tiff

Just driven from Dunbar to Leven, temp dropped all the way, gritters out in force, throwing grit into the rivers at the roadside.... A92 shut at Kirkcaldy, sitting in traffic the rain was turning to snow and back again.

Just back home after abandoning the job just outside Saline. Fife was quite snowy on leaving at half 9, but over the other side of the M90 it was pretty bad, lorries stuck on hills and a gritter with no grit.got to the bottom of the farm track but there was no way my Transit was getting up there. -1c Back past a frozen Loch Leven it was turning to rain and +2c. Raining in Windygates and +3c.

Had a job in West Linton today, on the A720 the van was showing 0c. Got to the car and van was showing -9.. finished a few hours later and it was -11.. why was it so cold there?

Always lived in Fife, but never climbed the law! Where's the best place to park to have a walk up?

I'll try and help here.. mechanic for 30+ years, ex breakdown accident recovery too, so the worse the weather, the more I had to drive and sort out problems when people got it wrong. Smoothness. That's the key. Nothing sudden, caress the pedals and wheel. Feel for grip and slip, if you slip don't panic and forget to be gentle. Front wheel drive cars understeer, which means you turn, but the car doesn't turn as sharply as you need it to. If this happens, don't stamp on the brake.. a locked wheel cannot steer. ABS will help, you will feel a knocking through the brake pedal and hear the noise, but if its very slick, you'll still go straight on. Let go the accelerator, cover the brake and slow until you feel a little grip and let the car turn. If it's sheet ice, then nothing really will help, in that situation it's too dangerous to drive without taking big risks. Rear wheel drive cars oversteer,so the car turns more sharply than you ask it, and the back may swing round. Again, don't brake, steer the same way as the rear of the car is going and just let it slow naturally until you can regain some grip. Deep snow gives far more grip and traction than the packed down snow and ice. Most accidents and mishaps I attended in the ice and snow were drivers panicking when the car started to move around and they would just stand on the brake and slide straight on into what the were trying to avoid. A locked wheel cannot steer.. Best advice I can give is find a big empty car park with no kerbs etc, and just get used to feeling the car moving around, try braking, steering and just get used to the feel of that. It's a skill that stays with you for life. Winter tyres are excellent, but I've been some crazy places without them. Up the slide in Glenshee in a snowstorm with a Ford Focus when we lived in Braemar. That took 2 hours to get from the bottom to the top. Cairn o mount in a Transit just before they closed the road , and a good few winters in a 7.5 tonne recovery truck with normal tyres. Kept calm, don't panic and stay relaxed. I always put the window down so I can hear what my tyres are doing. Silence means you are on ice so slow Right down. But seriously, practice!

After a few days of worrying, the jobs and drive up to Stonehaven and Turriff were a pleasure.. a little dusting in Windygates this morning, nothing until past Stracathro, dark threatening skies north of there and a few snow flurries then blue skies and a nice sunset in Turriff. Chap in Turriff did say they had a lot of thunder and lightning in the morning. Much ado about nothing..

It must be, every time there is weather up there, I get a job in the area. Just got a job in Turriff on Thursday, so expect a foot at least..

Aircon won't work if it's a few degrees above freezing, it's in your handbook but it's usually between 2 to 6 degrees. Remember also your radiator fan will run with aircon on so it's trying to cool when you need heat, and modern diesels take a while to warm up. It really does help when it's warm enough to work in demisting the car but don't have recirc on as it's just moving the moist air inside the car around..

Stopped in Forfar maccy d's just now, A90 is open southbound but down to 1 Lane, was a few miles of traffic this morning on the way up, a Saab was stuck right in the middle.. first job was inside 2nd job was on a driveway.. soaked to the skin, and battling the wind too. Customer told me she didnt need it for a couple of weeks . A92 was shut this morning too so had to be a bit creative, hope its OK now. Just wanna get home and dry..

Great, guess where I'm going tomorrow to fit 2 towbars... outside. Why do I always get Aberdeenshire jobs when the weather warnings are on, Got caught in Storm Arwen last year.

Well, made it to Banchory.. Cairn O Mount was closed.. Slug road was pretty bad, had to reverse up for a mile or so as the Transit wouldn't do it forwards... couple of lorries stuck, couple on the A90 jacknifed on the way up too. Quite a day!

I could go via Glenshee . Gotta fit a towbar in Banchory... outside. It's a Transit van, no winters...

Could somebody please make up their mind? gotta drive to Banchory tomorrow, from Fife. Need to know if I should risk the Cairn O Mount, or just go by Aberdeen...

Has anyone checked the Braemar snowgate cam? Looks cold enough to.... oh.

Came home via Glenshee today and was a bit disappointed. Very little snow and 2 degrees. Ground was frozen in Alford this morning and 0 degrees. Got out my van and slipped on my ****..

I'm in Alford tomorrow to fit a towbar.. I hope he's got a garage!

Just back from near Banchory, to Fife... fitting a towbar.. so glad the customer had a garage! Road was blocked by a fallen tree on the way out, managed another track to the main road, heading for Braemar.. gates closed, didn't risk the cairn o mount so down the A90.. artic on its side.. strangely the Tay bridge was open Though! Stopped for a pee and couldn't get the van door open trees down everywhere and deep standing water in places. It's been a hell of a first week in the job!

Just back from a job behind Auchtermuchty and its -1.5 and icy, back through Falkland and Freuchie and its a white oot, roads bone dry in Glenrothes.. can't believe i was pulling cars out of floods up to their doorhandles the other day, and now everything is bone dry. Properly icy wind though..

I was in Braemar this time last year, got some pics from the guys up there today.. Here's the Fife Arms.

Really heavy snow shower between Largoward and St Andrews. Road turned white in seconds!. Nothing coming down towards Largo..

I've just come home from that spot.. must have passed you!

First casualty of the night, proper snow top end of Kirkcaldy and Lochgelly, not much M90 at Kelty, and wet sleety mess in Perth.

Tiniest wee flakes of snow in Windygates.. only a few more miles @Hawesy