Comedian and folk singer Mike Harding, who has lived in the Yorkshire Dales since the 1970s, shares a secret vice – the one he uses to tie trout flies. He talks to Roger Borrell
For people of a certain age, Mike Harding will always be the Rochdale Cowboy seen on Top of the Pops in 1975 astride a stuffed Alsatian. For those of a nervous disposition or a younger generation, I should make it clear this was a dog, not someone from the French region of Alsace. And I don’t think it was a real dog.
It’s tempting to say that Mike has come a long way since then, but the reality is he’s just up the road. He was born in 1944 and spent a pretty tough childhood in Crumpsall, not Rochdale, and today he lives less than 50 miles away at Settle in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
Yes, Yorkshire. ‘I set up a trading post over the border selling beads and shiny mirrors to the natives,’ he chuckles. ‘They seem to like that sort of stuff.’
He’s been there since 1971. ‘When I was 14, I cycled up here from Manchester. I saw Ribblesdale and fell in love with it. When I had children, I didn’t want them to be brought up in the city, I wanted them to breathe fresh country air.’
He has two daughters – Emma is a GP in Bentham, north east of Lancaster, and Sarah has been teaching in the USA. She’s coming back home and Mike’s grandsons, Toby and Felix, are delighted. ‘They’ve said they don’t want to be Americans, they want to be North Country boys,’ he said. ‘Those lads have been well brought up – they love steam trains and old buildings.
‘One of them said the Beetham Tower in Manchester was the ugliest thing he’d ever seen. You can only hope the architect wasn’t too badly injured when he tripped over his guide dog.’
His move into the great outdoors came while he was working the folk club circuit so it didn’t really matter where he lived so long as it was near a motorway. ‘I bought an old railway cottage by the Carlisle to Settle line and I’m still there.’
Many of the 750,000 or so people who listen to his acclaimed folk programme on BBC Radio 2 will visualise him sweating over a microphone in the bowels of Broadcasting House.
He’s actually in that cottage, using an ISDN line in his study. ‘I hardly ever have to go to that horrible place called London and, when I do, I tie a ball of string to my front door knocker so I can get back as quickly as possible.’
Whether it’s Yorkshire or Lancashire, it’s pretty much the same to Mike. He likes the West Country and he’s even fond of the Welsh, but the North is his comfort zone and you couldn’t imagine him ever leaving the region.
‘I don’t see any point standing in a wine bar talking b******* when I could be standing on a riverbank fishing. I simply love the North and I enjoyed Martin Wainwright’s recent book about the North. He puts up a good case.’
Over the years, Mike has put his particular passions to good use. He loves walking and, as a result, spent three years as president of The Ramblers and is its life vice-president. ‘My first love was hill walking, all around Todmorden, Blackstone Edge, Saddleworth and Pendle and up into the Yorkshire Dales.’
His campaigning on environmental and ecological issues resulted in him becoming a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. And his keen interest in architecture, led to eight books about some of England’s most beautiful churches.
‘That started when I was touring. Once the roadies had done what they had to do, they went on the booze but I couldn’t do that before going on stage so I found other pursuits. I’m particularly fond of the churches at Ribchester and Great Mitton.’
Now, his love of fly-fishing has produced a beautifully illustrated book on northern trout flies – yes, even our flies are different up here. ‘My fishing started in Lancashire thanks to my Uncle Bobby,’ he added.
His father was killed returning from a bombing raid just four weeks before Mike was born and life was far from easy for the Hardings.
‘I’m always grateful to Bobby. He gave his time effortlessly, he was kind and he didn’t talk to me as if I was an idiot but as a young adult. Bobby McLoughlin was just an ordinary working class bloke who was a tailor and he meant a lot to me,’ said Mike.
‘We really need more grandfathers and uncles like him. He was kind and patient enough to take a small boy fishing. All this news about paedophilia makes men frightened of any contact with the children, but the influence of adults, the kindness of grown ups is essential for kids to develop and grow.
‘I started fishing on the Bury and Rochdale canals on my own as an 11-year-old. There were no worries about being out late. I had my fishing rod over my shoulder, a bag of sandwiches and a flask of tea. My mother always knew I was coming because she could hear me whistling as I came up from the bus stop.’
Nowadays, Mike doesn’t need a bus. He’s within walking distance of the Ribble and when work is done, he can often be found by the river or at his vice tying beautiful fly patterns.
‘People asked me if I thought up my comedy routines while walking or fishing. The simple answer is no. When you are fishing your mind is in another place, one occupied by kingfishers and otters and peace and quiet.’
Despite the peace and quiet, he’s thinking of going back on the road in the spring. ‘I lived out of a suitcase for years and while it was hugely enjoyable, I’d had enough,’ he said. ‘But just recently I’ve done a few charity events, telling stories and singing songs and it has gone down well so perhaps it’s time to get out the old clown’s nose once more.’
Mike’s fly papersMike Harding’s new book A Guide to North Country Flies is published by Aurum Press. (www.aurumpress.co.uk) and is priced �14.99. His Little Book series about English churches is also published by Aurum.
