Cold, very wet road ride around Hamsterley / Woodland area

Sunday was a right off, I just could not be bothered so watched a couple of films and read a few magazines etc. After teatime it stopped snowing so went out for a walk and within 5 min's we were blasted in the face with icy sleet and were soaked by the time we got back in.
Onto today well the thaw is on, the temperature was 4 degrees going to work before 7am. I ended my day up at Hamsterley Village so took the Mason out for a loop around the local country lanes. It was reasonably bright when I left and dropped down through the village and turned right towards Morley. The 4 mile climb up to Woodland to take the very last right was a killer. I had a massive headwind all the way up and over an inch of flowing water on the lanes. The higher I got the darker it was getting, then I was blasted with freezing cold rain/sleet for the last couple of miles up. God I was so pleased to take the right then follow the singletrack road down, now with a massive tailwind but still raining. The further down Windy Bank Rd it was getting brighter. Once I passed the entrance to Descend Hamsterley the rain/sleet had stopped and the temperature started rising from the 1.3 degrees I had been riding in. I was soon back to Hamsterley Village to get changed and warmed up. The temperature reading on the van was 7 degrees heading back!

Village pond more like an ice skating ring

Here is the start of the first hill

and followed by an even bigger up to Woodland

been a while since the snow is higher than my handlebars

good 3 to 4ft deep at the sides of the roads against the stone walls

you will need a 4x4 to get out of the forest from the Grove end.
Worse as you get further down

and March Edt has also landed