Dartmoor conditions

Anyone local be able to tell us what conditions are like up there? Still boggy, or crisp and dry?

cold and dry earlier but unsure as some snow has fallen which could dampen things a little..(south dartmoor)

potential ice tommorrow as rain/snowing today which could melt and freeze tonight.

raining here now

Don't think it's got above freezing today, am on the eastern side in a valley within nat park.
was -3C mid morning,odd flake of snow, rained then snowed a little about 3ish, and i think that's now turned to ice….. so might not be going out into town tonight to mate's party!
Until recent cold spell it's been heaving down with rain for the best part of 6 weeks, so that will take a time to absorb/dry out, though this cold snap might well dessicate it quicker….
my thoughts from in front the fire – anyone been out recently?
Q

Christowkid : let me guess, you live in Christow

lots of ice about, any rain will be sheets of ice soon and the water run off on some of the steep lanes will be better on a toboggon

hmmm- may hold off on the ride tomorrow then. As it is I'm wearing 2 pairs of gloves to ride around exeter!

exeter is tropical in comparison to the moor

Just got back from Princetown. It's been snowing up there for most of the day, great fun. No significant snow on the eastern moor and everything should be dry, frozen and firm under wheel. I think it might be windy tomorrow but apart from that conditions are excellent.

Inch or so of snow in tavistock and around. Gonna freeze hard tonight.

I stand corrected by mr monkey, its so cold the ice is dry.

I was thinking of heading down to Princetown tomorrow for a loop inc the "widow maker".

knottie me too, am riding from my house in plympton (leaving around 7am depending on hangover) out through burrator up aylesbarrow climb then down WM around bridleway at bottom of sheepstor then back home via yelverton/cycle path, around 30miles, i hope the wind doesn't pick up too much!!!

Widow maker claimed 3 out of 7 of us today – I think shinythings will be sore in the morning! get better soon Jim 😐
And tractor was in the $hit!

snaps
that looks great !

Oi Snaps, no!!! I wanted to be first to post the tractor pictures 😉 Mine are still uploading to flickr. I'll post some pictures from the ride shortly then. I'm going to gently defrost in the bath for a while first!

snaps – where abouts was the stuck tractor? I don't recognise the area

I'm going up there tomorrow so hopefully it won't be too slippery & icy 😕

knottie8 – widow maker lived up to its name today, just enough snow to obscure the ice!
slugwash – sorry Rich 😉
crispy – just up from Sheepstor village toward the scout hut

this web site may be of some help for the weather, -5.5 last night

http://www.lyneside.demon.co.uk/Haytor/automatic/Current_Vantage_Pro.htm

above 500m it wont get above -1 tommorrow.

Live webcam (daylight only)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/webcams/dartmoor_webcam.shtml

Not much snow at the beginning of the ride…….

And…….

More here…..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8308384@N06/sets/72157622906942271/

Nice pics rich, looks fun. I'm up there tomorrow & hopefully the tractor will have gone by then 🙂

Yeah ace ride up there today. Good to be out again

Did I mention that I'd had an off?
I'm obviously hugely brave and as someone said " I ain't got time to bleed", but I really should point out that I have some slight discolouring to the skin and and am a tad puffy in places. This may have been contributary towards my throwing Spaghetti all over my floor! (cos i have no grip in either Hands)
Might take a picture of the 2 plums I have growing from my person tmrw, if you like.

Brill day and that's twice in a year we've had snow epics on the moor.

spaz…

Jim please no not the plums
Looks like it was a good'un, Haldon was practically balmy compared to the moor.

Si, thanks for your overwhelming display of heartfelt sympathy…git!

Cave, shame you two didn't come. It was remindful of the cresta run day we had in Feb

i was riding like a complete flid as it was. **** knows what would have happened to me if i'd thrown snow into the mix.
who's about tomorrow then?

Had a little walk up widow maker this afternoon, and saw two people's tire tracks and was curious if they belonged to a fellow STWer!?!

Am wanting to ride tomorrow, but have a little sniffle….

currently raining in tavi and was thawing out an hour ago. if it clears like its forecast to then its gonna be like a skating rink out there tomorrow.

gawton i reckon….

i'm a possible for tomorrow, maybe.

Slugwash – great photos. I've going up for another Dartmoor fix on Monday. I recognise most of the pictures, but where is the descent in your 2nd/ 5th photos? Is that the Widowmaker – have you got a grid ref?

2nd is round the back of sheepstor i think.

+1 for what jambo said its the bridlepath behind sheepstor.
just walked home from a mates house and the roads are just black ice, it#ll be fun riding them to the trails tomorrow morning..

Sure your not just wasted Carl?

That looks like fun. I ws in all day with a Tequila induced hangover but off out in 45 mins out to Burrator.

snow thawed a bit last night, then it started raining about 10 through til about 4. then it froze.

sheet ice everywhere.

Yesterday – On eastern side didn't have the snow you lot had, but the quick shower of rain/snow mid afternoon froze almost instantly. My village encased in ice, didn't even try to get out last night in the car. P*ssed off daughters, cross cos I'd said 'no' to driving to party changed their minds when they too did a Bambi act as I checked the lane outside our house, sitting on top a steep twisty lane. They were a bit taken a-back.
This morning it's still a sheet of ice!
Hopefully the sun will melt it a bit, but with tall hedges and deep lanes, be careful out there.
cheers
Q

Just been out and the view up to the top is pretty spectacular. A dusting of snow on everything above 1000ft. No doubt the usual Haytor chaos will ensue. Enjoy it folks, I'm staying in with some studies and the woodburner.

Update on Burrator.

Main road OK, didn't try to get to the Quarry car park as the road after the pub was untreated and covered in sheet ice. That hadn't begun to melt when we got back to the van at 10 ish. There were no vehicles at the dam at 8.30, a few there by 10.

Riding bloody good fun, snow frozen and really grippy. Groundhog day riding better than it has in months as the mud is all solid. Won't last for long though, nice and sunny now and it will be melting.