In reply to Jay Oram:
Thanks for all the help - I wish a climbing time machine was good to go!
Think I'll just let my boss know that in January/February I'll be taking some days off with only 24hours notice...
I'll be a pro at the Helvellyn horseshoe route if nothing else. From last winter, was there any really good places to keep an eye on for winter conditions (other than this forum?) - I follow and use a few for Scotland, but not sure about Lakes conditions blogs??