Monday 25 March 2013

Back to Ickworth on a Snowy Spring Day

So this March has been pretty damn cold... I don't ever remember wishing to get a fever before, just to feel warm.  This weekend has been particularly notable, as rather than just being cold, we had strong winds and lots of snow - the first time we've had snow in late March since 1952.  Going outside was not a particularly appealing thing to do, especially as there was a smattering of unmelted snow on the road so you couldn't be sure if you'd end up in a traffic jam.  After all, we're a country that experiences snow every winter, and therefore can't cope when it arrives.  Consider then, how panicked people would be getting with snow in SPRING!  PANIC AND MAYHEM!  Surprisingly though, the hysterics have been rather mellow this weekend.  Rather than fretting and complaining, they just stayed indoors, choosing not to venture out into the big wide world and experience the amazing sights.  This made for a wonderful trip out for my wife and I.  Rather than being defeated by the weather, we pulled on coats, hats, gloves and scarves, and went to Ickworth House.


We've been quite a few times before, and it really is a lovely piece of land with slight hills (a rarity for this region!), woods, lakes and wildlife.  With it being so late into March, many of the sheep had given birth, so there was a plethora of lamb-like bleating because of the cold.  And boy was it cold!





The wind made the snow come in sideways on, and we were soon absolutely covered in the stuff, but so were all the trees and the landscape overall.  It was stark, barren, whited out and so peaceful!  Because it was so cold and snowy, we were pretty much alone in the grounds.



There's also some more photos up on my Smugmug if you're interested!