Frosty Morning

Today we had the first frost of the year. We don't get many, so I whipped off my woolen glove and snapped a couple of photos on my phone. Above is the shared use path alongside Great North Road, looking back towards home. I have once (in summertime), seen rabbits playing on the edge of the grass here.

It is unclear whether cycles are supposed to use the path going downhill (see how the arrow only points uphill), but I use it fairly regularly depending on where the four lanes of traffic offer a gap to cross. At the bottom of the (lengthy) descent the path joins the NW Cycleway, which crosses Gt. N. Road on an overbridge. On Sunday I spoke with a new neighbour who has been doubling back to join the path before the bridge, but crossing on my own further up the hill works far better for me. Recent plans to improve/complete cycle facilities on this busy road were scotched, perhaps because they weren't very satisfactory to anybody. There is now a plan to put a six-lane motorway underneath the existing four-lane road, and so somewhere in the (re)construction process we ought to get improved cycle space - still waiting for any decent details on the motorway, though.

Below is a view off to the left where the Oakley Creek gully cuts through.