Some other examples are: 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001 & 2003

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I competed in a banger rally London to Milan back in 2012. We initially had the intention to scrap the car, but as it happened we became quite attached and decided to store the car in an airport car park and go back a week later to rescue it.

weeks turned into months

So during January 2013 we flew back out to rescue the car, it was on the cusp of one of the first blasts from the east that year. I remember driving to Turin then North to the Mont Blanc tunnel, it began to snow about 10 miles before the tunnel... but was quite dry, the snow was like cotton wool floating in the air.
http://imgur.com/uCx7B9C 
http://imgur.com/KJNaeYr 


At the entrance to the tunnel the snow was about 3-4 inches in depth, and in areas that have kept the snow from earlier snowfalls, alot deeper.
http://imgur.com/uj1vBz5 

Once through the other side it was like another world. Snowmageddon as we descended into the Charmonix valley.
http://imgur.com/XayRZkx 
http://imgur.com/OlxKqDP 
http://imgur.com/ljanR3I 

Even the well trodden road was thick in snow. Though it calmed down as we approached the valley bottom. Then it was the long slog back up the east of France.
http://imgur.com/gZ4s6gF 
http://imgur.com/koi6tUr 
http://imgur.com/BzcZ0ft 

We met lots of bands of snow most of it settled to about 3 inches, before you drove through and the landscape went back to green... until we hit about 10 miles short of Calais. Thick heavy snow had fallen quite rapidly and recently (from the looks of the radar) about 6-8" deep.
There was one set of tire tracks calved into the motorway and we hadn't seen a car in about 2 hrs. The snow had emptied the roads. Then we hit the thickest fog ive ever encountered. From being 100% clear viability to not being able to see 10ft in front of us (no exaggeration), and so we coasted doing no more than say 5-10 mph all the way to the tunnel.

http://imgur.com/8uIqegA 
(calais)

We arrived back in Folkstone for 2am after 14hrs of driving. Once through folkstone the landscape quickly went back to green. just a small area in Kent had snowcover.

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2010 amaising if only the snow fell and lasted through the Christmas period. Looking further back 1991 was fun just because I was young enough to bounce around sledging. 1987 we had sledge city.

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We used large black bin bags cos

a. They were cheap

b. They we faster and

c. They kept us dry.

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More Decembers to remember.

December 1981 CET 0.3C the only winter CET in the period to get near to 2010.The month is probably best remember for the low temperatures with Shawbury recording a record -25 C on the 13th.

Th were snow events and in many places snow lay for much of the month  including over Xmas. I was on a course in the Chilterns where around 6 inches of snow fell overnight and into the morning of the 8th.On the 11th there was even heavier snow.I was taking the dog for a walk that morning.The cedar trees in Richmond Park were groaning from the heavy snowfall and as I walked the loud reports of cedar branches  snapping followed me.returning to the park the next day to enjoy the snow the carnage amongst the cedars was incredible!

The cold of  December continued into the first half of January with the second week having almost continual frost and new temperature records of -27.2 at Braemar on the 8th (equaling the record) and a new England record of -26.1C at Newport Salop on the 10th.

December 2010.

On the weekend of 20/21st November I went for a walking weekend in the Malvern Hills.The Met Office had warned that later in the weekend a bitter blast from Siberia would move in from  east.On the Saturday myself and  friend set off to walk the length of the Malverns. As we climbed up to the tops the fog got denser and denser and wetter and wetter.It reminded me of the fog that preceded the arrival of the easterlies back in December 1962.So dense was the fog that we completely lost our bearings and managed to spend half an hour walking round in a complete circle!The cold did not arrive in Winchester where I live until the Sunday night

And that ushered in the magic late November and December of 2010.Taking UK view I don't think I can remember a period with such regular heavy snowfall.Virtually every day from late November to just before Xmas seem to have heavy dumps.Stating with Durham and the Yorkshire Moors and Pennines and notably in Edinburgh.In the south depths on the Sussex downs were around 30-40 cms

Winchester is something of a snow shadow area  with marine influences from Southampton water.The higher downs did get good falls.However around the 16th there was alert for very heavy snow including south Hampshire.I followed the radar and to my amazement the heavy snow that fell further west in Somerset and Dorset petered out over Hampshire- a huge disappointment.The heavy snow in the south west meant that the planned trip to Exmoor for the weekend of 17/19th had to be cancelled.I regret that and  regret not proactively getting a train driving north to Yorkshire where the combination of heavy snowfall and sunshine looked magic from the photos on the twt threads.

It is fair to say that the majority of the south had a dull rather than sunny December 2010.The only other complaint that could be made about December 2010 was the lack of strong winds which would have created much larger scale drifting.But the major regret is that I spent too much time vicariously looking at pictures instead of travelling to see the best conditions.Heavy lying snow is so rare  but so   beautiful that its worth travelling far see the best of it.

 

When the cold moved in, I think it's fair to say that very few of us expected it to last as long as it did. As far as I was concerned, I wanted some snow before the 'evil' Atlantic brought its mild gunk back in. With memories of good falls in Dec 09 and Jan 10 still fresh in the memory, and footage of the NE widely under 30+cm, I was subconsciously aiming big. As the picture son the news of first the NE, then certain other parts of the UK getting good dumpings, I was beginning to resign myself to the fact it was going to be a disappointment IMBY. A couple of forecasted opportunities came and went without anything other than a flurry. We'd been to York on the last weekend in November and got caught in an unexpectedly heavy period of snow, so I was comforting myself with that - although it's somehow never the same if it's not fallen in your own neighbourhood.

And then, on the Friday before the Xmas weekend, another possible chance. By this time, I'd have been happy with a couple of cm's, to give everywhere a festive look. We struck lucky, the snowfall starting as I drove west along the M62 from Manchester, and getting heavier with each mile. By the time I got home, it was accumulating - well it would, given the absolutely frigid ground following weeks of sub-zero temps. And it got heavier, giving a good 12-14cm in 3-4 hours.

We always go out to a country pub for tea on Xmas Eve, and that year we headed NW'wards, roughly toward Southport, but only just outside the border of St Helens. Couldn't believe it - the snow was at least 25cm deep (this a week after the fall). I chose the pub because it's got about 4 fireplaces - when I'd booked I'd asked for a table not far from a fire, and they came good. A platter of good food and a pint in front of me, a crackling real fire on one side, a window looking out onto a white, frozen scene on the other. Just perfect.

 

 

 

I've done a lot of 'snow safaris' in my time! Both into the Pennines & the Peak District.

 

 

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Yup it was my xmas doo that friday night.  This side of the water and liverpool centre didnt fair as bad as 25cm, but it had at least 3-4 inches.  I remember the table of say 20 in San Carlos quickly became a table of 6 as everyone was worried they wouldnt get home.

 

 

 

 

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I'm a bit futher west than you in Warminster. We had a decent fall on the 16th, and again on the following monday. This snow stayed until the general thaw set in after Christmas. We definitely didn't get as much snow as much of the UK, but for us it was still memorable, as the frosts and sustained cold were amazing enough, and when the snow came it lasted long enough to really enjoy

http://www.neforum2.co.uk/ferryhillweather/bonacina.html

for a century of snowfall accounts

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Recent snowfalls IMBY have been crap compared to the 70's and 80's when I was a kid. I remember hedgerow level snow back then, our village being cut off for days. Now it's a dusting of snow if your lucky- the easterlies never deliver here now as they did back then.

1985 had a very good fall of snow in Milan Italy 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn0XQR-RPMg

 

 

 

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