Run No. 1385 13th March 2011
Venue: The Engine
Beer: Greene King IPA, Abbott
Location: Baldock
Hare(s): Sis & Six Pack
Runners: 27
Virgins: 0
Visitors: 0
Newies: 0
Hounds: 2
Après Hashers: 0
Total: 27
Membership: From A to B & all around C.
What a week it’s been! It doesn’t feel appropriate to make jokes about this tragedy. I know that it’s hard to feel too sorry as they are foreigners, but we have to remember that they lost everything in almost an instant & now they have nothing left….still there’s always next season for Arsenal!
It was a very dull, overcast morning with the threat of rain hanging over the start of the Trail, there was also a slight nip in the air as the Pack gathered outside of the ‘Spoons Pub of the Three Magnets. Those who came by Train thought that their text message to the GM about a hold up due to engineering works had not been received as they walked across from the Station to see Paxo & Pebbledash running away from the Pub & around the corner toward the public car park off of the Broadway.
As they turned the corner to go down Leys avenue, the rest of the Pack could be seen outside of the Pub, Fliptop had the People Carrier parked up & this was being filled with Hash bags. Mr. X, My Lil’ & Hyena added their bags to the pile, then they discovered that it was going to be an A to B Trail & that Paxo & Pebbledash had gone to fetch their bags from her car to have a change of clothes at the Pub at point B.
As the Pack waited for quite some time for them to return, the RA questioned what Pebbledash & Paxo were up to? Where they just getting bags from the car, or were they up to something else? My Lil’ said that if it was ‘something else’ then Paxo wouldn’t be long!! This drew a long ‘Oooh!’ from No Eye Deer a few others!
Finally the GM called the Circle together to explain that the original plan for this Trail hit a few snags near its end, he was very sketchy on what exactly happened but he was very insistent that near the end “You’ll recognise where you are, but follow the arrows around a twisting route to avoid getting lost!” & with that strict instruction ringing in their ears the Pack were set off down Leys Avenue.
As the Pack made their way down the pedestrianized way, with its sculptures & active fountains, Fliptop went back to sort out Sloppy Seconds & any other late comers. The Trail came down to Norton Way South road & from here T-B-T & Mr. X went wrong as thy searched up by the Historic park area of the World’s first Garden City, which is cordoned off as it receives a make-over from the National Lottery grant.
It was down to No Eye Deer & Pebbledash to pick up the Trail as it headed down to the roundabout before the railway bridge. There was a bit of milling about by some of the Pack, while Pebbledash crossed over & picked up the Trail once again, now she was leading the Pack up Birds Hill & around on to Ridge road.
As the Trail led around the backstreets, Pebbledash took another turn to the right but this time she would end up finding a T! Mr. X had been further up Ridge road for a short way but he came back after hearing Pebbledash’s calls of “On! On!”, they made their way back from the Falsie to find Psycho, Skip & Party Animal among those who hadn’t been caught out & were making their way up Ridge road.
It didn’t take Mr. X, Sludge & T-B-T long to get back up to be the FRBs as the Trail led on to a CHK point at the junction with Pixmore avenue. Here the most favoured route was to search the footpath running between the industrial estate & the new homes that occupy the listed building which was once one of Letchworth’s very first industrial units.
Flour was found down this alleyway & the trio led the way out to Dunhams lane, where the next CHK was found. Sludge headed northward, while Mr. X took the south option, Sludge called “On!” first & so Mr. X ran back down past the exit of the alleyway where the family ‘Nutter’ were leading the rest of the pack down it. They would soon see Mr. X running back again to the south after he & Sludge found a T!
The Pack were being kept fairly well together as the Trail advanced up toward the playing field on the corner of Dunhams lane & the A505 Baldock road, the Pack passed by two civilians who were bemused by the sight of Mr. X running back & forth while calling “On! On!”
Now, the Pack would soon find themselves spreading out on different paths as the FRBs lost sight of the Dust after a strategically placed blob on the end of the hedgerow, at one entrance for the playing field. Nothing was found on the options on road side of the hedge, & T-B-T failed to see anything in the playing field side! The RA went back to have a second look on the soccer pitches, & with Hyena in tow Dust was found
The Trail led along by the edge of the pitches inside the hedgerow which had been thinned out in places, the calls of “On!” were slightly drowned out by the players taking part in the soccer match as the Trail on to a CHK on the edge of the Recreation ground,
By the time the likes of Psycho, Skip & No Eye Deer had made their way back from the edge of the industrial estate & up inside the playing fields to the CHK, Sludge had cut out the playing fields & had crept around to the CHK.
