Good idea I think. The smaller roads although mainly free of snow are very icy where they're not gritted.
I found this out to my cost on Sunday between Crook and Underbarrow, NW of Kendal, where the climb up was OK, mainly under trees, but as soon as I turned the corner onto the steep descent towards the village, the back wheel started sliding. As braking was no longer an option due to my speed, I just held on and hoped (
) to get around the righthand corner at the bottom. I didn't, of course, and slid less than gracefully for about 40 feet along the road followed by my bike. Regaining my feet wasn't simple either as the road surface was just a sheet of ice even the car tyre tracks that I usually find are kept wet rather than icy due to passing traffic. No serious damage done due to robust jacket and winter longs but I do feel a bit stiff still around the right hip and shoulder.