Walthamstow Winter Wonderland

E17, after escaping nearly all the snow in the previous weeks, has proven it doesn't have some bizarre micro-climate by seeing a fair snowfall today.

I left for the shops on the cycle and there was virtually no snow. I came out of the supermarket to witness a scene of dense snowfall. I had left my helmet with my bicycle, so it was full of snow. It wasn't particularly pleasant cycling home as my head froze to the helmet and, no matter which direction I went, the snowfall appeared to be directed towards my face.

Still, it was fun to cycle in new snow, and surprisingly easy. I saw a few cyclists on my way back, and all of us were much faster than the motor traffic which was stationary or sliding all around the place. My bicycle, although an old mountain bike, has been fitted with pretty much slick tyres, which still gave OK traction as long as I wasn't stupid. Even braking wasn't too bad - although in the interests of experimentation, I did jam on my rear brakes on a deserted side road to see what would happen. The cycle skidded and started to slide under me, which was pretty much the conclusion anyone giving the idea more than a seconds thought would come to. Sometimes I am a genius.

What was really pleasant about cycling in the snow was that motorists gave me a very wide berth, didn't bother to try to overtake and travelled so slowly that I swear some pedestrians were moving faster. If only traffic behaved like this without snow!