Hash 534 – Tunnel House Inn @ Coate

Our hash today was a hugely enjoyable one from a lovely old pub in a particularly beautiful part of the Cotswolds. It was, however, a hash that was edged in sadness. Our dear friend and loyal hasher Prof Brian died last Sunday and as we gathered for the briefing GOM Keith talked about him – and we then stood together in a circle in the muddy pub car park and bowed our heads in silence for a minute in his memory. I was deeply moved by that and felt very proud to be a part of our hash. This picture of Brian with his grandchildren was taken at his famously well-planned trail from the Bayberry in January 2016 (Hash 481) and it somehow captures the essence of a family-loving gentle man who was one of the nicest blokes you could hope to meet.

Keith and Kay then brightened the mood by telling us about the trail and the mud and the hazards to look forward to and we set off down a steep muddy bank right at the edge of the car park to the canal towpath below. The last time I ran down that way there was no water in the canal and it was badly overgrown. There has been extensive work returning the canal to its former state over the last few years and it is now full of water and a real pleasure to run beside. There were masses of snowdrops all along the canal and in woodland further on the trail and John told me that the longs had been past a mass of crocuses (crocii ?) as well. Spring flowers in February do the spirit good as we feel that warmth and Spring are just round the corner. I ran the short trail which was laid by Kay in impressively neat and ladylike dots and circles, and did not see another soul until I got back to the pub. There was lots of mud and some wonderful views and the trail was well marked and everyone got back to the pub at more or less the same time – all of which added to the rather special nature of today’s hash

The après was exceptionally good. The Tunnel House, like all pubs now, survives on its food and as usual every space was taken up with tables with reserved signs on. We too have moved with the times, however, and learned how to cope. This is done by, say, four of us booking a table for lunch with a bit of space round it and then the whole of the hash can sit or stand around the one table and be all together as a group. The conversation was lively and the real ale was exceptionally good. Surprisingly they did not sell Guinness – which Maurice has strong views about – but the young staff there were more than helpful and the mood was so relaxed that we made no complaint.

I thanked Keith and Kay for their super trail and invited Andrea (friend of Annie’s who came to the last hash for the first time and was awarded the bags by Kathy) to present the bags on. She entered into the spirit of it all and in a firm voice gave them to Maurice with some advice about never again being late for a hash. She can come again.

Lovely hash Keith and Kay – Thank you.

Postscript:
Brian Lovell was away hashing in South Africa at the time – this is a video of some of the fun he had whilst there