The Pack were now right on top of the Letchworth Football Club & near to the grounds of Letchworth Rugby Union Football Club, some now believed that they may have now been starting on a long loop around the perimeter of LRUFC grounds & then in there for a drink?
As he waited by the kerbside to cross the road, T-B-T was correct when he said that the alleyway across from the CHK was the one that the Sunday Recovery Trail took on last years 25th Anniversary weekend at LRUFC.
This route was also the way this Trail would go, as it made its way up beside the soccer grounds to the left & the homes of Quinn way on the right. T-B-T had to make a pit-stop & scare the Squirrels in the hedgerow, it was a bit too close to the kids soccer matches for the RA’s liking & he continued on with Sludge to avoid any embarrassing connection with T-B-T!
A Held CHK was found at the end of the path, fortunately the rest of the Pack were still not too far behind the FRBs & the wait by the corner of LRUFC’s grounds wasn’t too long, there was enough time for Sludge & Mr. X to discuss the Six Nations matches the day before, & why Sludge wasn’t going to be coming out to play & watch the England v Scotland Game with the lads of the Hash?
It seems that Flander’s threat of ‘no Sunday Dinner EVER AGAIN!’ if he comes rolling in from watching this with the usual suspects has sunk in after last time at Our Mutual Friend!
Once the Sis was up at the CHK she allowed the Keenies to check it out! Sludge, Mr. X & No Eye Deer all went awry & found a T up along by the homes of Newells out toward the old Baldock lane.
The Trail was picked up as it ran along behind the grounds of LRUFC, Sludge & Mr. X weren’t impressed to see that some locals had broken a hole in the new fencing around the club grounds. Along this north bound section they made up lost ground on the Family ‘Nutter’, 2-1-2 Maureen, Pebbledash, Spillage, Puddles, Hyena, Paxo, 3D & Starboard.
As the RA approached the CHK point beside a small thicket, it was pointed out to him (by several of the Hash) that Psycho was squatting down in the corner & watering the daffodils! T-B-T made his way back from a Falsie by cutting across to the Trail, when the RA took him to task about his SCBing, T-B-T said that he didn’t want to go back to the CHK as to save Psycho’s modesty! [It was a bit too late for that! – Ed]
Now, most of the Pack had more than an inkling that they would be heading to Baldock from this point onward. The Trail took to a path that headed eastward along the side of one crop field to the edge of the A1 (M), where another CHK was found. From here the view was of rolling green countryside ahead with the A1(M) partially hidden away as it slices between Letchworth & Baldock.
While T-B-T looked back from this on the desire line of a path running up through the wooded area back southward, both Mr. X & Sludge looked northward, with the RA on the track behind the Hedgerow on the side nearest to the motorway, & Sludge on the field side of it. It was Mr. X who found Dust & it was Sludge who cut through the Hedge further up the way!
The Trail emerged from behind the hedge & on to a CHK by the junction with the footpath from up by the Electricity substation back near the Rugby Club, the obvious choice of taking to the path down to the bridge with the A1 (M) above it was the correct choice. Having made short work of this part of the Trail things would go wrong once the FRBs had passed beneath the motorway on the famer’s access point.
Sludge, had a quick look on the footpath running by the sports field & out to the A 505 Letchworth road Road, but he failed to see any Dust & came back to join the others to pass by a dog walker, they continued along the fenced in footpath beside a small nature reserve to the right. The Keenies soon found a T & made their way back by a female dog walker, T-B-T was the only one of the three to go off & look up in the reserve.
On the way back down to where Sludge had failed to spot Dust by the playing field earlier, the RA & Sludge saw a portly looking farmer type of a person in the distance, they were half excepting this chap to ask what the Dust under & around the bridge was about, but as they got nearer they soon discovered that it was Flip Top!
Flip Top handed over his car keys to Sludge, as Sludge & the RA searched for the Trail. Mr. X took the rise out of Sludge as they picked it up once again & ran down to the Letchworth road, T-B-T eventually realised that he would find no Trail out in the reserve & he followed on behind the other two. Was T-B-T really off looking for a suitable place to hide Easter eggs?? [Watch out for the Black Squirrels if you are! - Ed]
Once out on to a CHK on the edge of the Letchworth road, things would start to look a bit confusing on the ground. Sludge found an arrow over the road which pointed back toward the CHK. None of this made sense to start with, but these three FRBs managed to work out that they should be heading to the path of Hadrian’s way running up beside the opposite side of the A1 (M) bridge.
