Run No. 1391               18^th April 2011

Venue:                          The Woodman

Beer:                              8 Real Ales

Location:                      Wildhill

Hare(s):                         My Lil’

Runners:                       19

Virgins:                            0

Visitors:                           0

Newies:                           0                            

Hounds:                          5

Après Hashers:             0

Total:                              24

Membership:                Caught out by the shiggy at the end!

With the novelty of Monday running still fresh for the Hash, it wasn’t a bad turn out!  It was noticeable that there were more hounds (four-legged ones this week than is the norm.  The RA had brought along the hound, he has inherited, to join the more regular mutts.                                                                                           

The Circle finally came together as the time crept around toward the hour, Fliptop then went on to welcome everyone before making them all laugh at the complete balls-up of getting the Run number correct!

The Hare was called forward & he told the eager Pack that there would be places were dogs should be kept on leads, there was a possibility of shooting taking place, that there would be short cuts & that the Trail was marked in Flour!

An arrow, that had been laid down in the car park some 15 minutes earlier, pointed the way up through the hedge at the back of the car park & out over a stile to the rock-hard ground of the broad bean field behind.  The going at the start was a little slow with the state of the ground being hard & rutted, but things picked up as the Trail reached the level & headed south-eastward to the corner of the outcrop of woodland.

Sludge & T-B-T soon took up the FRBing position, as they pulled away from the back of the Pack Paxo received a call on his mobile [Technology on the Hash eh?] anyhow, it was No Eye Deer who was yet to make it to the Woodman.  There were a few subtle groans of laughter as Paxo was heard to mutter that she was in Potters Bar!  While Paxo tried to redirect No Eye Deer, the rest of the Pack got on with the Trail.

Six Pack & Fliptop were soon on the heels of T-B-T, Sludge, Mr. X & Skip as they followed the Trail around the corner of the wood & around the perimeter to the tree-line along Kentish lane.  Here the Trail was found through a narrow gap in the scrubby border between the field & the road, the Trail emerged on to the edge of the lane & was quickly picked up on the opposite side where there was a footpath.

The Keenies were now heading northward along the lane toward Essendon, but a CHK halted their progress when the reached the entrance of the drive down to Warrenwood Park.  Mr. X knew that there was a footpath off of the driveway & so he, Sludge & T-B-T ventured down this route, with only Skip, Flip Top, Six Pack & Little Hole following on.

The Hare marked a Short Cut back up on the Essendon road as the FRBs found Dust, the tale-tale white powder was found halfway down the tree lined drive & followed it out on over a stile & in to a fallow field.  Sludge led the way northward as the Dust headed toward a new bit of building behind a cottage in the far corner of the enclosed field, but the Dust seemed to disappear as the Footpath appeared to vanish from the direction of the route marked by the previous Footpath sign.

After a bit of stumbling about over the corner full of thistles, the FRBs made their way on over a strip of shingle by the footings of the flat base for a new building.  Some began to think that perhaps the Footpath wasn’t meant to go this way, but then a footpath marker was seen on the driveway in front of the cottage, it is marked this way on the map.

Having made their way to the drive no Dust could be seen, the RA thought that it may have been washed out as a powdery residue was seen scattered up the nettles & other hedgerow plants in the tree-line along the drive.  After a bit of a stuttering halt, the Trail was then spotted on the saplings leading up the drive to the Essendon road.

Once out on to the Essendon road, the Keenies met up with Mark E Mark & Ketchup, who were SCBing on the more direct route to where the Trail would take to the drive way, sheltered beneath the large cedar trees on the Camfield estate.  One of the residents of the row of picturesque redbrick & tiled worker’s cottages came out to see what the calling of “On!” On!” was all about!

The Trail led further in to the estate that was once Barbara Cartland’s old home, she’s buried on the estate, in a biodegradable coffin beneath a tree!  On the way to the end of the Drive & an old metal five-bar gate, there was a sign asking for Dog’s to be kept on leads as there was livestock on the farm.

Once through the gate the Trail was marked away from the farm & led down the dusty earthen track to the northeast.  This was the first of a couple of long stretches on the Trail, there would be no Held CHKs on this Trail & so the Pack would soon be split in to several groups.

The FRBs now passed by Crispy Bush, who was with the Hare as they headed north-eastward, soon the Trail dropped down under the canopy of Duncan’s wood, here the tiny white petals of the blossom littered the footpath to make it look like a carpet of snow.  The blossom disappeared as the Trail headed further in to the wood, at one point the Trail passed by a dead tree which had been torn from its roots & was only held up by the fact that it’s branches were caught in those its neighbour.

The Trail came back out in to the open to run along the edge of farm fields before dropping down in to the cut off corner of Panther’s wood.  A CHK was found in the shaded Dell, here the bluebells were out in force, adding their vibrant colour to the woodland for the brief time they are above ground.  Sludge was straight on to the Trail as it led north-westward along the lower of the options, while T-B-T dithered about looking toward the path out in to Essendon.

