Welcome to Siberia!

On the Road to Clachan.
On the Road to Clachan.

Other things did happen in March but the mammoth snowfall on 21/22 March  was the major event. Things kicked off overnight on the Thursday with a strong easterly winds blowing wet snow into massive drifts. Most of us assumed that the normal Kintyre situation would prevail and that the snow would disappear overnight. Well it didn’t!

 

 

The house performed beautifully we were toasty warm.
The house performed beautifully we were toasty warm.

The wind and snow continued all day Friday and it soon became clear that we were in for something different. As usual, the electricity went off but surprisingly came back on again. Very good we thought. Then off it went until Sunday 10.30p.m.! Next, we lost the phone/broadband and the word on the street was  that the water might go off too as the pumping station at the foot of the road was also without power. A trudge to the main road on Saturday afternoon confirmed that the A83 was closed and that Scottish Water were on the ball. The transistor radio confirmed that most of the Kintyre peninsula was marooned along with large parts of Arran.

A Lifetime's Ambition! Shame it melted after a few days.
A Lifetime’s Ambition! Shame it melted after a few days.

We soon realised that unlike previous “emergencies” because we hadn’t moved a vehicle into the village before we were snowed in, we were marooned. Luckily, we’d enough provisions and candles to get by and when Jack and Katie made it back home to experience snow like they’d never seen before, we got down to enjoying ourselves. Still some of us had work to do so on Monday Suse and I hopped on the 926 to see Emily and Richard. I came back on the Wednesday and with Jack, Andy Bagley and Brett Ritson spent a couple of days digging paths, unearthing vehicles and felling the trees which had brought down the phone line.

Up the Farm Track in the Sunshine.
Up the Farm Track in the Sunshine.

Although we’d been to stay with Emily Richard and Caitlin for a week at the beginning of the month and then again for Suse to use their broadband, they still decided to stay with us over Easter. It was touch and go whether we could get the farm road open for them arriving on the Thursday night but they sailed in wondering what all the fuss was about! The goings on were recorded in the first edition of the “Glenreasdale Gossip”

 

 

Up the Lane there were 5ft drifts.
Up the Lane there were 5ft drifts.

A walk up the track on Friday morning confirmed what people had been telling us. The drifts were still blocking driveways and we spent some time helping to dig out neighbours’ cars. Caitlin enjoyed her adventure and later on saw the Healing Garden in Tarbert and had her first encounter with the Co-op. The next day she went along to Ronachan for a walk along the beach and seemed no worse for it despite the low temperatures.

 

 

The Wishbone Oak suffered in the Snow Storm.
The Wishbone Oak suffered in the Snow Storm.

Back at Larick House, further inspection of the “Wishbone Oak”confirmed that it had not fared well in the snow storm. It had dropped more big limbs and gained another wishbone. Richard had brought his climbing gear and shinned up the tree but wisely decided that it was “bigger than it looks”. There was nothing else for it but to fire up the saws which we did courtesy of Andy Bagley who got them into tip top condition.

 

 

Timber!
Timber!

We made pretty good progress initially but slowed down once we realised that the tree was wider than two saw cuts. We persevered and dropped it exactly where we had planned. It was shame but it was becoming dangerous and we will use every scrap of it. I have been surprised at how much more sky is visible from the house but still it was a shame to see it go.

 

 

A Serious Amount of Firewood.
A Serious Amount of Firewood.

I thought I would be processing the firewood for the rest of the summer but the weather stayed fine and Andy and Brett took pity and did a brilliant job. In between times, Andy found time to fettle two broken chain saws and a generator. The latter will be very handy the next time the electricity goes off!

 

 

 

10 Tons of McFadyen's Finest.
10 Tons of McFadyen’s Finest.

Suse had been hoping to get some potatoes planted over Easter but had trouble finding the veg garden. I’d hoped to start spreading the 10 tons of topsoil which we’d had delivered but I guess we’ll have to wait. We did manage some orienteering at the Trossachs and despite being out for a long time we both seemed to enjoy it sufficiently to enter some more events both in Scotland and Ireland.

 

One thought on “Welcome to Siberia!”

  1. I see it took a whole week for our snowstorm to get to you. Over here two motorways were blocked with people stuck in their cars for two days AND nights. Still, that had more to do with the complete uselessness of the government and their rescue services than the ferociousness of the storm. Since then we have been having a few days of winter, followed by a few days of spring and then back again in a yoyoing fashion for ever. I loved the igloo, shame it melted.

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