THE COLD snap yesterday proved a blessing for curlers across Kinross-shire and Fife as they managed to take to the outdoor ice for the first time in years.

While others complained about scraping cars and slipping on pavements, the members of Kinross Curling Club were frantically contacting fellow players to fix up a rare game under the winter sun.

The world’s oldest club, Kinross formerly played outdoors on Loch Leven.

But—other than one particularly cold winter in the 1990s—the town has not seen such an event since the late 1960s.

The club recently refurbished its outdoor rink and temperatures of minus-five were an unexpected boon for lovers of the game.

Club treasurer Stuart Skinner said, “Considering all the talk of global warming and the warm winter we have been having, this could be the last time for quite a while.

“Last year we got lottery and local charity funding, as well as our own fund-raising, to refurbish the outdoor pond—and after one night’s hard frost we are able to play curling on it with neighbouring clubs.

“We’ve invited clubs from all around, from Glenfarg to Dunfermline, and made it an open match because a lot of curlers will never have played outdoors and may never get the chance again.”

Treatment of the pond overnight meant it was covered with 3cm of ice and completely smooth.

Monks are believed to have curled on frozen parts of Loch Leven as early as the 14th century, with waterlogged fields used in latter years.

Kinross Curling Club was formed in 1668, and the modern-day club is keen to maintain its traditions.

With grants from the Thompson Charitable Trust, Awards for All and donations from local organisations and curling clubs, the pond was excavated and rebuilt with a new playing surface, disabled access, an information board and improvements to the surrounding wasteland and clubhouse.

The curlers have set up floodlights to allow curling to take place at night for as long as the cold continues.