The idea is to put on the chains and tighten, then drive and stop to draw in the slack, like tights for the RAF engineer (sorry that'll only mean something to those who've worked on a chilly airfield)
The snow chains went on, the car set out. A nice easy trip up the icy track he said on the 'phone.
You have to take them off when there's no snow, and you're driving direct on the road, so after a few minutes I had a call. He had taken them off and somehow wrapped them round the rear wheel.
The skype was running in the kitchen down to his father and so he watched on as I "alerted the emergency services"./ Next minute he'd freed off the wheel and went on his way to get provisions for Mum and Dad and pick up our school-bound children (sorry kids, you have to live in Llanfyllin when it snows, without the X-box!)

Returning down the track last night (I haven't seen the kids for a couple of days) he travelled down the track at an uncontrolled 20mph until he put hill descent in action. I will have to go up and grit the critical stretch again today. I will use the cleats.

Talking of cleats, they're very good so far and I recommend them if you fall over easily in the snow and ice, or have to go where you don't want to. The cheapest by far are the AA ones at about £6.00, and if you go to the AA website you can order them with next day delivery. So if I don't fall over today go ahead to this address:

http://shop.theaa.com/store/other/aa-snow-ice-grips

It has to be right, particularly if this is going to become the norm.

C2033

2010-12-01T11:18:00.002Z

I think the gritter has been this morning, will be going out this afternoon to get provisions. Haven't had any mail since last Friday. Hoping weather will improve soon and we can get back to normal!!

I think we have grit

2010-12-01T08:56:00.001Z

I think we have grit. And determination, NO I did mean grit, the gritter is on his rounds I believe, having spoken with Highways today. Fingers crossed.

How to get to school in the snow

2010-12-01T07:59:00.004Z

It looks quite pretty......

Just a dusting of snow, shoudn't be a problem....

We'll check the track before driving up.

Doesn't seem too bad.....

The cat's managing!

Ah. A snag maybe?

Uh-oh.

Let's take a closer look

And you say we have school?

Now don't go on!

The cat can go to school

Will it, won't it?

2010-11-30T09:01:00.001Z

I spoke again with Roger at "Highways", which carries out the gritting. No-one has been out on our route yet, which is not a secondary , but I suppose must be a "tertiary route". He says he tried to get someone out yesterday, but they were all taken by the secondary routes. He will try again today.

In the meantime, the much heralded "heavy snow" has not arrived yet. We are getting drizzly type precipitations at the minute. However our track is iced up so grit will mean walking up for the school bus at the very best, in the absence of certainty.

I can't grit the entire length of the drive if more snow is forecast.

Henry has had his piano exam moved on...we always seem to have exceptional circumstances here!!

Fortunately we are still in touch with the world, able to run the business and skype the grandparents, who are getting keen to see "their children" (not us!)

It would be so pretty if only it wasn't so cold and palpably icy!

The C2033 is unsafe

2010-11-28T05:48:00.000Z

I have now been watching in some horror the footage from the Range Rover, as it was driven here at 3.30 PM yesterday, and will be uploading it as soon as I can. There are sheer drops from the C2033 where the driver is only protected from tipping over the edge by an ancient sheep fence, and it was at this point that I watched the car, completely out of control veering repeatedly across the ice to hit the flimsy barrier..... The road needs not only urgent gritting, but a survey to determine safety requirements. Used not only by a school bus, but also Council Refuse services, postmen, and a variety of inhabitants, it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident in icy weather.
I am hoping to be able to get some camera footage up later today.

Green Belt Living Hazards!

2010-11-27T06:23:00.005Z

I called the gritting services in Llanfyllin yesterday to ask for the C2033 to be gritted, and spoke to a nice chap who said it would either be today (yesterday) or Monday. Otherwise there wil be no school bus for Llanfyllin High, Llanfyllin Primary or any of the schools, without a massive thaw. We'll see what the realities of this are on Monday, nothing has happened so far, because the A roads are prioritised, and after that, the B roads have to be seen to.

People forget that the high up roads need servicing too, even when it has thawed elsewhere. Even though it's a tiny road, it's one used by a school bus, and there is constant pressure to add housing, even though this runs completely contrary to Planning considerations, in that it places increasing pressure on our local road maintenance services. The ideal principle is to build near to main nodes of transport, but often plans are made in the Spring, when the issues of actually accessing your property are not so apparent. It's all very well to plan a nice little building estate on this lovely green belt, but the realities are that it is impossible to service. And the Winter has only just started.......

To slide downhill one third of a mile in a supposed four wheel drive vehicle is hair-raising enough when with a superbly competent driver, but no ambulance could have reached us yesterday, and therefore the hazards of living out here are hugely multiplied, particularly when you have a family, a business or disabled family members...

