I had been up early this morning with the dogs for another cold and very muddy dog walk. It was 4C at 7.00am with a cool westerly wind which made it a little unpleasant, the only consolation being that it is beginning to get slightly lighter in the morning. Yesterday had been a terrible day weather wise, with rain, sleet and snow showers all day and this added to the already waterlogged ground made our walk that little bit harder and dirtier, not that the dogs mine either. 

After breakfast we decided to pack the car again and head off to Castle Howard with Meg & Gracie for a walk around the grounds. We had a good journey from home arriving at around 11.o’clock. I was quite taken aback by the amount of snow they had had, though, bearing in mind that we are about 200 feet above sea level and amongst the Howardian hills I suppose it was to be expected. As we walked around the cricket ground with M & G the snow was coming well over the top of my walking boots, so that is a good three inches of snow, the dogs loved it. After our little walk round the cricket square I clipped them both onto their short harnesses and we headed into the courtyard, purchasing a take a take a way coffee before heading towards the house. It was very quiet this morning, not many people about at all. It is amazing how the snow completely transforms the landscape, it looked as though a huge white fluffy white blanket had been placed on the ground, all the small features had disappeared under the snow. We walked past the Southern side of the house, past the time capsule and along the terrace leading to ‘Ray Woods’. All signs of the daffodils which we saw on our last visit poking through the grass had disappeared under the snow. The South Lake looked well frozen this morning as we continued along the terrace the depth of snow thinned out considerably and as we approached the gate into the wood it was just a dusting on the ground, small clusters of Snowdrops were poking through the fallen leaves on the woodland floor. As we walked out of the wood at the Temple of Four Winds the view across the Howardian Hills looked stunning. From here we headed down the slope and around the far side of the South Lake, stopping at one of the benches for a rest and to admire the view of the snowy landscape. Past the lake we headed through trees to the Atlas Fountain, although the fountain was not working the water was quite frozen around its base. From the fountain we headed back to the house and the gentle walk back to the courtyard. I took the dogs back to the car to dry them down and give them a drink before heading back into the courtyard for some sandwiches and tea which we brought back to the car to have with Meg & Gracie. Another lovely walk around the grounds and how different it all looked with snow on the ground. Needless to say the dogs slept for the rest of the day, totally exhausted.