The first snowfall of 2016 appeared on the 17th January and these wintry scenes were the result. By the 18th it had all disappeared. Here are some examples:
In order, these photos were taken from Spinney Lane, Harpenden Road and the Upper field.
A Guided Walk in Pictures
If you are unable to take a walk around the Heath using the excellent short or long guides produced by Peter Burley, you might like to follow the walk in pictures, mostly taken on a balmy autumn day in 2015. The walk took about 1½ hours.
We suggest you read at least the short guide before taking a look at the pictures. They deviate from the guide slightly to take in Townsend Drive, formerly Luton Lane.
The start and end point described in the guides is the Ancient Briton junction.
Paths on Bernards Heath
The wooded area of Bernards Heath includes an extensive network of well used paths. As many will know, several of these paths are now very muddy and slippery. They seem to be particularly bad this year, perhaps because rain has fallen with almost daily regularity in December and early January. The paths then have little chance to dry out.
Friends of Bernards Heath has been improving the paths over several years, the cost being shared with St Albans District Council. The longest, a new path extension to the Ancient Briton.
The paths have been dug to a depth of about 4 inches/10 cm and refilled with crushed road scalpings or planings. The resulting surface is much firmer than the muddy areas and drains more easily.
The sections may not always be apparent because of debris falling onto the path, but the image below shows clearly where the path surface is much improved beyond the lower muddy area.
We hope that the Council will continue to support us in our efforts to make the Heath a more enjoyable place to walk.
Rainbow over Bernards Heath
Does the rainbow over the Lower Field herald a change in the very mild weather we’ve had of late? Well, the temperature today (7 January) dropped to a maximum of 9°C, by contrast with the run of mild and dull weather over November and December (average 12°C). Our rainfall totals over these months were unexceptional compared with the north of England and Scotland.
Photo: PC.