Run No. 1398               6th June 2011

Venue:                          Not the Prince of Wails

Beer:                              GK IPA, Hobgoblin

Location:                      Hertingfordbury

Hare(s):                         Mark E Mark & Lobby Lobster

Runners:                        15

Virgins:                            0

Visitors:                           0

Newies:                           0                            

Hounds:                          2

Après Hashers:             0

Total:                             17

Membership:                Down to the White Horse hotel then!

Most of the Pack gathered in the Prince of Wails car park, there was plenty of space there as the Pub is not open on a Monday, which is a shame as the Hare had assured some of the Hash that they have really good Ales on in there.

            The RA was asked by a few of the Pack why he had parked around the corner on the end of the dead-end road of Mayflower Close.  The majority of the Pack also seemed to be in the dark about the Pub not being open on Monday, or that the Hare requested that they parked in the street & not use the Pub Car Park.  All of that information was put in the last email info on this Trail which was sent out on the Wednesday, Paxo said that he would blame Ewok for not reading it out to him!

            The Hare arrived & was covered in some fresh flour, it would later transpire that this was just from setting the very start of the Hash & the stretches further afield would not be virgin flour but a damp blob of dough!

            With the Herts GM absent this week it was down to Paxo, as Joint Master, to welcome the Pack to the Trail.  He managed to get the Run number correct & after this he handed over to the Hare.  Mark E Mark proceeded to give an in-depth weather report for the previous 24 hours, so the Hash learnt about lots of precipitation that turned parts of the Trail to dough.

Mark E Mark made a comment on Ketchup’s bike as he rode in to the car park just before the Pack set off, it does look a bit gay, but if he put a basket on the front he could look like he was on Granville’s bike from ‘Open all hours’!  Ketchup then had a problem of where to chain it up, as if anyone would nick it? 

Off the Pack went with T-B-T constrained notes from the Hash Horn ringing in their ears, & alerting the Pub to their car park being used, as they were ushered down around the corner of the Prince of Wails, where it sits precariously close to the tight narrow bend in the road. 

With the RA, Sludge, Skip, T-B-T & Sloppy Seconds leading the way down toward the Hertford road, but once they were on the opposite side of the road & just beyond the corner of the old Mill buildings did they get stopped in their tracks by a Bar CHK hidden out of view.

            The majority of the Pack had followed them down that way & were not impressed to have been lured down there by the FRBs hiding around the corner that kept the bar CHK out of sight until the last second.

A trudge back up the hill & the Hash could see that there was some chaos with the traffic as motorists tried to get up & down the narrow road while negotiating the parked cars on either side.  As Psycho made her way up, Ketchup was now found wanting for somewhere to store his clean gear, so she volunteered the nearby ‘Nutter Mobile’ for him to use.

“On!” was called from up St Mary’s lane & the Hash were taken on by the front of the Church & then to a CHK by the first gate to the playing field.  No Eye Deer hadn’t been this way before, Psycho explained that the ground on the opposite side of the ornate gate house were “Beautiful!”  It is certainly very nice there but there was no time to hang around as “On! On!” came from within the playing field.  Those with a modicum of local knowledge realised that there was only one way out of the sports ground & that was by the gate at the next corner up.

Indeed the Trail came back out on to St Mary’s lane further to the Southward & now the Pack headed toward the old Hertford to Welwyn Garden Railway line of the Cole Green way.  Sludge was under the brick archway & around to the steps leading up to the disused line above like a ferret up a drain pipe.

But once on to the old line Sludge choose to look west ward where he would find no Dust, the likes of Mr. X, Skip, Sloppy, T-B-T & No Eye Deer who ran in the opposite direction toward Hertford fared no better!  They went a long way down the Track before realising that the Bar CHK had been obliterated, No Eye Deer was particularly miffed as she had ran all of the way down there!

So everyone on the line made their way back to the steps down from the bridge to discover an arrow directing them further down St Mary’s lane & on to a footpath heading out toward South-westward.  On the way back Skip said “It’s going to be another of Mark E’s Trails with all of the shenanigans of the last one he set here!”

Those who were caught out made their way up to the footpath leading off to the South-west up ahead of them they could see Lobby Lobster with Alfie, who looks like a ‘Drug dealer’s dog’ who she’s looking after.  Hyena & Party Animal were both ahead of the FRBs as the route led over the fields.

