Run No. 1399 13th June 2011
Venue: Old Cross Tavern & the Tikka Cottage
Beer: Laugh & Titter; Mauldon Oscar Wilde; Dark Star Belgian; Dark Star Trappist 7%
Location: Hertford
Hare(s): Fliptop
Runners: 20
Virgins: 0
Visitors: 0
Newies: 0
Hounds: 2
Après Hashers: 0
Total: 25
Membership: Honouring Sludge’s 500th properly!
On the previous week’s Trail Sludge clocked up his 500th Run with Herts Hash, but this week was going to be the official celebration for this. Sludge didn’t want the fuss of having an away weekend, like others have done in the past, so it was decided that this week’s Trail would have a ‘free Beer stop’ en route & after a quick stop off at HQ it would culminate with a curry at the Tikka Cottage.
As the Pack gathered, Sludge still had no idea that there was going to be a curry meal in honour of his 500th after the Trail, even when underlay arrived & almost let the cat out of the bag when he said “A free lift, a bed at Slug’s for the night & a curry, that’s why I am here!” when Sludge said it was unusual to see Underlay on a Monday evening over in Hertford.
Even the rare appearance of Fireball & Stand in Shit didn’t arouse any suspicions with Sludge! The JM arrived looking hot & bothered before the Run had even began, as he jogged around from Hertford Castle after he missed his 395 Bus from his house to Hertford & he had to catch the 724, this was unusual as the 395 run even in the deep snow drifts that occur at the altitude on top of Tower Hill, even when the local residents struggle to get off the hill to the Hash.
T-B-T had a change of Hash Horn for tonight's celebration Run, gone was the post-horn that makes him go red in the face & probably puts his blood pressure up, only to get a shrill raspberry sound out of it, instead he had an old bike horn in his hand to honk on the way around. Did he nick this form off of the Goodies three-seater bike? Where ever he got it from didn't matter, as it sounded a lot better!
When the GM finally called the Circle together Sludge would find out what was going to happen after the Trail, he was surprised as he genuinely didn’t know what was going to happen & Flanders certainly didn’t let on, keeping the secretive text messages away from his gaze! The weekly email that Sludge received was also edited, so the bit about the celebration Curry was not on it, much to Sis & Psycho’s relief after they had checked with Mr. X that he hadn’t sent the full version to Sludge!
The Hare mentioned the Beer Stop & Curry, then he asked that everyone had the correct amount of money for the Meal that Sis had booked, no one seemed to be able to recall how much that was. Then he warned that ‘Everyone knows that it’s hilly around Hertford, but the Trail should get the Pack back for Eight!” before pointing away to the North East.
The Trail began by leaving the car park & heading down toward St Andrews Church, on the corner of the grounds by an alleyway beside the Church a CHK was found. It may have been Sludge’s celebration Run but this wasn’t going to stop the Hare from allowing him to run off down the alleyway on a False Trail with Paxo & Mr. X.
Meanwhile Underlay & No Eye Deer had both gone off down the subway a bit further along St Andrews street, it must have hummed a bit down in the underpass below the A414 as No Eye Deer was wearing the Hashit & it was a fairly warm & muggy evening! They too returned as the Trail was finally picked up further around the bend in the road as becomes North Street & heads on down toward Hertford North Station.
The Pack moved on down by the old boarded-up Waters Garage to follow the arrows on beyond the roundabout before Hertford Hospital, halfway along toward the Station the arrows led on to a CHK, opposite the estate which was once the old paper mill, site of the first one in the UK!
Sludge, T-B-T, Underlay & Skip were all across the road to make their way up the steps on the cut-through up Fordwich hill to Fordwich Rise, they were ‘On Trail’ but the RA thought otherwise & he carried on down toward the Sele Arms, now known as the Bridge House, where he too found arrows!
These led on the junction with Beane road. Fireball & Stand in Shit were surprised that Mr. X was on the Short Cut, that the Hare had just marked, but it was something he was unaware of until he had spotted the arrows coming in from the Stevenage road & around on to Beane road.
The FRBs had to make their way up over the hill & around the back streets above the station before descending down to the level & coming in around from the B1000 Welwyn road. The Trail headed down Beane road to a CHK opposite the meadows to the north, one of which had some black bovines with a couple of small claves in.
Having avoided the loop around the heights of Fordwich Hill, there was little sympathy for the RA when he was the only one to go off & find the Falsie running through the small park to the south & off in to the wooded area by the weir. He returned to catch up with party Animal & 2-1-2 Maureen, as they followed on behind Fireball & Stand in Shit toward the junction with Moleswood & Port Vale roads. Here few memories were mentioned about the Christmas Party spent at the Mil Stream, just a little way off to the right
Flanders looked as if she was going to go wrong, but soon changed tact when Mr. X & My Lil’ found the Trail running down Moleswood road toward Moles wood, they were behind Stand in Sh*t but he was on the wrong side of the narrow terraced street to see the arrows, the parked cars lined up on either side would have masked his view of them from his side.
