Tetney 29-01-2023

Cycling UK Louth Club Ride to Tetney

Sunday 29th January 2023.

After a few Sundays worth of freezing weather, today was actually set fair with average temperatures, even the promise of some welcome sunshine. With the Leaf Lounge at Tetney currently closed, today’s venue would be Manning’s Café at Tetney Golf Club where we are always given a warm welcome.

Meeting up with today’s Ride Leader Tim Newbery at Louth’s Leisure Centre were Paul Linder, John Rickett, John Ambler (John hasn’t been able to ride with the club for a month or two) and special guest Sarah Paris, the club had been recommended to her by Jason Bartup. We very much admired her fine-looking ICE recumbent trike and hoped she’d enjoy the ride and the company.

Routing through Brackenborough and the Covenham’s we were aided by a mix of a cross wind and tail wind and it wasn’t too long before we were wending our way through Fulstow and Double Tunnel Bridge. Skies were increasingly sunny at this point and we noted a number of bird of prey with a close-up view of a buzzard swooping low across the road, perhaps eying up carrion left squashed on the roadside.

All good so far with John Ambler enjoying a ride back out with the group and glad to hear Sarah engaged in lively conversation.

Twists and turns of Thoresby Road eventually led us to Tetney and we were turning into the Golf Club entrance a little ahead of schedule. James and Deborah did indeed give us a warm welcome and we enjoyed some fine refreshments. CTC has always been short for Café to Café. We didn’t want to disappoint Sarah.

Tetney has a fascinating and long history. Dating to at least the Saxon times, Tetney is recorded in the Doomsday Book as ‘Tatenaya’, from the Old English name ‘Taete’s island, standing out from the boulder clay marsh as a raised bump in the land as it once did. It grew significantly in importance when a market charter was granted by King Edward I in 1282 and still has the right to hold a market every Tuesday.

The importance of Tetney is now recognised nationally, following the discovery of an exceptionally rare Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age log coffin at the Golf Course in the summer of 2018. The wooden coffin, human remains and a ceremonial axe date to about 2000 BC. Preservation is exceptional due to the fact that the grave was dug into the underlying boulder clay, covered with gravel and then protected by deposits of alluvial silts following flooding from a rise in sea level. A photograph of the finds hangs in the Golf Club restaurant.

With bright blue skies persisting, time to get back on the bikes and trike and a short photocall at Tetney Lock.

Avoiding Horseshoe point (sorry Reg), we instead wound our way through the lanes of the ‘West End’ and Grainthorpe before Fen Lane took us to Yarburgh. Straight into a stiff wind, it was hard going. Closer to Alvingham, it was great to meet up and have a chat with Lee Wakefield (BHPC) riding his enclosed bike. Quite a sight.

Finally arrived back at the Leisure centre for final drinks and a chat at about 1.30 pm having covered 31 miles (longer for some who would need to return home).

Thanks to all for the company and especially to Sarah for joining us today. You are always welcome.

Tim departed a little early to celebrate Cycling UK Lincoln’s Andy Townhill’s 60th Birthday. Congratulations Andy! (Andy has been a ride leader and secretary for the Lincoln group for nearly 27 years!).