Originally Posted by Oakvillian

this seems quite a long way divorced from reality. When, many years ago, I lived in Chester we used to go for long walks with the dogs in the hills around Llangollen pretty much year-round. Bala Lake on a crisp December morning was beautiful in a way that the Ontario countryside very seldom is. I've also been up & down Snowdon in all but the harshest January weather, but I wouldn't contemplate hiking on the Niagara Escarpment when it's -25C outside with a windchill down to 30-odd below. Weather here is a different order of magnitude. You might get to the park, but the swings don't swing because the snow comes over the seat, and the slide might slide but the climbing frame it's attached to is treacherously icy. Plus you can only stay outside for half an hour or so before frostbitten extremities become a real possibility.

And anyway, the whole point of being a child is to get covered in mud, isn't it?

Originally Posted by tioram

Fair point, but Bala Lake and Snowdon aren't much good for young kids. Like I said, I'll take the Ontario climate any day.