DORSET

IN glorious autumn sunshine, it is not just the leaves that have been giving us a spectacular display.

From red skies to morning mists, stunning stonework to tranquil waters as perfect as any mirror, the countryside has looked at its stunning best.

In Durham yesterday, the arches of the 18th century Prebends Bridge – an inspiration to the artist J M W

Turner – were lit up by the morning sun as the River Wear reflected the autumn colours in all their glory. Near Bridport in Dorset, sheep grazed peacefully on a misty morning that turned the sky orange. And in Ely, Cambridgeshire, the historic cathedral was framed by a spectacular red sunset.

But with a noticeable chill in the air as the unusually warm spell draws to an end, the colourful glow was tinged with the thought that winter is almost here. In contrast to recent days that have seen temperatures of 21C (70F), the end of the week will see a cold snap, with the first snow of the season expected in parts of the North and Scotland.

While it will stay mainly mild and sunny today and tomorrow, an Arctic chill will descend from Thursday. Widespread frost and gales are predicted on Friday with temperatures of 4C (39F) in England and -3C (27F) in Scotland.

And as we dig out our winter coats, there will be the added blow of losing an hour’s daylight in the evenings. The clocks go back at 2am on Sunday as British Summer Time ends. Ellie Creed from the Met Office said: ‘It will begin to feel more like winter by Friday. We could see snow on high ground at the weekend in Scotland and northern England across the Lake District and the Pennines but it is unlikely to settle.’

The cold spell could last well into next week. But in normally sunny Rome, Italians could be forgiven for thinking winter has already arrived after a violent hailstorm on Sunday night turned roads into rivers of ice, trapping dozens of drivers in their cars.