Once beneath the large concrete expanse of the A1 (M) bridge, Dust was found on the footpath of Hadrian’s way running along below the motorway, once they made their way up the short distance to a Junction with a cycle way, suddenly the ground was covered in more arrows than there were at Custer’s Last Stand, all of these pointed in different directions
They saw Hash markings of two sets of CHKs, one with H5 inside it & one with H4 inside it, the RA then realised that he had seen that the Hare & Hounds were running from Baldock for the second time in three weeks!
With all of the contradicting arrows & double CHKs, with H5 & H4 this would lead to some confusion, especially for those who did not understand these, or those who were chatting away in the Knitting Circle & had taken their eyes off of the Trail, & this is what would happen!
As the Keenies followed the confusing markings around to the Footbridge over the A1 (M) & opn down Coachman’s lane, Mr. X & Sludge had to explain to T-B-T that H5 was short for Hare & Hounds Hash House Harriers, & that we were the H4! The RA said that T-B-T wouldn’t have been any good as a Scientist!
Flip Top had done his best to make sure that the difference between the two trails was clear, especially if everyone knew that Herts was marked in plasterboard, while Hare & Hounds were marked in flour, then the difference would not have been too much of a problem! But, the flour arrows used by H5 were very similar to chalk markings & so even Sludge & T-B-T would go awry at the very end of the Trail!
The RA made his way back by finding the Trail from Icknield way & leading up the alleyway through the remains of the graveyard & by the Church grounds on to Church street, there the Dust would lead back via a passageway, as he came out on Jackson street the RA met up with Slug & Port, who were wandering about after driving their car to the B! The Trail now ran down the junction with Football close & the main road by Baldock Station, there by a telegraph pole a CHK with BS was found.
After a quick glance over to the car park of the Engine, Flip Top & Sis’s people carrier could be seen, Mr. X made his way to the Bar & after getting past the two Pub Dogs, one of which was a beast of a blue Great Dane that was the size of a pony! Once inside the RA found Sloppy Seconds was already sitting in there supping a Beer!
Sloppy tried to get his excuses in to the RA, before Mr. X had been served at the Bar! He claimed that he had managed to negotiate the first three CHKs before returning to get his car as he was going up to London right after the Circle, or may be even before if the Pack were late getting in. So, before the Circle it was then!
These two had a quite a wait for anyone else to arrive at the Engine, T-B-T & Sludge were still out there, T-B-T had managed to run in to the Hare & Hounds Pack & wasn’t tempted to the ‘Dark side’ by their offers to join them on their Trail! [Sensible man! - Ed]
The Pack slowly made their way to the Engine, Puddles & Spillage managed to get back before their mum, as they had gone around with 3D & Starboard. The Family ‘Nutter’ came back, Ketchup & Jaron made it around, so eventually those on the ‘missing in action’ list were soon whittled down to No Eye Deer, Pebbledash & 2-1-2 Maureen.
The lost sheep all made it back, but not after a few phone calls to this group when they were out in a field in the middle of nowhere, if you believed what they said. Fliptop managed to sort things out & the Pack were all reunited.
When Pebbledash did come back to the Pub, she settled in & grabbed the Pub dog’s cock, this being a rubber chicken variety & not what you thought!
Farts & Georgina arrived as the last ones, but they had problems since they didn’t know it was an A to B, or where B was! Again modern technology sorted this out.
The Down-Downs were held on the garden, Sis & Six Pack were called out for a good Trail, that was only slightly ‘cocked up’ by H5 encroaching on our territory again, but as the RA said what daft bugger sets a Trail from the same place only a couple of weeks apart? [One that used to run from the same Pub week in & week out? – Ed] He added that Six Pack’s marking of the CHKs & the Trail may have caused H5 a few problems on their way out!
Hyena was called out for ignoring the Harriette’s out in the fields & making his way back to the Pub on a more direct & the correct route than they took! T-B-T was called out for his H4 & H5 confusion. While Sludge got his for not wanting to stay & watch the Rugby!!!
As the Hits were dished out, Fliptop getting his Down-Down for reaching a run number that sounded like a carpet cleaner, it came closer & closer to the Hashit being awarded. Psycho almost got this as RA told a story about a wee plant that had struggled to get through the snowy winter, then as spring begins to hit, the wee plant found itself with a lack of water, Psycho soon put this right when she stopped & watered the poor wee plant. Psycho then shocked the Circle by revealing that she was wearing her Red Bra!
The Hashit went to Pebbledash for surprising the RA, & no doubt the Pub Dog by grabbing its cock! There was little compliant as she donned the shirt & took her hit for the second week on the trot.