As the Dust led down & out toward the end of the wood, the path crossed a more open wet area where a stream of water was running across the way.  The Trees became sparser as the Dust led on to pass through the denser centre of Long wood, which lives up to its name.  Within the wood the Trail crossed the Wildhill brook & this needed a wooden footbridge to cross.

 The Hash now a long climb up the hedged in track, running over the rolling farm land of the Salisbury Estate.  The Pack were now on the edge of the lands of Hatfield House.  When the Track came to merge at a junction with another hedged in farm route, the Keenies ran on following the Dust to the north, no doubt the Hare’s ‘Red Herring’ abut a Beer Stop helped to lure them toward the Candlestick at West End?

But, Imagine the surprise of the other Keenies as they came around a bend to see Sludge heading back toward them with his arms outstretched, it was a look of shock at being caught out, which went through the stages of being disappointed at having been lured halfway along that way as well, but it ended in joy at Sludge’s cursing of the Hare!

Naughty words were still ringing through the ether as Sludge came all the way back to the Junction, where the Hare & Crispy Bush were taking to the other end of the route.  The Trail now rose with the landscape as the wide dirt track made its way south-westward through Harefield wood

The Taril came out on to West End lane, having negotiated the alternate double bends in the lane, the Hash were almost heading back toward the On Inn, but a straight forward run down the West End lane to the Pub wasn’t going to happen for the Pack as they had only been out for 35 minutes, so the Dust followed the Track around off of the second bend to lead to the west on a farm track away from the lane this was confirmed.

The longest stretch of the Trail was now about to be undertaken as the route headed southwest, there was plenty of shelter from the bright sunshine as the canopy of the Tree-line blocked this out.  There was just enough of a slight breeze to make the going easier, but things would change as the two FRBs ran on to the next CHK. 

The change in direction southward on the by-way which branched off of the main track, this brought a drop in the breeze, the two Keenies passed by a dead ‘Wascaly Wabbit’ lying in the track down toward Woodside Place farm & the Wildhill road. 

The FRBs would find that this Trail was a Falsie, the RA suspected that the Hare may use this route as a Short Cut,  Sludge said that the Hare should think about feeling for the ‘Old men of the Hash’ & not worry about the SCBs!

Anyhow, the correct path for the Long Trail was picked up once more on a long arc around to the couple of homes at St Michaels.  Here Sludge made a woman jump as she came out to put some rubbish in her bin & he ran by calling “On! On!” as the Trail came out to the small triangular green then headed down the lane toward the On Inn. 

As the Two FRBs made it to the track they had previously found to be a Falsie, they could see the Hare & Crispy Bush emerging out on to the lane.  The Hare chalked a Short cut straight back down the lane to the On Inn, & then a ‘Long Trail’ out to the south on a footpath through a cleared area for trucks on the edge of the open farmland.

T-B-T now caught up with the FRBs, Sludge persuaded him to take the long option, with himself, Mr. X & Mickey.  T-B-T did exactly what Sludge said & the trio were the first to start on the last long loop.  At one point they thought that they were out on their own, since the Hare had taken the short cut!  But they were to be mistaken as the main body of the Hash all took the long route around.

No Eye Deer caught up, which seemed to be a very good effort on her part, but once with the tail of the Pack she quickly settled in to chatting with Psycho.  Party Animal & Little Hole would pull away from these two, as would Sis, What Mum’s Says & Two Timer!

As Hash pounded across the concrete like earth, the Trail headed out southward toward Brookmans Park transmitter, T-B-T didn’t recognised the aerials & dishes, so Sludge put him right on what the transmitter station was.  The Trail led over a rock hard broad bean field & on to Grubbs lane, after a short trot along the tarmac the Trail moved back over the fields.

 Great ruts made by very large agricultural machinery had to be ran along tops of as the Trail headed around toward the corner of an isolated wood then descending down behind it & in to the valley, a brief run along a lush green strip was welcomed as it was softer underfoot, before making their way out in to a meadow.  The Dust followed the contour of the field, running beside the hedgerow until it reached the stile in amongst the bushes & trees

The Keenies suddenly came to a halt as the heard something back on the Trail, it was Paxo up on the Hill in the far distance when the Three FRBs glanced back after hearing the faint calls of “On! On!” from behind them.

Shiggy at the very end was pretty deep of the Trail, as path ran across the rugged uneven paddock, it would dip down in to a quagmire of wet ground that had been churned up by hooves of various animals.  While most managed to get through fairly unscathed, things didn’t go too well for Psycho & No Eye Deer, as the screaming that Paxo heard from them would be a testimony to this!

Down-Downs went to the Hare of a mighty fine run, which took the Runners an hour & five minutes to complete.  Skip was out for his ‘Slug like’ knee bandage that didn’t stop him from being up at the front of the Pack for over half of the Trail!  Like Hyena’s belt it’s just for ornamental purposes!

Kylie was out for a misdemeanour, then Crispy Bush was awarded a Down-Down for his “I was an FRB at one point!” competitive sounding comment the RA overheard ion the Bar!

No Eye Deer & Psycho were last out for their girly screaming in the shiggy pit at the end!