This was the scene on the local river on March 1 1963, I remember that winter as a really big freeze-up with lots of snow and the rivers freezing and it went on for months all over the UK; this is the river where I fish for pike and perch, I reckon I could have tried some ice fishing in those conditions.
Fen skaters out and making the most of the extreme weather conditions with skating championships being run and races being organised. Our farmer neighbour found these pictures and it always surprises me how old black and white photographs look in the digital age. He's in second position in all of the photographs but he assured us both that these photographs show recreational skating and in no way was it serious racing.
When we moved here in 2010 we had -14C and one morning we were driving along the road that runs next to the river and we were being overtaken by speed skaters, wonderful to see them but in the last week we've temperatures of plus 19C so I don't think it will happen this winter. I particularly like the teenager in flared trousers standing on the ice as a spectator watching the training, even that image places the photographs in time.
When winters were winters and no Lycra was to be seen.