The Path soon became enclosed by tall trees & hedges of Southfields wood on either side, but once out of the gloom of the shaded part, the Pack came down to a Held CHK on the edge of the reclaimed landfill area, this was made obvious by the short black metal pipes protruding from the edge of the field to allow the methane to escape.  As if there was any need to show that this was a land fill area Skip found a wrecked old silver spoon, with a mangled bowl but a handle in good enough condition for him to see the hallmarks.

While awaiting the Hare’s permission to move on, T-B-T decided that he would blow the Hash Horn right in Party Animal’s ear!  It was also too close for the rest of the Pack & the groans of derision soon went around the small circle of the Hash.

From the regroup No Eye Deer eventually picked up the Trail up to the West, while Sludge had ran along way off in opposite direction on the route around to Roxford Hall.  The Dust was positioned to lead No Eye Deer & those behind her off on the path enclosed by wooden fencing to the North-west.  This was away from the end of Grotto wood, a Bar CHK stopped No Eye Deer’s progress, so back to run along the footpath on the outside of the block of woodland.

Passing by the wood, Paxo told those near to him about ladies bathing hut being in the woods, it sounded like something out of the League of Gentlemen!  When the RA questioned My Lil’ about this, as he had been on a short cut on the path running through the centre of the wood, he said he didn’t see anything of the sort.  Was this even mentioned on the Info board at the end of the wood?

The Trail now came out on to the hardcore access road to the gravel extraction area, again the pathway was well enclosed on either side of this & there were plenty of warning signs not to stray off of the main path.  So after the right-hand turn the Trail led along the straight path to come out on to a CHK on the track arcing around from Woolmer’s lane at East End Green.

Mr. X & Skip took to the left-hand option, while Paxo went right & found the Trail, as the JM emerged on to Woolmer’s lane he was surprised to see the RA & Skip come trotting along in front of him!!  They led the way down by East End Green farm & on to the next CHK.

From here the RA choose the option of walking through the Llama’s field, this soon got the South American beasts’ attention, which would temporarily stop two of them from ‘rutting’ & they came over to have a look as the Pack followed the edge of the field down to the end below the embankment of the Cole Green Way.  No doubt Hyena could inform those near him that Llama dung keeps foxes away!  Don’t laugh its true as it has been mentioned on Gardener’s World on Radio 4!

Having made his way over the stream, then up the steps in the wooded embankment slightly over-grown with nettles, Mr. X choose the correct option first time & he was soon leading Zing-a-long-a-max out through the field to the south end of Birch Green.

The Trail turned right & headed down in to the valley, out in to the next fallow field & then up the steep green hillside to the plateau.  Having stopped to look at a dead blackbird, Zing-a-long-a-max then continued to lead the way as the Trail led on to Staines Green lane, & then after a quick couple of yards to the right the last CHK was found by the passing point by a footpath.

Those with local knowledge were going to follow Zing-a-long-a-max across that diagonal route through the wispy grass, Sludge had his excuses already prepared as he said that “If the RA goes through a T then I’ll follow on!”  The RA said that the Hares wouldn’t put a T so near to home & then expect that the Pack would come back from there!  Sure enough they didn’t as the Trail led out of the field via a stile in the hedgerow & on to the tarmac footpath above the Old coach road.

The On Inn was found beneath a large old dog-rose bush, just before the path comes out to the bend of the Hertingfordbury road, crossing over to trot on by Mayflower place & down the dead-end road the RA was parked up on.

Those near to the back of the Pack were surprised to find Bus Stop had caught up with them after her late start, so a good natter was in order for them on the last stages of the Trail.

Hits went to the Hares for a good Trail that was on the hour mark for the runners & not far short for the Back markers.  Ketch Up for having the gay bike, at least it has a break on it now!

500 Runs for Sludge, though he’ll get a decent pint to down when he’s not driving, so that could be Christmas then?  The Hashit went to No Eye Deer for (unintentionally) discarding her pants in the car park, she was joined in the Down-Downs by Skip who got his for picking them up & wanting to sniff them!!

Mark E Mark received a Down-Down from the RA for completing the Edinburgh marathon, Mark E Mark then went on (in too much detail) about how he had to stop for a Paula Radcliff dump around the 20 mile mark.  He also explained how Lobby Lobster had two cameras on her yet failed to get a single shot of him over the 26 miles he ran!  He was not impressed at the thought of running it again just to have his photo taken!