Run No. 1408               15th August 2011

Venue:                          The Chequers

Beer:                              Buntingford Highwayman; Jennings Cumberland

Location:                      Wareside

Hare(s):                         Paxo

Runners:                      16

Virgins:                           0

Visitors:                          0

Après                               1

Newies:                           0                           

Hounds:                          1

Total:                             18

Membership:                Almost at Nobland!

            The Hare was found loitering waiting outside of the Chequers, he was standing there outside of the Inn on the bend in the road to direct the arriving Pack into the car park for the Village Hall, all due to the Pub only having a small car park of its own. 

The Pack circled up on the short drive up to the Village Hall car park.  The JM began his stand-in role for the absent GM [When are we electing a traffic cone? -  Ed], as Paxo did his spiel My Lil’ went around handing out Gelato Ice creams that he forgot to get out for the sweet at the previous week’s barbeque run, Skip was in his element as these are apparently his favourite!  It was also a treat for Port, who was there with Slug, but without his mum or brother, see what they missed out on!  Unusually Hyena declined an ice cream.

Having managed to eat his ice cream on the opposite side from his dental work he had done that afternoon, the JM got the Run number spot on as he introduced the Pack to the Hash, he then turned to what the Pack could expect out on the Trail as he was also the day’s Hare. 

Paxo explained that there were two Trails out there, but one of these had been reaped & ploughed up by various mechanical devices.  This left Paxo having to go around & re-lay it from a certain point on & that the markings were now placed on trees, fence posts & other inanimate objects that lined the route.

Without further ado, the Hare directed the Hash away up a steep path heading to the north, this start saw Sloppy Seconds lead the way up through the thicket covering the east face of the hillside & up toward Helham Green in the north east.

Sloppy took the wrong option of heading down the footpath to Helham Green, it was up to the RA to search along the lane running up Scholar’s Hill, high above the ornate gardens that Sloppy was running thorough the edge of.  Having followed Dust along to a CHK by a split in the lane, the RA had to check it out a fair way down the rough hardcore drive to Cook’s farm in the north, along the way the Hash would see little home made warning signs on either side of the drive, these stated ‘Humps’ to indicate that there were several very low ramps across the way out to the north.

Mr. X was first to the CHK at the junction with the Path emerging from within the tree line to cross the main drive.  He made his way along toward Cook’s farm in the north but was stopped in his tracks just as he was about to stumble on Dust along that route, he could hear calls of “On! On!” coming from back behind him, so he began to turn back.

Fortunately for the RA Friar Tuck had made his way down the path in the tree-line far enough to find & call it as being False, the Hare then marked the CHK, having seen this Mr. X turned back to head out northward along the edge of a recently harvested wheat field. 

The Trail would led on along by a hedgerow by the reaped field, on the other side of the tall, thick hedge a combine could be heard busy at work, luckily it was far enough away to prevent any dust clouds drifting over.  Mr. X sailed through the next CHK, where the other option to head out west over the field to Nimney wood.  Instead he continued northward on th slightly serpentine like  path & picked up the Trail once again, with a brief look back he could see that Slug & Port were leading the rest of the Pack behind him.

On the way the RA noticed in the hawthorn hedgerow there was a Buzz Light-year helium balloon that was slightly deflated, no so much ‘To infinity & beyond!” more like “To the Hawthorns & not beyond!”.  The Trail led on to a Held CHK in the corner of the Field, where another east-west path that runs through the dividing tree line & down to Little Blakesware, the CHK wasn’t just on the floor by the crossroads of paths, it was also chalked on a tree & another was on footpath indication post.

Port was lucky to up at the front with Slug, for when the Hare arrived at the CHK he brought out a jamboree bag of sweets!  Port was lucky to at the front as he had to have a second dip in the bag after he dropped his first chew on the floor, Slug made sure that only the squirrels could eat it.

During the respite for the FRBs, while the SCBs caught up, it was noticed that Kylie & Lobby Lobster were pointing up at the hedgerow.  The RA said that he hoped that they were pointing out the sloes that were abundant this year & that Lobby Lobster was going to make another batch of her sloe gin for the Herts Christmas weekend?

Mark E Mark, Lobby Lobster & Kylie brought up the rear of the Pack, seems that Mark E Mark has ceased with his running after completing his marathon!  Once they had almost reached the CHK the Hare allowed the Keenies to start searching again.

            Mr. X took a wrong option as he searched the path in the Tree-line running away to the west, meanwhile Friar Tuck, Skip & Sloppy Seconds had taken to the opposite side of the tree line heading eastward, they would pick up the Trail within the wooded strip. 

Not only was there Dust up there, but there was a long trail of bird feed all the way along the way up to a farm track, this was to put down for the pheasants & partridges the Hare had mentioned in his opening speech about the Trail.  On the way Mr. X questioned Little Hole on the start of the footie season for the Gooners, things do not bode so well for the Gooners according to Little Hole!

            The Keenies now started on a shortish loop up to the farm track & then back down to the one they were on earlier, Sloppy Seconds broke off to look at the markings on a tree as if to double check that Friar Tuck was on the correct route!

As the Keenies rejoined the north-south track, Mark E Mark, Lobby Lobster, Kylie, Smartarse (Not the F.U.K. Full Moon one) & Psycho all joined them from this original route.  A CHK was found a short way along by the steep wooded slope down to where the Nimney Bourne river should be, the RA went down an unofficial path in the bank to see that the river bed was dried up & now just a bed of stones & rocks.

