Pictures of me getting stuck in the snow

I've just been over to mid Wales to see my friend Hogan. There's loads of snow on the hills, even though it's around a fortnight since the bulk of it fell.
Getting into his driveway was quite a challenge in itself.

Here's the Land Rover climbing up the snowdrift across his driveway

Oops, I think we're stuck. Never mind, let's go backwards. Hogan, acting as photographer got well sprayed with snow from the front wheels.

Now, let's try that again

One more shot and we're through. Hogan took this as he fell over backwards trying to get out of the way. I keep telling him not to get so close when I'm attempting to move the car.

Now we've actually got to the house, it's time to go out and admire the scenery. Next post coming up.

We trundled around across the countryside and saw some beautiful sights. Like this:

And this:

It looks like the alps. In April too. That was one range of hills covered. Now let's try the next one. Somebody's succeeded in driving across the wintry landscape above Hay on Wye but we weren't so lucky. Here's me digging us out. The light was going and the wind was picking up. My goodness me it was bitter.

As if that wasn't enough, right by where we got stuck there was a little memorial to someone who wasn't so lucky.

Fortunately, in nearby Painscastle there was a place called the Roast Ox Inn. We phoned them with the dregs of my mobile battery and yes, they could put us up. What's more, they could come and get us. So the proprietor came up the hill in his chequerplate-clad Defender (looks like he's a bit of an enthusiast) and we enjoyed an evening meal and warm beds. What splendid service! Highly recommended. They even lent us some tools the following morning so we set off up the hill to complete the recovery.
Hmm. I'm sure there's supposed to be a road under here somewhere.

You can see various recovery aids dotted around in the snow - the moor was covered in agricultural debris like planks and discarded bits of stock fencing which we put under the wheels.
After a bit of effort clearing the snow from under the chassis and under the higher-up wheels so it wasn't cross-axled, the Land Rover moved again under its own power. Now, let's see if we can follow the line of these wheel marks where somebody else has driven across successfully.

Once we were moving the car galloped across the snow and onto the grass whereupon it was an easy matter to drive back onto the tarmac.
Here's me in the hole we'd dug. You can't quite see how deep it was from this angle, but we'd shifted a lot of snow.
.
And we're off. Back home by lunchtime.

nice pics mate

Christ ona bike
I was in Wrexham t/c last Sunday and teh snow still piled in middle of the road 4 ft deep!

There's a place near where those pictures were taken called Gospel Pass (near a hill amusingly called Lord Hereford's Knob, fnarr fnarr) where there were abandoned cars and a minibus full of equipment all embedded in snowdrifts, on Thursday 4th. Sadly we didn't get any pictures of them, or I'd have put them up. Snow above the windscreens 10 days after it had fallen. In April.

Some ace shots there, getting stuck meant one thing, upgrade your tratta

TD5power said:

Some ace shots there, getting stuck meant one thing, upgrade your tratta

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Yup, I'd like some limited slip diffs. I used to really like Quaifes, but there are all sorts of other options now. But the everyday repairs take up all my money. I've just renewed a lot of the brake system (detailed in another thread) and next month I shall have to do something about the front propshaft as it is getting loose, plus I could do with some more shock absorbers, and so on. So the limited slips will have to wait a bit.

Don't they do those 'land anchors' for use with a winch, are they any good? Obviously a winch would have been useless without something to attach it to

Great photos mate. :clap2:

Yes I'd like a ground anchor (and a winch, come to think of it) I quite like the look of the sort which are a perforated plate and you can hammer metal pegs through the holes into the ground. And then for materials like sand, you want one of those things like a ship's anchor. So many accessories, so little time . . .

I want a winch but I don't go anywhere to use it really, I might just put the rope, hook and that plate/roller thing on so it looks good!

Great pics.
I'm up this area all the time. I live nearby in Hereford, and recognise all those photos. About a fortnight a go I was up there in my disco (completely standard with road tires front, and all terrains back), and managed to get up almost to the big car park on the top. I had to stop short about 100m away due to a huge snowdrift turning the flat road, into an impassable side slope.

I was shocked when driving up from the Hay side, to find a stuck Peugeot estate infront of me about 50 metres passed the cattle grid, with L-plates on, and a bumbling father teaching his young daughter to drive! After about half hour of us sweating and digging, he managed to reverse/ slide back down.

As we were working, we had about 3 or 4 cars come up behind us, expecting to be able to drive the road. Needless to say they all turned around when the saw the conditions. There was also a pajero driver, who came thundering up behind me, with huge mud terrains on, and who revved the tits off his wagon spinning his wheels to create a stinking wall of black smoke, until he slid backwards into the snowbank and his exhaust fell off! lol.

With lots of grit, and tyre pressures of about 15psi, I managed to chug my way up but the pajero who was unstuck by this point, must have had second thoughts or got stuck again because we soon left him behind. After a drives back and forth of gospel pass, and a bit of sledging, we drove back to find a big ford pickup stuck, full of about 6 lads without a clue of what to do. Being the kind man I am, I offered them a tow, and after successfully towing them out about three separate times, they were all singing the praises of Land Rover, and berating their friends Ford Ranger which brought a smile to my face.

