Family catch-ups and beautiful snow!
After some shopping with Margaret on Friday morning in the hire car, I left for South-Yorkshire, some 160 miles away. It was a beautiful drive (despite the heavy traffic in some parts) particularly as the sun was setting over the green fields and small villages. I stopped along the way occasionally for a few pics and reflective gazes over the 'mothercountry'.
Arrived at Anita and Eric's place near Barnsley - Anita is my Dad's cousin - and it was lovely to see them again (haven't seen them since I was an early-teenager). The next day, we visited their kids' families and had a birthday party for one of Eric's friends.
Anita and I

Me, Anita, Eric and their daughter Jayne and grand-daughter Amelia.

Richard and Debbie and the kids - Abbey and Kyle

On Sunday I left for Tintwistle in Derbyshire to see another one of Dad's cousins - Judith and her husband Garry. Lovely drive west with some wonderful, clear views. And then I hit snow going over the Thurlstone/Langsett Moors - at about 460m above sea-level.
From this...

To this, only a couple of miles away...

After an only slightly frantic call to Garry about what to do when driving in snow, I made it out the other end to the small town of Tintwistle. Judith and Garry live in a gorgeous cottage right next to the reservoir (Garry is a reservior-keeper). After a cup of tea and a catch-up Judith and Garry decided to show me a bit of the local area, and the weather was quite nice.

We drove over the hills to Castleton, a cute little town and visited the information centre. We then strolled back to the car, took a few more photos then proceeded back up through Winnets Pass and over the hill. As we got higher and higher though it started to snow very heavily and then a campervan ahead of us got stuck. So we had to stop and wait for someone to tow the campervan out and we couldn't go around due to traffic coming the other way, or turn around as it was too slippery.

After an hour of so, and after me making my first snowball and the beginnings of a snowman, it was clear that no snowplows or gritters were coming. We were told by the police that we should abandon the car and head back down the pass to Castleton. Ok, no worries - I had Garry's waterproof trousers on, so I was happy. Except when the car started to slide by itself and Garry was standing at the back with the boot open. I jumped out of the car to see if I could help but could only yell for Garry to get out of the way because the gap between our car and the car behind was closing. It only slipped a few metres though, and lightly tapped the car behind - no damage. So after Judith's almost-heart attack, we began the walk (still snowing) back down to Castleton. To the pub. We then found a B&B and that was our bed for the night! We all missed our toothbrushes! But what an introduction for me to snow (& the potential hazards)!

Yes... that's a snowball.

Funny-looking snowman - ok for a first attempt?

Judith (in the blue) walking down the pass.

We all slept well and yesterday morning, we had a great breakfast and then walked up the hill to find the car (with another couple who were parked behind us and stayed at the B&B too). We all got into spreading the grit and pushing the cars out onto the cleared tracks. We also helped another bloke who got stuck coming up. And a woman who couldn't find the towing point on the front of her car for a guy with a 4wd to tow her out.... Garry pointed it out and the 4wd guy looked very embarrassed. Anyway, saw lots of other abandoned cars on the way back. And the countryside really was beautiful!

Street of Castleton

View of the fields and hills around Castleton.

View up the road to Winnets Pass (just to the left of centre).

Garry and the others walking up the pass. Quite steep, no wonder the snow filled the pass so quickly :)

The cars looking snowy but getting them out was no challenge for us, the gritters and car-pushers.

Map reference - Anita and Eric live just north of Sheffield and Judith and Garry, over the other side of the green blob that is the Peak District National Park (but not quite as far over as Manchester).