Author Topic: Fishlake flooding  (Read 3498 times)

Fishlake flooding
« on: 12 November, 2019, 10:13:10 pm »
I don't know if any of the Audax "oldies" have been reminiscing about their rides, what with all the mention of Fishlake on the news.  To some, this might have been their first reference to the place, but for an older generation, there was a time when Fishlake, and Doncaster, and SYNDDA, were the centre of the cycling world.

What other places are there that are hardly known by the outside world, but well known to cyclists,?  I'm thinking of Church Minshull, and Thaxted, as well as Fishlake, all places that I've passed through dozens of times, but I would never have known about without a bike and Audax UK.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
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Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #1 on: 12 November, 2019, 10:21:38 pm »
Thaxted is well-known for many reasons other than cycling. It used to have a major morris dancing festival there every year.

Just checked - they still do: https://themorrisring.org/event/thaxted-morris-weekend

I remember cycling out there 40-odd years ago when Dez was a baby and my brother was dancing.

Gustav Holst lived there - although I don't know if he wrote much of his music there.

Conrad Noel (died 1942) was the famous Red Vicar of Thaxted, an ardent socialist who flew the Red Flag outside the church. I think there's a bit of a tradition of left-wing vicars there.

The Guildhall is a very fine old Tudor building and the church is one of the finest in Essex. It can be seen for miles around and is probably the most notable landmark church in Essex (Saffron Walden's is the biggest church in Essex, but is in a valley so can't be seen from far away), with the possible exception of Danbury, and St. Nicholas, Basildon. These last two are much smaller churches but are on the top of much more significant hills.



Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Phil W

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #2 on: 12 November, 2019, 10:26:05 pm »
For me it has to be places in the fens. So Whittlesea, Crowland, Boston, forty foot bank, Bardney, Sleaford etc. I only ever go in the fens on Audax rides, and before Audax never went there as my other main hobby is mountaineering. All Easter Arrows have involved some bits of fenland riding for me.

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #3 on: 12 November, 2019, 10:45:04 pm »
It's been very strange hearing Fishlake mentioned in the news. For me (and Mrs W) it'll always be Noel Simpson's place; the start of many a DIY or Arrow.

And I cannot tell you the number of times I've ridden past this signpost after riding through Thorne....



As you say, it's probably only has Audax-significance for those of a certain age.
You're only as successful as your last 1200...

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #4 on: 12 November, 2019, 10:53:11 pm »
I remember doing Doncaster Wheelers Randonees through Fishlake in the mid 1980's, Bernard Mawson organised them & the usual faces were there, Felicity Beard, Sheila & Noel, Ray Smith, to name a few, it's great cycling country being almost pan flat, but it does have it's problems, there aren't many bridges over the dikes & rivers & yes it floods easily, you have to have good local knowledge to navigate the lanes & canals.

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #5 on: 12 November, 2019, 10:56:51 pm »
Heather's mum still lives in Thorne and has friends in Fishlake. Fishlake is quite 'posh', by local standards, certainly compared to Stainforth and Dunscroft, both ex-mining villages.

Fishlake is commuter 'barn-conversion' territory. So it's fascinating to hear that a large sum of money has been collected locally to help the relatively wealthy residents of Fishlake.

The flooding was the inevitable result of work to counter the effects of the 2007 floods in Sheffield. It was bound to impact further downstream. High tides were another factor, as it's not much above sea-level there. Heather's mum lives on the 25 foot contour, so is safe.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #6 on: 12 November, 2019, 11:54:43 pm »
Much of my Audax career was in that neck of the woods; my first Audax was Bernie's Short Flat One, from Doncaster, in 1993.
I stayed at Noel's place before and after several rides and in 1995 did 200, 400 and 1000km rides based there IIRC.

Noel also arranged a 'surprise' birthday party for Giraffe in 1997, which I marred somewhat by silently going blind in one eye over the Easter weekend there.

I believe the Great Eastern went through Salvatore's home territory.

Tomsk

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Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #7 on: 13 November, 2019, 08:07:50 am »
Thaxted is well-known for many reasons other than cycling.
Dick Turpin's cottage is just to the right of the Guildhall - originally from Hempstead, but trading as a butcher in Thaxted. Debts run up by his wife's hat shop led to his life of crime.

Co-incidentally Soupy was showing me, just the other day, a map of SE England for Polish airmen during WW2 - place names rendered phonetically: Thaxted as Fecstyd, perfect Essex dialect!

Gustav Holst lived there - although I don't know if he wrote much of his music there.

I believe the Planets Suite was written there - 'Jupiter' gave us the tune 'Thaxted' to the hymn 'I Vow to Thee My Country'.

RichForrest

  • T'is I, Silverback.
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Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #8 on: 13 November, 2019, 08:30:29 am »
Marsh Gibbon will always be known by a few as the place Steve kept passing on his 1YTT.

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #9 on: 13 November, 2019, 09:10:07 am »
About 20 years ago I was in a café in Thorne & this old geezer told me he was the retired pilot of the Humber dredger & that flooding started when they scrapped the dredging programme around Howden & Goole, The Troops are being brought in to help residents of Fishlake, some people won't leave their homes, this is understandable, things do go missing, it's a lovely village as is Sykehouse, I wish them well.

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #10 on: 13 November, 2019, 10:07:06 am »
Look, I know it's mean, but I can't help feeling less than a sense of wonder to hear Fishlake has flooded.....

