| Date | Hare | Scribe |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Apr 2022 | Keith | Kevin |
It was less than eight months ago that we last visited the PoW (Prince of Wales) in Shrivenham and on that occasion Keith handed over the GOMship to me. My recollections of the day are somewhat blurred due to the excess libation that was offered and consumed on the day – thankfully we have Simon’s mag to remind me of what took place on that day.
Today, Sunday 3rd April to be precise, we were invited back to the PoW by our hare for the day Keith, who just so happens to have recently settled in Shrivenham with his abode not too far from the PoW. So this was an opportunity for Keith to get know his new neighbourhood by covertly laying a trail and for us fellow hashers to get a different perspective of the village. Living on the doorstep of where you are laying a trail has its benefits in that you can take your time laying the trail without the need to travel too far, and Keith took advantage of this opportunity by laying the trail over two days.
As we were gathered in front of the PoW awaiting Keith’s briefing, GOM was having a conversation with some of the walkers. Caroline had brought along friend Sue to the hash and GOM was assuming Sue would be joining the runners but Sue stated she was a medium pace walker, so I was offering options as to who best to buddy up with on her first trail with the hash when one of the gathering stated that Kathy may not be a suitable companion as she is generally a slow pace walker then Kathy, who was part of the discussion, stated “I think I am a very fast walker for my height”. We can no longer give Kathy the label of being a slow walker!
Keith gave his briefing stating the trail was about 2.6 miles for the short and about 5.3 miles for the short (giving estimated distances is now default for hares following David’s last hash so that there can be no comeback if the trail turns out to be more than 9 miles). There were two long/short divides on the trail, which one of our hashers, name escapes me but it could have been Kathy, asked Keith if it was possible to do part of the short and part of the long trail to make a medium trail and Keith said he couldn’t see why not (we are a clever lot in KVH3 never one to miss a trick). So this may be the first hash where we had four possible trails; short, long, short/long, long/short. Keith mentioned there was a fishhook on the trail for the runners (more about this later) and plenty of checks (circles) and then he sent us on! on! our way towards Church Walk.
Unusually for me and along with Simon, Ainslie and Kiri (Simon and Ainslie’s adorable Labrador) we ended at the back of the following hashers as they streamed passed us along Church Walk while Simon was dealing with Kiri’s deposit and Ainslie and I were managing Kiri, and before too long everyone disappeared into the far distance and we never caught up with any fellow hashers along the trail we followed which was a mix of lovely rural countryside and village suburbia. Ainslie, Simon, Kiri and myself took the long/short trail which took about 90 minutes to complete before our return to the PoW where we thought we would be the last to return. But how wrong we were. Sitting in the PoW were some hashers who just did the short trail, none of the runners were back, neither was my better half or Lily. I messaged my BH to acquire her whereabouts and if she was taking the long trail? “Yes I’m with David. Not too much further so David tells me! So one of two possible outcomes could happen David will use his Ordnance Survey app and they would get lost or they would follow Keith’s trail and be back soon, thankfully it was the latter that occurred!
Speaking with most hashers on their return to the PoW they all enjoyed Keith’s trail many deciding to take different routes. Kathy sent me a note to say “I’m pleased to say that most of the walkers (myself included) did the short/long today – i.e. between the two lengths – and it worked out very well, coming in at respectable 4.2 miles. No excitements, but a lovely stile & slope-free scenic ramble with the sun’s rays tinged with lime as the Spring light penetrated new growth. Very varied and pleasant indeed “. GOM gave his speech and thanked Keith for the well laid short, long, short/long and long/short trails. As for the fishhook: it seems the runners colluded to all reach the fishhook at the same time and take a rest by the nearby bench!
And for something different: If you fell asleep reading my mag you may be interested in the history of the Prince of Wales http://www.shrivenhamheritagesociety.co.uk/downloads/prince-of-wales.pdf
On! On! for the next hash from the Sun Inn @Coate