No snow but plenty of ice -
Parts of England’s longest lake have begun to freeze over for the first time in more than ten years after overnight temperatures plunged below freezing in the county.
Staff carrying out essential maintenance work at Windermere Lake Cruises say it is the first time since 2009 that they have seen large chunks of Windermere turn to ice.
John Woodburn, operations director at Windermere Lake Cruises, said: “This is one of the very few occasions that we’ve seen sections of Windermere start to freeze over in recent years.
“The last time we saw this type of scene was in 2009, when we built an ice plough for the bow of one of our ‘Steamers’, MV Tern. This enabled us to push the huge chunks of ice away as she sailed past Belle Isle in the centre of the lake.
“On another occasion, back in the early 1980s, it was even possible to walk across part of the frozen lake between Lakeside and Fell Foot.
“At that time, I recall one of the team trying to break through an eight-inch layer of ice with an ice pick, but it was frozen solid and as you can imagine, it was a thankless task!”
https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/19086038.windermere-begins-freeze-cold-snap-continues-cumbria/