Run No. 1392               25^th April 2011

Venue:                          The Grandison Arms

Beer:                              Mini Beer festival

Location:                      Bramfield

Hare(s):                         T-B-T

Runners:                        30

Virgins:                            0

Visitors:                           0

Newies:                           0                            

Hounds:                          3

Après Hashers:             0

Total:                             33

Membership:                Chasing the Easter Bunny!

Was it the weather, the fact it was a Bank holiday, the chance of foraging for a chocolate egg or two, or a picnic, or wondering if the Pack would get back before the Hare again this time???  Who knows, but whatever it was there was a good turnout for this first of the Bank Holiday Runs this year.  As well as having lots of Horrors present this day, there was also an appearance from Both Ends & Suicide Blonde, in Both Ends case it was quite literally a ‘Blast from the past’ as while clearing out loft space they discovered an old Hash Horn!  This had been brought along & hopefully would be heard at the front to lead the rest along the Trail.

It seems that not many of the Pack read the weekly email, or not in its entirety, for the bit about using the ‘overflow car park’ instead of the Pub’s one was obviously missed, only a few managed to abide by the Hare’s wishes & park just a few yards down Bury lane.  Once the Landlord had been out to request that the Hash cars be moved, but he was beaten to this by some of the Hierarchy & the act of musical cars began.

It took a while for the GM to get himself together, things would be running late by the time he managed to call the Circle, but at least he did get the Run number correct this week, though a few believed that he may have been assisted with this when he entered the Circle & seemed to have a discreet word or two spoken to him!

The Hare decided that when it came to explaining what the Hash could expect out ‘On Trail’, that he would drawn pretty patterns on the car park floor to explain the markings, though it looked like to some that he was drawing hieroglyphs!  There was one foreboding part (for the FRBs) & this was the bit about the way back from a Bar CHK it could be 10 yards, 20 yards, 150 yards [for those who don’t speak English, substitute Metres for Yards! - Ed] or longer before the Trail broke away!

The Pack were finally directed out toward the main heart of the village, passing by the Village Hall on the way out to the crossroads on Main road, along the way the Pack passed by the blue painted front doors that indicated that the properties were once belonging to the local Estate.

On Main road, opposite the covered well on a small green, arrows led Sludge & Mr. X down beyond St Andrew’s Church & all the way along to a Bar CHK where the lane breaks off toward Tewin!  On the way back, the RA took a brief look in the grounds of Thomas Becket’s first Church he was appointed to, this revealed no Dust & eventually the RA was called back from there.

As Mr. X returned to the junction he discovered that a CHK had suddenly appeared on the crossroads!  He continued to follow the rest of the Pack down by Winding Shot, he passed by Psycho, Party Animal, Sis, What Mum Says, Suicide Blonde, 3D & a whole host of Horrors.  It was now a case of running through the village & on to a CHK by the junction with the narrow lane to Stapleford.

Calls of “On! On!” were already emanating from Pepé le Pew, who had crossed the corner of a farm field, on a permissive path & was now on the more established ‘Chain Walk’ path running in to Sally Rainbows’ dell.  As the path moved deeper in to the woodland, the carpeted areas of bluebells became larger, it all looked very beautiful.

There were a few toots form the hash Horn as the Pack made their way in to Sally Rainbow’s Dell, but these would far & few between as the Trail progressed.  Fliptop was temporarily lured off of the main track to the North, while the rest of the FRBs all followed on behind Sludge & Pepé le Pew, fortunately for Mr. X & Skip they just managed to be far enough behind at a fork in the path that they saw the other two slow up & stop at a T on the left-hand option.

So, as Skip & the RA found the correct route, on the right-hand fork heading north-eastward on the wooded Bright’s Hill part of Bramfield wood, Sludge & Pepé le Pew cut through on one of the fire-breaks between the plantations in front of the RA.  The Trail now began a long trot & Mr. X voiced his suspicions that the Keenies would be lured away around a long loop out to Upper Blackbuck wood, while the SCBs would be taken down the path that Sludge & Pepé le Pew had found the T on earlier.

Fliptop, Six Pack & No Eye Deer made up ground on Sludge & Pepé le Pew as they went off back toward the Track they had searched earlier, from a CHK halfway to the north-east corner of the wood.  Again their search was in vain as Mr. X called “On!” as he head on by five civilian walkers & out of the corner of Balckbuck wood & out in to an open crop field.

Mr. X & Skip would soon be coming back as they found a Bar CHK, this meant that the FRBs were all back together as they passed by the civilians once again to follow one of the many tracks over to the west & join that path that Sludge & Pepé le Pew had searched much earlier on.

The FRBs met up with the SCBs as they both followed the short part of the Trail along toward Barber’s Close, Fliptop got to pick on Suicide Blonde once again with a rather brisk “Keep Running, that means you, Suicide Blonde!” Military fashion.  She wondered what she had done wrong to have all this attention?

Mr. X had a brief respite from running as he chatted to Both Ends about the previous day’s Rugby, but this was to be very brief as the soon caught up to where the Hare marked a Short Cut & Long Trail split!  The RA decided to continue with the Long Trail, while Both Ends ummed & arghed about taking Short Cuts.