Hopefully some photos today will illustrate the stark splendours of life in the countryside.

The Great Snow Hazard

2010-11-26T14:02:00.003Z

We now have our first ice and snow for this Winter. I fell over twice and hurt myself. We could not stay in the 4-wheel drive to get down the track, and when my Dad drove it down it slid from the top to the bottom which is a third of a mile. On coming down the track I found it very difficult to keep my balance as it was extremly slippy. Unfortunately our car got stuck in the ice and so we had to leave it there. It is going to be a very cold Winter and I do not look forward to the cold.

Henry

Oil Delivery

2010-11-13T11:56:00.001Z

Our oil was delivered yesterday - we have finally located a company prepared for our rather bumpy steep access. The cold has now started to freeze in the mornings. We are hoping for a milder Winter, having been virtually house-bound for five weeks last year despite the four wheel drives. This presents us with difficulties not only in getting food in, but in getting to the doctor in emergencies. Gritting does not routinely happen on the C2033, making the trip across the ridge to Llanfyllin very hazardous and the necessity to stock up on essentials.

Fierce winds yesterday left a large number of branches and sizeable logs down across the C2033 which had to be cleared by the school bus driver. The winds blew open the five bar gate leading into our field and we were faced with the task, with some help from friends, of ejecting several dozen sheep from our field and in front of our house back into the field next to the barn.

Still, we are hoping for a lenient time as Christmas looms.

Autumn to Winter

2010-10-18T16:39:00.003+01:00

A windy day today and the approach of Winter. The barn roof, which is at best only a vanity roof, clangs loudly, loose rusty corrugated iron flaps creeching in the late afternoon The dogs enjoy it, and howl to each other at night across the valley. We are travelling less now, no more daily trips out to school, so fewer punctures in general! The post arrived today, apparently blown in by the wind. The parcel wouldn't fit in the post box and so all our letters were left on the floor at about 2 o'clock, and I came out to a haphazard pile of bank statements by the front door.

We will see what the ice brings this year, as I suspect the C2033 from Llanfyllin will become impassable again, meaning a loss of services for up to two months of the year.

John came down and cut the hedges on the track yesterday. Thanks John, if you're looking, things'd be a lot harder without the good neighbours.

Llanfyllin, Llanfair Caereinion Llanidloes Schools Reorganisation

2010-04-11T19:30:00.002+01:00

Powys Schools Reorganisation. Are you concerned? Join the campaign, visit the website, get involved.

PACE (Powys Against Cuts in Education) is an education action group formed to campaign for the preservation and advancement of our excellent schools and academic standards here in Powys. If you want to Save Powys Schools and protect the highly successful academic infrastructure which is an integral part of this unique area then this website will keep you up to date with critical events to do with Powys Schools Reorganisation.

Protect our sixth forms and the academic quality of our existing educational structure. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Snow is back! Can you believe it?

2010-02-21T06:53:00.003Z

I see the snow has returned with a vengeance - 5 inches plus all over. Let's hope some thaw will make the school run possible tomorrow! Any news on the state of the road would be appreciated.

Could This be the End?

2010-01-15T10:37:00.004Z

Finally we have woken up to the sound of rain....
Here are some last pictures, as we hope we'll be saying goodbye to this in the next day or so.

Sledge Uses

2010-01-15T08:09:00.005Z

The last week has been the slowest. We have done school projects, worked, cancelled appointments, eaten, slept and watched the weather forecast and the potential change this Friday. We've used the sledge in many ways...

Going up..............

Snow Drift by Allt Goch Turning

2010-01-10T15:12:00.003Z

We wanted to go to a special Lunch today.
When we approached Allt Goch turning, on our way out, we almost drove the Discovery into a new Snow Drift which is about waist high. We had to reverse back to our Drive and back down our lane home.
The Lunch invitation, which we had accepted a month ago, was an occasion that we had looked foward to!
All the snow must have blown back onto the road causing the Drift. It had only been opened during Fri and Saturday.

Road to Meifod - what's the situation?

2010-01-09T09:15:00.001Z

Here are some more shots from the day before yesterday. The road to Meifod has apparently not been cleared yet. I haven't been far enough along to inspect, but our neighbours told me that there had been another vehicle stuck there yesterday. People have to work, of course, particularly here where no-one will pay their wages if they don't!

More snow pictures on the Bachie Rd, C2033

2010-01-09T07:53:00.012Z

Rubbish a problem in the snow

2010-01-09T07:15:00.003Z

The bin collection mentioned in this article below flags up one of our biggest problems. We have a month of rubbish and recycling stored in our garage,and here in the countryside it's more to keep it away from the house than to prevent vermin or house pets from breaking in and ransacking, as they tend to do this anyway!