Was a good learning curve for me, and goes to show that with low tyres pressures, good route selection, momentum, and REVVVVVS landrovers will destroy most other 4x4s.

Might pop up their today actually, hopefully there'll still be snow about!

I want a winch but I don't go anywhere to use it really, I might just put the rope, hook and that plate/roller thing on so it looks good!

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I've been after a winch aswel but they're too bloody expensive.
From what I gather, the general consensus is not to buy the cheap winches you can get on ebay for a few hundred quid, but to hold on for a cheap second hand Warn winch or similar.
Even second hand, these things go for easily 3 or 4 hundred quid, and with a mount, fairlead, wiring etc. You're looking at atleast £500 for a second hand winch that are hard to come by in the first place.

Another alternative is to buy a tirfor, which can be picked up for under 100 quid, and with a cable, snatch blocks, etc. I reckon a fair setup would set you back about £200 in total.

And finally a high lift jack with appropriate strops, ropes, and chains, can be used for pulling vehicles out. I reckon with a jack (which most people have anyway), and the other stuff, you could set yourself up for £100.

Of course as has been said, most greenlanes we drive aren't through forests and woods, alot are across open land, or on hilltops, where trees and decent natural anchors are lacking, so a land anchor can be anything from 50-150 quid depending on type and whether you make it yourself etc.

Unless you've got a good grand for a brand new all singing, all dancing setup, it's a bit of a compromise. I'm going to try and get my hands on a land anchor, and chains etc. and then have a go at winching with a high lift jack, and see how successful it is.

Nice pics, but if you dont know what you are doing why are you out trying to drive terrain like that alone in those conditions? you may well have a Landy but its running fairly standard from what i can see with simple AT tyres on and you obviously had no recovery equipment in the back and finally you say your mobile just had enough charge to call somebody who might be able to help you, dont you own a car charger??


sorry mate i think you were irresponsible at best and down right dumb at worst, you were lucky, it could have been much much worse

DiscoPol said:

Nice pics, but if you dont know what you are doing why are you out trying to drive terrain like that alone in those conditions? you may well have a Landy but its running fairly standard from what i can see with simple AT tyres on and you obviously had no recovery equipment in the back and finally you say your mobile just had enough charge to call somebody who might be able to help you, dont you own a car charger??


sorry mate i think you were irresponsible at best and down right dumb at worst, you were lucky, it could have been much much worse

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Steady on man, it's not quite that melodramatic! Whilst I appreciate your concern, in this case I wasn't alone - as you can see, there's somebody else there taking the pictures! Plus, rather than attempt to complete the recovery after dark in inclement conditions we went to a hotel and started again fresh in daylight. It seemed prudent to call ahead to check they'd got rooms. If they hadn't, we were near Hay on Wye so there'd be bound to be somewhere else, and we did have more than one phone between us. The landlord seemed very keen to bring his landie up to take a look as he appeared to be something of an enthusiast himself. Rather than risking another vehicle getting stuck on slippery or soft surfaces by attempting a tow, it seemed like a bit of elbow grease with a spade and a little patience was the more prudent option. You don't want two vehicles bogged at once. Of course, there's an element of risk, but in this case it wasn't excessive.

Fantastic pics Brown ...

And RIP Rose Williams .... lest we hope that not too many souls are lost to the blizzard since the birth of the mighty Defender...

Brown said:

Steady on man, it's not quite that melodramatic! Whilst I appreciate your concern, in this case I wasn't alone - as you can see, there's somebody else there taking the pictures! Plus, rather than attempt to complete the recovery after dark in inclement conditions we went to a hotel and started again fresh in daylight. It seemed prudent to call ahead to check they'd got rooms. If they hadn't, we were near Hay on Wye so there'd be bound to be somewhere else, and we did have more than one phone between us. The landlord seemed very keen to bring his landie up to take a look as he appeared to be something of an enthusiast himself. Rather than risking another vehicle getting stuck on slippery or soft surfaces by attempting a tow, it seemed like a bit of elbow grease with a spade and a little patience was the more prudent option. You don't want two vehicles bogged at once. Of course, there's an element of risk, but in this case it wasn't excessive.

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you just made me chuckle, anyway take your bollocking and move on.:rofl:

DiscoPol said:

you just made me chuckle, anyway take your bollocking and move on.:rofl:

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No problem, mate. But the very next time you even so much hint that you've had to get a shovel out I shall be all over you

mudfever said:

Fantastic pics Brown ...

And RIP Rose Williams .... lest we hope that not too many souls are lost to the blizzard since the birth of the mighty Defender...

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Ah, you're very kind!

I bet there's an interesting story behind Rose Williams. I must try and find out more about her one day.

Brown said:

No problem, mate. But the very next time you even so much hint that you've had to get a shovel out I shall be all over you

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I am happy with that