The Great White Christmas of 1981

[Matt]

In 1981 my older brother had arrived in May, and I was but a twinkle in the milkman's eye. Don't you feel old now! Since then I was created, dragged up, got a house, and now have a cat. Oh and a couple of motorcycles. And a bad attitude.

But anyway, I belatedly was pointed at a documentary with the topic name, on Channel 5 (yuck) by my mother, who obviously remembers this event well.

It sounded like a heck of a time. The nearest I've experienced was, if I remember correctly, 2010, when we had just a few days of snow, a bus wedged across our road, and a right fun time.

I thought it might be nice to share your experiences of when we had proper winters . I'm sure I remember snow being up to my shoulders in the later 80s, but then my shoulders were a lot closer to the ground then. Well, a bit.

[raesewell]

1963 was a corker I was 8 and we made an ice slide at Christmas and we were still using it in March.

[black-k1]

1984/5 - I had my first car, a brand new "bread van" mk1 VW Polo, that I used to drive flat out from Cambridge to mid Suffolk and back every weekend. I got it stuck in a very deep snow drift and had to have it dug out by a council digger.

[slparry]

Back then I had my Kawasaki Z1R and my Kawasaki KE175B

The Z1R stayed tucked up in its shed while the 175 was pulled into service, it went everywhere I pointed it even when deliberately searching out virgin snow covered lanes.

Great fun was had with that little bike all winter

[chriscanning]

Still living at home with my folks,and just starting an apprenticeship in the print trade when having the day off cuz I couldn’t get to work was out of the question pushing against the garage door wheeling my CD175 out into 6” of snow to ride to work in the 69/70 winter still stays firmly in my very bad memory.

[alaskier]

I remember it well. I went back to my parents in Sidcup on my Mk3 Commando  for Christmas. On New Year’s Day it started snowing and I had to return home to Grotty Notty which you might know as Nottingham. London wasn’t too bad (there was no M25 in those joyous days) but the M1 was dreadful. Can’t remember how long the normally 3 hour door to door trip took but I had to keep to the lorry tire tracks all the way and stop at every service station to thaw out and pour the melted snow out of my boots. No fairing or even a screen. No heated handlebars or seat. Ee it were grim oop north in them days!

[Grumpy jase]

I was 12, had not long started my first paper round, and found, that my plastic covered paperbag made a pretty good sledge.  Spent many hours sliding down the local hill with my feet in the bag and sat on the flap thing.  It was a test of willpower to stop doing that and actually go an deliver the evening papers.  They may have been a bit late, but I could also blame that on trying to ride my bike on snow covered roads.

[chriscanning]

I remember it well. I went back to my parents in Sidcup on my Mk3 Commando  for Christmas. On New Year’s Day it started snowing and I had to return home to Grotty Notty which you might know as Nottingham. London wasn’t too bad (there was no M25 in those joyous days) but the M1 was dreadful. Can’t remember how long the normally 3 hour door to door trip took but I had to keep to the lorry tire tracks all the way and stop at every service station to thaw out and pour the melted snow out of my boots. No fairing or even a screen. No heated handlebars or seat. Ee it were grim oop north in them days!

Blimey !!!! Thanks for the memories 😂