Brrr ...

It's been bitter out today, which is why I'm now tucked up in front of a warm fire with a belly full of haggis, baked beans and mixed mash (potato/swede/carrot).

But we did brave the elements earlier with a walk over to Lode starting at the lay by just north of Horningsea. It's an old friend which I've recorded here.

The wind was bitterly cold. I was wearing thermals under my trousers and over my T shirt, a fleece jacket and a waterproof over that, gloves, a scarf and my trusty Lowe Alpine mountain cap so I was pretty warm other than my face.

I have been cultivating a Father Christmas length beard during this cold snap which helped but despite that the remaining skin was so cold I had my buff pulled up over my mouth and nose leaving only a slit for my eyes during the worst bits.

Despite this it was a good walk, not least because I finally got the hang of walking with two poles. Father Christmas brought me two rather sexy Black Diamond poles¹ and Beth talked me through what I needed to do to use both at the same time. I've tried this before and failed miserably: I'm simply not very co-ordinated - but this time I got the hang of it and used both from the first clump of trees all the way to Lode.

1. Good wrist straps, very lightweight, with snap locks rather than twist locks for reliability, and anti-shock springs. Very nice.