It was another long trot around by Nicholson’s wood & then a fair way down Back Lane, Sludge & Pepé le Pew led the way out of the woodland & along the wide dirt track that had a freshly excavated ditch for a gas main to be laid in.  At least there was still a cool breeze to stop the Keenies from overheating.

On the way along the open ground of the by-way, the FRBs passed by a trio of civilians out walking, a CHK was found beside a track leading off to the south, passing in front of the enclosed area for the local water-tower.  Instinctively the FRBs took to this route, heading southward back in to Green’s wood, but no dust was found up there. 

As they made the Keenies way back to the main route, No Eye Deer & Fliptop had just started down the same way & they too had to turnabout in order to then pick up the Trail further along on the Back lane Track.  In the end it turns out that the Trail would lead nearly all the way around the water-tower & reservoir grounds.

The Trail took to another Track & this would come out on to the Bramfield road on the edge of Bulls Green, Sludge & Mr. X fell for a nasty Falsie to the southeast.  As they made their way from their mistake & down to Bulls Green, for the second week on trot, Sludge made man jump as the nosey local peered out from behind his large hedge to see what the calling of “On! On!” was all about!

Briefly the Dust headed down toward the Horns Pub, but cruelly it turned off of the Bramfield road & on to the Burnham Green road, which deprived the FRBs of a wee snifter since it was opening time.  In fact it had been gone opening time for an hour!

A few hundred yards toward Burnham Green & the Trail disappeared off on to the first of a series of fenced-off footpaths that run around behind the rather nice properties on the east side of Tewin wood.  From a CHK halfway down, the Trail now headed out along the edge of some paddocks that had parched grass, this route went up & down around a dell, this looked ancient excavation at Nancybury Gorse.  

Around this point in the Trail, both the RA & GM agreed that it was going to be a long Trail & that perhaps some of the Horrors shouldn’t have gone off on the Long Route.  As the path came out on the plateau & over the paddock to Queen Hoo lane, those on this part of the Trail could see the large new building that had been constructed there.  No one was sure if it was one big building of a private home with outbuildings, or some kind of functional centre?

Having made their way through the cordoned off path by orange plastic webbing, the Trail now led over the lane & in to Brickground wood, only a short way in among the trees & the route changed direction to run parallel with the lane for a while.  Some almost went astray as the wooded tapered to an end in the V of two converging lanes at its southerly tip.

Things were soon rectified & the way was marked out on to the start of Queen Hoo lane from the joining of the tow other lanes.  On the way another new build of Hoo place was seen, this was far less grand & definitely far more in keeping with this area.

The Dust led on to the start of the track by Queen Hoo Hall to the Trail headed south-eastward out of the wood & over the open fields on a dusty farm track to the top of a prominence of Bramfield Park wood. Psycho & Daddies Half Pint wandering along in wood as the FRBs caught up, they said that Zing-a-long-a-max had come bounding up to them after a very late start, he had moved on to catch up the rest of the SCBs.

FRBs then found a Bar CHK inside the wood on the main southerly track, so they continued along the inner path within the edge of the wood only to find a False Trail!  So, after searching the outer path they had a second look at the Bar CHK & went beyond it to find the Trail leading through a section of the wood that was being managed & cleared, according to the signs.

The Trail was picked up & now moved on in to the denser area, there the SCBs were found & the hunt of Easter eggs was well under way, in fact a lot had been discovered by the likes of Port, Starboard, Two Timer, Puddles, Spillage, Daddies Sauce, & not to mention Zing-a-long-a-max, who seemed very enthusiastic in encouraging the Horrors & all the new arrivals in the search for eggs!

Most of the Horrors had been there for some time & had found a lot of the 30 odd eggs that T-B-T had squirreled away amongst the trees & bushes, his plan to get the Keenies around a long loop did indeed give him long enough time to get the eggs hidden before the whole pack descended on this part of the wood.

Mark E Mark, Lobby Lobster, Ketchup, Daddies Sauce, Pebbledash all mysteriously managed to get there before the FRBs, Pebbledash had been out the day before in her practise for the London to Brighton Bike Ride, Ketchup is still crocked & Mark E Mark was on a ‘rest day’ after completing 19 miles the day before, all a part of his training program that he & 1-2-1 are doing for their Edinburgh Marathon entries.

Time came to move on, Sis made sure that the Horrors who weren’t there for the search, would all get an egg as T-B-T packed the unhidden ones in his back pack.  It was now a short trot out of the woodland to get on to the wide, dusty, uncapped path of bury lane to the car park at the end of the Village Hall playing fields by the Pub.

While the Picnic was set up & most began to tuck in to the sarnies a Rescue Party for Both Ends, Finlay & Co by Slug & Flip Top, this was successful & they too joined the picnic.

The Hash enjoyed a Picnic of sandwiches, crisps & Beer, with pop for the Horrors, before retreating in to the Grandison.  The Hare said that he had made all the sarnies himself, & the picnic was to make up for the Last Trail he had set, where the Pack were all back in the On Inn before he was on what was almost a ‘Live Trail’!

The RA had to leave before the Circle was called, but he did have time to sign up to sponsor Mark E Mark & 1-2-1 in their quest to complete the Edinburgh Marathon in aid of Asthma charity in Princess’s memory, please support them in this & put your name down on the sponsorship form.