Winter ' s getting its skates on : Sleet and gales are on the way with coldest day of the year forecast for tomorrowRain , sleet and snow expected to hit the country by Thursday night Fog predicted to choke up central and southern England tonight Walker dies after slipping on Scafell , Cumbria this morningGale force winds of up to 50 mph expected to hit the country from the West by FridayWeather warning for icy roads this morningBy Anna EdwardsPUBLISHED : 10 : 04 GMT , 11 December 2012 | UPDATED : 19 : 38 GMT , 11 December 2012 Comments ( 41 ) It may be cold and frosty with sleet and gale force winds on the way . .. but the wintry weather has created some stunning scenery this morning . As Britain wraps up against the bitterly cold winds and frosty conditions , the weather looks set to turn from icy and dry to rain and sleet by Friday for the south and south west of England . But at least some good has come from the weather . Skates re - choir - ed : Young choristers from Winchester Cathedral don ice - skates to enjoy the artificial rink set up beside the cathedral earlier today After temperatures plummeted overnight , the first rays of sunshine can be seen as dawn breaks over a misty Rocester , near Uttoxeter , Staffordshire Frozen flight : Birds gather on the ice atop the Jubilee Pond in Forest Gate , East London A dog walker makes her way through Ashton Court Estate in Bristol , where temperatures dipped to - 3 in the city amid bright winter sunshine A jogger and his dog wander through the soft glow in Ashton Court Estate in Bristol Rocester , in Staffordshire , woke to see a gentle pink sky and their town cloaked in mist , while a brilliant crimson sun rose in Peterborough . A sparkling frosty morning in Bristol was a delight for walkers , while choir boys enjoyed the chilly weather as they skated around an ice rink in Winchester , Hampshire . The frost coated Cheshire , lending the fields and plants a magical quality as they glittered in the bright winter light . But while the weather has brought picturesque scenes , many would happily forgo the wintry look if it meant avoiding the weather that is on its way . Festive feel : Frost - covered leaves on a in the early hours of the morning in Peterborough , Cambridgeshire Morning glow : The sun rises over the frosty South Downs near Brighton on the morning of Britain ' s coldest day of the year - so far Dashing through the fog : A driver crossing a field near Wells in Somerset in the early hours of the morning A pheasant forages in a frozen field as forecasters predict the weather will be warmer , but wetter , for the weekend Ice to see you ! A frozen hedge in Leigh in Surrey is draped in delicate icicles after cars driving along a flooded road splashed water over the foliage and the water froze in place Frostbite : This morning ' s low temperature saw the night frost stay longer than usual in this high grass in Knutsford , England The sun rises and begins to burn off early morning frost clinging to the countryside in Knutsford , Cheshire While rain lashes the south , gale force winds will blow in from the West , expected to reach speeds of up to 50 mph in coastal Devon , Cornwall and south Wales . And the appearance of waxwing birds could mean the bad weather is here to stay , if the old adage is true . Waxwings are believed to be harbingers of glacial weather . In the mid - 1960 s , when 11 , 000 visited , it was followed by one of the coldest winters on record . Cold mist : The top of the church in Rocester , Staffordshire sticks up through the mist covering the town early this morning Dedicated delivery : A Royal Mail postman braved temperatures of minus three in Banstead Village , Surrey , this morning Hearty hiking : Ramblers cutting through the early morning sun rising over the morning frost at Dove Stone Reservoir in Oldham , Greater Manchester where temperatures plunged overnight Good camouflage : As if playing in the cold wasn ' t hard enough , when snow began to fall over Etchinghill Golf Club near Folkestone , Kent the golfballs became increasingly difficult to spot Bristol also saw the temperatures drop below zero , but this did not stop this jogger and his dog bear the Ashton Court Estate Love warms you up : A couple holding hands on an early morning walk at Dove Stone Reservoir in Oldham , Greater Manchester Snowy lane : A row of houses at Dove Stone Reservoir in Oldham , Greater Manchester are covered in snow and frost Seasons greetings : The choir boys of Winchester Cathedral braved the ice skating rink - despite some wearing shorts in the freezing temperatures Festive skaters : The picturesque scene outside the cathedral resembles a holiday card Tis the season ! Ten - year - old Teddy didn ' t want Delphi the dog to miss out on the fun , left , whilst one boy braved the ice despite only wearing shorts underneath his gown We all fall down ! Some of the boys took a tumble together on the ice The boy choristers ignore the cold to skate on the ice rink outside of Winchester Cathedral Follow me ! The delighted youngsters take to the rink as they whirl around on their skates Going , going , gone ! As the boys skated across the ice in a ' snake ' formation , they came down one by one The bright sun rises behind a bungalow on a frosty morning in Peterborough , Cambridgeshire Wintry wonder : Early morning frost clings to the surface of a fallen tree in Knutsford , giving the bark a magical quality An aircaft can be seen against the mustard - yellow sky as cold weather accentuates the steam from a grass dryer in the Cheshire countryside Early morning frost clings to a leaf in Knutsford , England , creating an outline of tiny frozen ridges Growing colder : Tiny icicles have formed underneath this fallen leaf in Knutsford , England They said tonight temperatures could drop to - 5 C across the country , with the Scottish Highlands experiencing up to - 7 C . Across Britain today and tomorrow , the thermometer should hover between 2 C and 5 C , with fog expected to choke up a large part of England , stretching across central and southern areas , and spanning the Midlands to the Welsh borders . But by Thursday night , there will be rain , sleet and snow across the country , although warmer weather is expected too . Scotland saw the chilliest temperatures , with the mercury dipping to - 10 . 5 C at Tulloch Bridge and Braemar in Aberdeenshire not far behind with - 10 . 1 C . You must be quackers to walk on that ice ! Ducks search for food on a frozen lake at Bramhall Park in Stockport after a heavy overnight frost Swan dance : This swan tried an elegant dance on the Union Canal and Linlithgow Loch as temperatures struggled to get above freezing Steady on : It looked promising at first , even graceful at the swan slipped and wobbled across the ice Swan dive : Unfortunately it did not last very long , and the swan took quite a tumble A waxwing feeds on rowan berries after the failure of the birds ' food sources in their native Scandinavian breeding grounds forced them to migrate While the waxwings fill up on food , Britain was bracing itself for temperatures around 2 C and 5 C today All gobbled up : Birdwatchers across the UK travel hundreds of miles to catch a glimpse of the rare birds I ' ll have that ! The stunning grey and yellow birds are thought to be a sign of a harsh winter to come The birds eat rowan , hawthorn and cotoneaster bush berries , and are normally more at home in Scandinavia and Russia Drive safely : Frosty roads in Peterborough , Cambridgeshire as there are further warnings of snowy roads tomorrow Winter ' s definitely here ! A motorist scrapes ice from her car after the cold winter arrived in Liverpool Helping hand ! Georgia Marriott , 9 , scrapes the ice from her mother ' s car on a frosty morning in Peterborough , Cambridgeshirehttp : / / www . dailymail . co . uk / news / article - 2246294 / Weather - UK - Frosty - mist - brings - beautiful - scenes -- sleet - gales - way . html # ixzz 2 EmO 9 GXsV