Holme Moss

MONDAY

Today’s plans started with a midday appointment in Honley. On a good day, the journey from North Wales takes about two hours, but thanks to a road traffic accident near home on the A55, it stretched to almost three. Fortunately, I’d allowed plenty of extra time, so I was able to drive through the Woodhead Pass and through part of the Peak District, across the high moorland to Holme Moss, and finally through Holmfirth to Honley. The sat-nav led route turned a frustrating delay into an unexpectedly beautiful drive.

I made a brief stop at the top of Holme Moss, home to the highest transmitting station in the UK. Not only does it tower above the landscape, but it’s also among the most powerful, broadcasting signals to West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, parts of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and even as far as Birmingham and the Scottish Borders. At the summit, the temperature lingered at a chilly 1°C, and puddles there were glazed with ice.

After my appointment in Honley, I grabbed a quick lunch but didn’t linger. The forecast warned of heavy snow, and sure enough, it began to fall later that evening.

By 4:00pm, I was back in Tremeirchion. After dinner, I headed out to the Salusbury Arms for the Annual General Meeting of the local community group—a gathering of all the familiar faces. As the meeting unfolded, snow began to blanket the village. By the time we finished, several centimetres had already settled on the ground.

I was glad I’d walked instead of taking the car although I did see the   gritter passing through the village.