I read with some interest your piece on Exeter in last month’s magazine. Coming from a similar era, I could identify with the stories you told about the track and some of the individuals, although unfortunately for me the Falcon’s Nest will always be one which I never managed to visit, not that the 500 miles between Devon and my home town of Glasgow had much to do with it, as over my teens and early twenties I did manage to see most tracks in the two divisions, although back then, there were plenty of Saturday tracks and a couple of Sunday venues to take in, when British speedway was the place to be and riders in places like Sweden and Poland were the exception rather than, as seems to be the case these days, where you’ll find most of the big boys, and, indeed, a fair sprinkling of the “still growing “ lads. We usually managed to invent a deceased relative or two if we wanted to go to a midweek track and needed a handy excuse to miss a day at work, the only problem being a need to keep a note of them, as one or two seemed to have the blood of Lazarus in their veins, and were capable of making a comeback if your boss was blessed with a good memory!
I remember the days of hearing about and reading the horror stories re the Falcons’ safety fence, and your piece suggests that not all of it was fanciful, more an item to be treated with the greatest of respect. It was the last place you wanted to be going to if the weather looked a bit dodgy (my home track in or around Glasgow at the time met with similar indifference at times), but it just reminds me about the time when speedway was booming, when every side had three genuine heat leaders, and sawdust was the order the day if promoters were less keen on squeezing another date into a usually crowded fixtures list with a hefty cost to consider!
Those were the days indeed, gone forever, I fear, but I enjoyed the article nevertheless, and would love to hear from other former or current supporters about some of their stories and escapades in their visits to tracks in the glory days of the sport. and also tracks that they regret never visiting. 
Bill Elliot

Doug Nicolson really wishes he had got to Nelson in 1968 and Romford in 1969. Both were special in their own way. In 1968 Doug was on a speedway tour using a railway round ticket. It was planned before the Second Division fixtures came out and had a blank Sunday which he eventually spent wandering around the streets of Halifax. Just over 20 miles away he surely could have, indeed should have, made it over to Seedhill Road on that sunny  afternoon. 

On training courses in London, the following year, Thursday nights were very much pub nights, although he gave one a miss to go to Wimbledon for a pretty underwhelming meeting as the Dons murdered West Ham by 59-19 or similar score. Looking back he wished he headed out to Brooklands at least for one night. 

What tracks do you wish you'd gone to but never did. Write in and tell us, along with memories of away days following your favourite team.