Rubbish Collection Prevented by the Freeze

It seems unlikely that the bin men will venture along the bachie Rd and C2033 for several weeks more, even to empty the big comunal bins, which are overflowing of course.

I guess we can be thankful that we have the space to do this anyway, so ther are swings and roundabouts!

C2033

2010-01-08T19:52:00.003Z

My first journey out on the C2033 for a week, and first driving for several weeks was a hike up the hill to the 4 wheel drive parked at the top for a week in the blizzard conditions...Fortunately this started first time. I made it out to get in provisions and missing daughter....with a little help from several very friendly neighbours. There was then a three mile stretch of skiddy snow to contend with and I did get some much-needed help with the last stretch (thanks Merv!). There has been some gritting on critical patches, but there are obviously many miles without, so utter care is vital. There's certainly a case for carrying grit/salt if you have any. Then one bump-start in Llansantfraidd (thanks Roy!) and a slightly less jittery journey home. Food was then unpacked onto the brilliant home made sledge (thanks Michael!). Now to start work.....

Still trapped

2010-01-07T15:40:00.003Z

Unfortunately, despite all efforts, we are still trapped. The track between our house and the C2033 is layered many times over with ice and then topped with all this snow. The 1:3 gradient meant that our attempt to get out today in the 4 wheel drive resulted in a backwards slide from top to bottom. Fortunately we are all warm, and have all the things we need for the time being - so we will just have to sit tight until we work out how to deal with matters....

Diggers to the Rescue!

2010-01-06T20:37:00.017Z

Emerging from the next layer of snow we climbed to the top of our track today at 4 PM to find Steve Davis digging us out of a massive snow drift. Thanks to all who organised this. This is the deepest snow we have seen in eleven years here!

The news item below made sombre reading.....

Grit could run out in Powys

Before the Big Snow

2010-01-06T14:01:00.018Z

It has been like this for three weeks. Look out for today's photos of even more heaps of snow! Today saw a van collide with a huge drift of snow - the four wheel drive that arrived was then followed by a tractor...... No-one's going anywhere. There was a power cut last night but we all went to sleep until the lights came back on at seven - - less than an hour, so thanks for that whoever organised it!

Gritting Services - or lack thereof

2010-01-05T06:14:00.007Z

We are virtually housebound again.

There's a page all about gritting on the council website, at http://www.powys.gov.uk/index.php?id=3199, giving a number to call and a form to send in. But there is no answer to the email form, it seems everyone has to fend for themselves, because our road is classed as a C road. There was going to be an emergency council meeting yesterday to discuss high altitude roads and special provisions, so we'll see where that goes. I don't know where grit is actually purchased from (grit, not salt), so I don't understand the problem.

We have managed to get my daughter down to Llanfyllin to her gradparents' house so that she can go to school, although she hasn't got everything she needs........... She'll have to stay with them until the road becomes safe. My son can't go to school at all because he's at Meifod, and it's further and too risky. I believe they grit part of the route to Meifod because there are councillors living on that route, or this is the reason people seem to give! However the first part will still be much too dangerous even in the Range Rover.

We have to grit our track daily, and I go up with my ten year old, to try and make some impression. It has now become an icy roller coaster ride, with two tramlines from the top to the bottom (1/3 mile) which you can't get off because the snow is so hard. So we have to grit in the tramlines and try and make some impression on the ice that has accumulated in them, which is 4 inches thick in places.

Even walking up and down the track is now quite risky because the snow has compacted where we walk - despite this we have people attempting to attend the studio quite regularly, and someone is going to attempt it today, on foot!

I've got some lovely pictures of Moelfronllwyd, which I shall try to put up later today.

Animals in the Snow

2010-01-04T15:10:00.006Z

The road is very bad today, it was rather like driving down a frozen waterfall and we met a white van on the blind corner. He couldn't get any further so had to reverse all the way back and he was zig zagging backwards.
I spoke to the man at the gritting depot early this morning because we have to get out to feed our animals. He couldn't help us, so we battled on. We are desperate to get a delivery of fodder and meal provisions for the horses and oil for the rayburn.
Hope it doesn't freeze so hard tonight. I noticed a few abandoned cars on the track/road this morning.

C2033 becomes a glacier

2010-01-04T13:03:00.004Z

Extreme night time temperatures have kept conditions dangerous on the roads, private tracks and driveways of the area for the last three weeks. With the return to school, residents are still only able to use the C2033 road at their peril due to the lack of gritting, making journeys out even for essential items hazardous. At Craignant, we have been virtually trapped in our house for the entire holidays by a third of a mile of uphill glacier which has formed on our track, requiring daily gritting just for some element of safety. In our experience, this icy spell seems unusually long - we don't remember such a long period where travel was so hazardous. Time to get the bread-maker out!