(09 Nov 2016, 7:51 pm)G-CPTN wrote Coupled with lots of hills (up and down).
Many's the time when West Auckland to Allensford (including Consett to Shotley Bridge) is a no-go route because of snow (though not nearly so much as during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s (though I guess 2010 would have been bad - we even had it down in the Tyne Valley).
It's not just the snow. Cars from the hilly side streets get parked on the main drag which means gritters - and buses - find it very difficult to get through. Benfieldside Road can be a nightmare after a fall of snow.