9th December 2017 - Sugar Loaf Snow Walk

Obviously, today’s post is very seasonal as you can see from the pictures but I’ve got a bit behind. That’s no reason not to post it though, so enjoy our snow walk up Sugar Loaf. Having lived in Devon for the previous three years we hadn’t seen much snow. Chuck had only ever seen one very light dusting in his whole life so going on a deep snow hunt seemed a must. Although we’d been up Sugar Loaf previously we hadn’t done it in the snow. So off we went.

We didn't have to get that high before hitting the white stuff.

We parked near to the cricket ground in the back streets. A small alley takes you through to a narrow road which goes all the way up to the top car park. The road down here was very icy and Chuck was enjoying sliding about all over the place. We stayed on the road all the way up to the car park, by which time there was enough snow that people were already building snowmen.

Our eventual destination.

Snowballs gave Chuck an unlimited number of things to chase after. So, snowballs were soon flying in every direction with a dog in hot pursuit. Sugar Loaf is a concave slope which means it gets steeper the closer you get to the top. It’s quite rocky around the peak and the snow made it quite difficult to walk on. Be very careful as it is quite easy to sprain an ankle in a snow filled gap between rocks.

Sugar Loaf's residents.

The view from the top was magnificent with an obvious dividing line in snow altitude and the lower greenery. It was also very cold so we didn’t hang about. Going down was also quite a tester as the rocks were very slippy where people had compressed the snow. We went back down through the woods and emerged again where we had parked. It was still quite early however so we decided to head for the pub.

Going down can be treacherous. Take your time.

Our pub of choice in Abergavenny is The Hen and Chickens. It has a good drinks selection and does some nice bar snacks too. So, after a drink and some cheesy chips we headed back to the car. Our cheeks were rosy, from the cold not the drink, and we’d walked a long way. Gaining altitude is a great way of seeing some snow. But remember, it gets much colder the higher you climb. Work off -1⁰c for every 100m you climb. Take more clothing than you think you’ll need and be aware even if you’ve been somewhere before, it can look very different in the snow. Enjoy the snow, but respect it too and stay safe.

Why would you accuse me of dipping my nose in the snow?