and the nation praise for everyone s safety. parts of the country have been hit with heavy snow and strong winds, with warnings of possible further significant disruption. the met office has issued yellow weather warnings for much of england, scotland and northern ireland, with snow and ice expected to affect travel. an amber warning meaning power cuts are also likely, is in force across the east and south east of england. from colchester, our news correspondentjon donnison reports forfamilies in colchester, a bit of a lift from life under lockdown. although maybe some still may be claiming to be working from home, for many, the snow provided a welcome break. a few weeks ago, we were probably one of the only areas that did not have any snow, so we are glad we have got some now.
look at this, controlling this powerful beast. my gosh, he is picking up speed! go, go! this is so spectacular. my first ever sleigh ride. i don t know how much this sleigh weighs it is probably around half a ton, maybe a little less but that reindeer is pulling it, as well as myself, so easily. such a powerful beast. let s go, son, let s go! it still might not be the fastest ride, but seems to be the smoothest and most magical way to enjoy this landscape. to finish up this week, no doubt one of the most intense
to manage its 16 curves. oh, man! whoo! i think that is one of the most intense experiences of my entire life. that was like being in a very, very active, very cold tumble dryerfor a minute and a half. i don t even know how long it was. that was completely insane. another winter sport that can take your breath away is this, the skeleton. imagine a luge with no brakes or steering aid that you ride headfirst. martin and tomass are brothers, and they are both world and olympic champions in this sport. it is our home track
but having a look, i don t feel so lucky. ok, let s go. get the team together. we re about to set off 100km down a very icy hill, but, luckily, i have an expert pilot. fingers crossed everything goes very smoothly. apart from the pilot steering the bobsleigh from the front, a team also includes pushers and a brakeman. but tourists get it easy theyjust need to duck and hold very tight. this track is almost 1500 metres long and you need a pretty strong stomach to manage its 16 curves. oh, man!
experiences i have had on the travel show. a couple of years ago, i went to latvia, to visit a bobsleigh run used by winter 0lympians and the odd tourist who is brave enough to give it a go. for some reason, the producer decided that included me. welcome to sigulda s bobsleigh track, one of the very few in the world where tourists can get the same adrenaline rush as professional racers. built under the soviet union in 1986, the track has played host to international competitions in luge, skeleton, and bobsleigh rides, with some obvious success. the track is now used as a training venue for several latvian champions, but there are no competitions on today, which is lucky for me, because it means i can try it out.