It's snow fun...

With snow becoming rarer each winter it was nice to get out into the winter wonderland. The TV reported traffic chaos... I didn't notice it. The roads were empty and there was plenty of fun to be had left foot braking into the bends!
My plan was to head up to a place called 'Crows Castle', a hill out in the fields where there are views in all directions. I took the bridle path through the woodlands dodging the muddy bits, electing to follow the fox tracks because he knows it better than I do.
It was nice to enjoy the virgin snow, the only other tracks being coney.
Energy running low it was time for some nosh. I fuelled up my ever faithful meth stove. This tiny titanium stove is brilliant, it's super light and really tough (I've stepped on it many times!)
Soon the bacon was sizzeling. What is it about food outdoors that makes it taste SOoo good?
As I crossed the higher fields I left the shelter of the trees and the wind was bitter.
By the time I was in view of Crows Castle the wind chill made it difficult to remove my gloves for long in order to take photos.
It's lovely up here, wild and windswept. A favourite haunt for the Buzzards. The Scots Pines are old and gnarled. The high fields spread out to the horizon on a clear day. It was way too cold to hang around for long, so I headed back home.
Back in the warmth of the trees I spent a while tracking badgers. There was a group of three. It looked as if they'd been having fun. There were 'snuffle' marks and patches of disturbed snow where they'd been larking about.
I followed them as far as the Christmas tree nursery where I lost the tracks in the tangled undergrowth. Tired and tea deficient, I headed back to the car...