Mark E Mark was the first of the FRBs to catch up after the loop, he was soon up there as the next CHK was found by the edge of Moles wood. 2-1-2 Maureen was none too pleased to see the daunting sight of the steep flight of steps heading up by the end of the wood to the top of Bengeo Hill, fortunately those heights would not be scaled by her yet as Mark E Mark & Underlay found a T halfway up the hill.
The Trail was picked up on the only other option, & that was to run down the ‘Private road’ shaded beneath the canopy of the trees on the bottom of the steep wooded hillside, this led on to the pumping station, 2-1-2 Maureen wasn’t sure that the Hash use this, but the RA explained that the ‘Private road’ was also a footpath.
The arrows led on to the old Hertford water company building, dating from 1888, Mark E Mark managed to get by the portaloo beside the building, without having to stop off like he did on the Edinburgh Marathon! A CHK was found in the cobbled courtyard like open space by the gates to the drive up to Woodville place. No one really felt like checking out along the drive, nor the access road leading out to the Stevenage road, instead the consensus was to head up the long climb up the end of Moleswood to reach the top of Bengeo hill.
Dust was found as Mark E Mark led the trudge up by the horse paddocks to the left & the wooded Moles wood hillside to the right. Once up on the top of the plateau the path emerged out on to the Avenue where the next CHK was found, Mark E Mark went off to search all the way to the end of the Avenue, while Sludge looked straight across from the CHK down the Drive.
Sludge was on the correct path as he found the Trail to the North, the trot along the suburban streets led on to a very large CHK by the end of the Drive, on the way the Hash could hear someone playing the drums, though they weren’t in Fliptop’s league, more of a Ringo!
From the end of the drive the here Trail continued just a short way to where the Beer CHK was found, this had been drawn by Findley, the arrows were on the drive side of the tree line & not the footpath on the opposite side, but Underlay over-shot this & he took to the footpath that was hidden behind the row of dense bushes & trees across from the Beer Stop.
Mr. X tried to call Underlay back but he seemed to have been beyond saving as Sludge believed. The RA said that he may soon return when he realised that he was ‘On Trail’ on his own! Being a finely-tuned Hasher his instinct would kick in when there is Beer near. Indeed this would be the case & he too returned & joined the rest at the refreshment stop.
Mr. X, Skip & Sludge sat outside on the wall to make sure that none of the others went astray & missed out on the Beer Stop. 2-1-2 Maureen seemed concerned that Mr. X was sitting on a civilian’s wall, but he assured her he knew the home owners!
Wacko & Little Hole were just behind Hyena as the last two to make it to the Beer Stop, there were plenty of hot Jalapeño peppers left for them, to compliment the small bottles of Froggie Lager, if these chillies were too tart then there were Jelly Babies for those with a sweeter tooth.
While at the beer stop, Paxo pointed out a Red Kite up in the sky, when some wondered what it would eat as it’s prey, Mr. X cruelly pointed out the guinea pigs that Findley was holding to show Fireball & Stand in!
The Pack moved on only to bump into Suicide blonde & a friend who were out jogging on their “own trail” which just happened to take to the alleyway out on to Bengeo street, then running along southward to pass by the White Lion but unfortunately they would leave the Hash Trail as they broke off by the Church, while the Pack continued on down Bengeo Hill where the footpath breaks away from the side of the road.
Slug was now up with the FRBs as the Trail led down the steep Hill, passing by what was the Reindeer Pub, but is now Vets, then on by a junction with a footpath off to where Mark E Mark was almost heading toward when he checked out the end of the Avenue road.
The Trail now dropped below the level of the main road as it came in via Cowbridge, it followed the road around by Biggles House, where author W. E. Johns lived at one point, as did Ketchup, though the latter never wrote anything more interesting than a note for the milkman!
The Pack ran around by the Chinese & Indian restaurants, then opposite the Old Mac Mullen’s Brewery, soon to be a Sainsbury’s superstore, to the junction with St Andrews Street. Mr. X & My Lil’ both went in straight in to the Old Cross tavern, as Hyena was way back down the Trail with his car keys. Eventually the rest joined them in enjoying the Ales on offer.
The Down-Downs were held inside the Pub, as the garden was occupied & there were too many of the Hash to circle up out there. The Hare was rewarded for a good Trail of an hour, including the Beer stop; Sis & Psycho were both out for doubting the RA wouldn’t accidently let Sludge know about the surprise Curry in the weekly email!
Sludge was awarded a decent Pint for completing his 500 Herts Hashes; Mark E Mark was awarded his for running by a portaloo without having to go in & use it! The Hashit went to T-B-T for him to wear when he goes to Buckingham Palace to pick up his OBE (Old Bald ‘Ead) from Her Majesty after Tim Brooke-Taylor was honoured in her Birthday list!
At the end of the Circle it was announced that the next Run would be moved to Monday as it was Father’s day on Sunday & that there may be a lack of support! Though to go on a Hash & drink lots of Ale afterwards would seem a fine way to spend it?
The Barman of the Old Cross, & the couple of customers were amused by the Hash’s antics, then it was time to move on around to the Tikka Cottage for a decent curry, here the Hash enjoyed a decent Curry & a chance to hear Underlay speak a bit of Bangladeshi lingo!