Hash 545 – New Inn @ Lechlade

Ok, you know it’s not going to last, so me mentioning the weather is not going to be my fault if the heavens open and the sun disappears. But we are not in Australia or South Africa, this is England; we don’t have summers like this. Can you remember the last hash when it wasn’t hot and sunny weather?

Well, I’ll help you there because it was hash 540 at The Greyhound, Letcombe Regis on the 27 May when it was threatening heavy rain and there was a light drizzle – and I was laying the trail!

Subsequent hashes were at Charlton, South Marston, Wilton and Wanborough and they were all hot, cloudless and sunny days with the temperatures in the high 20s, if not the low 30s.

So, I’ve got that off my chest and it’s 8 o’clock in the evening, having picked 5 lbs of blackberries – I’m now cooling down. What a great summer.

A good crowd turned up at The New Inn, including two hashers from Surrey, who were on the last day of a cycling tour and staying in Lechlade. They’d seen our trail marks and decided to join us –unfortunately they had no running gear with them so joined the walkers.

The trail started in shady lanes, crossing the Thames several times including Buscot Lock, and then took us across harvested farm fields. We detoured briefly to visit St John’s Chapel, but unfortunately found it locked.

Two fields contained cows, but they had no energy for running and little interest in us, preferring to gather together under the shady trees. There I go again, banging on about the weather!!

Back at the New Inn, none of us seemed to be tempted by the roast dinner on offer, instead settling for cold drinks sitting on the various shady benches outside.

Keith thanked the hares for a thoroughly enjoyable Hash. Mick donated the shorts to Caroline for some obscure reason; and the horn seems to have disappeared.