The Majority seemed keen to head of further northward toward Nobland Green [Thankfully Pebbledash wasn’t there! -  Ed].  After hearing lots of calls of “Are you?” Mr. X had began to search halfway up the opposite steep bank when he heard calls of “On!” emanating from back behind him, so a turn around for the RA & a struggle back up to level of the fields to find the Hare had marked the Trail to the south.  

Mr. X now had to catch up with the back of the Pack as they followed the Dust along the outer edge of the empty crop field.  It was around this point that Zing-a-long-max caught up with the Pack after his late arrival.

Along the way the Pack saw the remains of several dead avians & wondered if the warning from the Hare to watch out for pheasants, partridges etc was suppose to relate to dead ones?  Anyhow, the Trail soon made its way in to the wooded edge of the steep drop down to the level of the Nimeny Bourne river, at least this time there were purpose built steps to aid the descent tot eh wooden foot bridge spanning the wide dried up river bed.

On the opposite side the Trail ran up to & passed through a narrow wooden gate to an enclosed footpath by the top of the river bank & just beyond this was a CHK.  Skip, Friar Tuck, Sloppy Seconds & Little Hole were all caught out by taking to a falsie heading up through another hedged-in path, this one leading up the slight incline of the gentle hillside to Baker’s End in the west, Zing-a-long-a-max was almost brought back from the correct Trail he was on, but the T was found & declared ‘False’ by the other Keenies.

Zing-a-long-a-max found the Dust as the Trail led the Pack out on to the lane, where an arrow directed them southward, a little bit of road-work was needed as the pack now made their way along the rustic lane from Nobland Green on a course parallel to & above that of the river. 

Another Held CHK was found, this one being by a footpath heading back down to another wooden footbridge over the Nimney Bourne.  The Hare once again handed out sweets to placate the Keenies, & get a rousing cheer when the RA would ask the Pack what they thought of the day’s Trail? It was here that Smartarse (Not the F.U.K Full Moon one!) arrived in the middle order & informed the Hash that she had bent the end of her umbrella by getting it stuck in a hole!

A few of the Pack seemed to believe that it was going to rain, [disbelievers! - Ed] mainly because one of the cars passing by while the Hash were trotting down the lane had its windscreen wipers going!  The RA informed the Pack that it wasn’t going to rain on the Trail, of course it held off until the Pack reached the warmth & security of the On Inn!

When it was time to search once again the majority followed Zing-a-long-a-max & Friar Tuck down to the cross the dry river, Skip & Mr. X had other ideas & went to search on the desire line in the wispy grass in a corner of feral land between the road & the river, nothing was found so Skip turned back when “On!” was called in the Nimney wood covering this part of the vale carved out when there was a river running through it.

Skip was unfortunate to go back as those over the river found it to be false!  Mark E Mark managed to spot that the Hare had marked the Trail along the lane, he alerted Mr. X to this so he didn’t turn back.  Mr. X emerged through the tree line & on to the lane, where Mark E Mark & My Lil’ were following the Dust on the lane in a southerly direction back toward Wareside.

The Hare probably could have set a part of the Trail down on the old river bed & used it as a path through the centre of the Nimney Wood to keep the Pack off of the lane.

An almost straight trot back Inn was not on the cards. Mr. X had already said to the Hare that he believed that the Trail would come in on a riverside path that finishes behind the former Red Lion pub, which the Hare tried to pooh-pooh.  None of the Pack present, not even the Hare, had ever been in this establishment when it was a Pub as it shut in the 1930’s!

Anyhow, the Trail ran down to the edge of Babbs Green & then turned off the lane to cross the river on a footpath over Nimney Bourne, but it was only a short way along this before the Dust led up a flight of steps in the steep tree covered earthen bank, then made its way along the edge of the fields above the bank of the dried up river Nimney Bourne.

My Lil’ now had the bit between his teeth (or was it the scent of Ale in his nostrils?) as he led the way & ran on the final leg of the Trail on a long stretch all the way along the rough, wild edge of the crop field to come in to the back of Wareside.

There was a light precipitation in the air on the last stretch of Trail, this was not so easy to run on as it was full of rabbit holes & large wild plants to trip up unwary Hash feet, but, as the RA predicted when the fallow land gave way to habited area the Trail came in behind what was the Red Lion to take to the alleyway up to the Village Hall.  In all it took the Keenies 50 minutes to run around & the rest of the Pack weren’t that far behind.

The Pack initially sat outside the Pub so Louis could have a drink from the courtesy dog bowl of water, but the light misty rain turned to heavier drizzle & it soon drove everyone inside, but not before Mumblehead had arrived as an Après Hasher.  Kylie seemed to have a problem in going in to the Bar, he was confused by the sign & little pouch on the door that contained boot covers for ‘Dirty Boots’!

Sloppy Seconds didn’t hang around again, he wanted to get his ‘Fanny Magnet’ out of the rain, Slug & Port also had to make tracks before the circle was called!  Proceedings also had to wait for Zing-a-long-max to eat his meal, which looked rather nice but a few didn’t like the idea of being served by a lad whose trousers were hanging down from his butt exposing his pants!

The Circle was held out the back of the Pub, here the Hare was rewarded for a Trail of less than an hour.  My Lil received his Down-Down for putting in an effort of running the last section of the Trail, after months of walking around previous Hashes.  Lobby Lobster & Mark E mark were out for the RA had noticed a couple of signs on the way to the venue, the second was one over at the White Horse that said that they had crab on the menu, but more importantly the first one way back way out of Ware that advertised the Fox & Hounds at Hunsdon that was advertising Lobster!