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #11 on: 13 November, 2019, 10:09:25 am »
I can certainly remember the events from Fishlake and Doncaster organised by the late Bernard Mawson and Noel Simpson.  One of my favourite 300's started and finished at Fishlake and headed north across the North York Moors and back again.

I can also remember riding events from there with the late Mick Potts and others and visiting Rosies Cafe as a control point near Gainsborough. Just cant remember the routes now though.

rob

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #12 on: 13 November, 2019, 10:46:23 am »
My first audaxes started and finished in the Doncaster area.   I had seen Fishlake mentioned on the news and started to reminisce even though I have been in Southern exile for 20+ years.

I did the Fishlake (Dales) 400 several times.   I also helped out at the Fishlake control on the Great Eastern 1000 when it was run from there - I remember Helly and Teethgrinder riding that one.

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #13 on: 13 November, 2019, 02:45:08 pm »
It is a tragedy for the residents of Fishlake but like the others it did rekindle some happy memories from what seems like a previous lifetime.   The outstanding ride from Fishlake for myself was the Paris Brest Precursor on the 11/2/1995, organised by Noel Simpson which went to Bridlington and back.    My notes from the event state that "it started raining at 11 am and there was a headwind all the way back from Bridlington, in gale force winds and torrential rain it took 4 hours to get from Thixendale to Fishlake (about 63 kms)".
Sadly many of the AUK stalwarts from that era are no longer with us.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #14 on: 13 November, 2019, 02:50:36 pm »
My first AUK brevets were post-Noel Simpson but I just caught the tailend of Bernard Mawson’s events.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

rob

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #15 on: 13 November, 2019, 03:22:52 pm »
The outstanding ride from Fishlake for myself was the Paris Brest Precursor on the 11/2/1995, organised by Noel Simpson which went to Bridlington and back.    My notes from the event state that "it started raining at 11 am and there was a headwind all the way back from Bridlington, in gale force winds and torrential rain it took 4 hours to get from Thixendale to Fishlake (about 63 kms)".

I rode around there with you a few times.....

I did that one, though.   The weather was horrendous and it was cold and dark all the way back from Thixendale.  I put a bid dent in my rear wheel hitting a pothole.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #16 on: 13 November, 2019, 04:03:25 pm »
I can certainly remember the events from Fishlake and Doncaster organised by the late Bernard Mawson and Noel Simpson.  One of my favourite 300's started and finished at Fishlake and headed north across the North York Moors and back again.

I can also remember riding events from there with the late Mick Potts and others and visiting Rosies Cafe as a control point near Gainsborough. Just cant remember the routes now though.

I think both Bernie's Short Flat One (300) and Long Flat One (600) visited Rosie's.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #17 on: 13 November, 2019, 04:07:52 pm »
The outstanding ride from Fishlake for myself was the Paris Brest Precursor on the 11/2/1995, organised by Noel Simpson which went to Bridlington and back.    My notes from the event state that "it started raining at 11 am and there was a headwind all the way back from Bridlington, in gale force winds and torrential rain it took 4 hours to get from Thixendale to Fishlake (about 63 kms)".
I rode around there with you a few times.....
I did that one, though.   The weather was horrendous and it was cold and dark all the way back from Thixendale.  I put a bid dent in my rear wheel hitting a pothole.

That ride was very much Type 2 fun. I waited ¾ hour for tea & cake at the Thixendale control and returned with Noel & co. Made me well 'ard...

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #18 on: 13 November, 2019, 04:11:56 pm »
My first audaxes started and finished in the Doncaster area.   I had seen Fishlake mentioned on the news and started to reminisce even though I have been in Southern exile for 20+ years.

I did the Fishlake (Dales) 400 several times.   I also helped out at the Fishlake control on the Great Eastern 1000 when it was run from there - I remember Helly and Teethgrinder riding that one.

Suspect rob's concussion on the 1995 Dales 400 and my 1000k general addlement on the Great Eastern mean our memories of these events are somewhat patchy...

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #19 on: 13 November, 2019, 05:08:49 pm »
Tiny Flat One, Short Flat One & Long Flat One all visit Rosie's, I've done them many times, to me they're "perm classics" the 600 was also known as the tour of the Power Stations.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #20 on: 13 November, 2019, 05:19:32 pm »
<pedant> Tour of the Cooling Towers...

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #21 on: 13 November, 2019, 07:58:01 pm »
I visited the church in Knotting, near Souldrop Beds today whilst on a group ride. A really ancient church with some norman features and tiny very old timber pulpit etc. Knotting seems to have been named after the sons of that Saxon chap Cnut. (Canute). They have a list of rectors going back to 1204. Very worth a look if passing.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

rob

Re: Fishlake flooding
« Reply #22 on: 13 November, 2019, 09:29:20 pm »
My first audaxes started and finished in the Doncaster area.   I had seen Fishlake mentioned on the news and started to reminisce even though I have been in Southern exile for 20+ years.

I did the Fishlake (Dales) 400 several times.   I also helped out at the Fishlake control on the Great Eastern 1000 when it was run from there - I remember Helly and Teethgrinder riding that one.

Suspect rob's concussion on the 1995 Dales 400 and my 1000k general addlement on the Great Eastern mean our memories of these events are somewhat patchy...

The reunion being in Northallerton this year reminded me that I once spent an afternoon in the A&E there waiting to be rescued by my parents.