On the 11th of December, it started to snow in Guildford. Roofs, ground, and the leafless trees and resilient shrubs were all decorated with a layer of pure white. The roads which were properly salted, remained snow-free, but more importantly, it was not slippery to walk on. During this weather, it is very important to wear proper anti-slip footwear as snow can get extremely slippery!
The weather forecast had been teasing about potential snowfall since the start of December, but I was not expecting to wake up to find the outside world like this:
I was very excited to go out and experience this for the first time, but proper clothing is very important, especially during negative temperatures. Thermals are an absolute must, along with thick, warm sweaters, winter jackets, gloves, scarves, shoes, thick socks, and headwear. As South Asians, most of us are not used to how low the temperature can get in the UK, and it is always better to be prepared well in advance before the temperature drops suddenly. Due to the unpredictability of weather recently, this has become an even more important thing to consider. A lot of shopping can be done online, but the city centre in Guildford has many shops, and there are vintage clothing shops that open around the city, in the cathedral, as well as inside the University of Surrey on some Thursday Markets during term time. Get your winterwear in autumn before it gets too cold!
On the night after it snowed, I went out and made my first snowball, and had a blast walking and playing out in the snow. Being new to this, it was quite nice to share this with other people who were also experiencing snow for the first time. One unexpectedly beautiful thing that I noticed were all the spiderwebs that were frozen solid with a layer of snow. No wonder spiders go to warmer indoors for the winter! All in all, I believe that everyone should try to experience this at least once in their lives.
The next day, I went to the University of Surrey to see that the lake had completely frozen solid! There was a layer of white snow everywhere, except the roads which had been made safe for driving and walking on. It was still very cold, but there had been no additional snowing. There were fewer people out and about due to both the cold, and many people going back home for the break before exams in January.
I also visited Guildford on this day, and the festive season had truly begun, with markets in the North Street and the High Street as well. There wasn’t much snow in the centre of town as almost all of it had been cleared up, but there were signs of snowing near the Guildford Castle, which is almost 1000 years old! It was thought to have been built by William the Conqueror, or one of his barons, shortly after the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and most of it stands to this day. You can even go inside the castle after paying a small fee. The grounds around the Castle are very well managed as well, and have a lovely park, as well as a Castle Green Bowling Club, where bowling is played right on the grass fields!
I will also be writing more about the Christmas festivities here in the University of Surrey in an upcoming article, look forward to it!
Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah and have a wonderful holiday!
Cheers,
Shaulan
