| Date | Hare | Scribe |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Jul 2024 | I’ll Do It & Easy Rider | John |
This Sunday was a joint Hash with The NWH3 and KVH3 and the first thing to be noticed was how many people turned up! A local resident came out to see what was happening; he thought it was maybe parking for a coach pickup to Fairford, there were so many vehicles in the village.
It has always been a feature of Hashes for a prompt start at 11 am, but NWH3 like a great beast reluctantly stirring itself, eventually started activity around 11.15 when “I’ll Do It” indicated that the walker’s route was about 3.5 miles and the runner’s around 4.6 miles. We recognised all the common usage signs but there was the addition of a circle containing a cross which indicated that runners return back to the previous sawdust/flour/chalk marking. Note the use of sawdust, locally sourced and environmentally sound – and apparently much cheaper than flour! Our Hare reminded both runners and walkers that there were several roads to cross, so take care. No mention of cows!
Immediately, it became apparent that local knowledge gave the KVH3 runners a distinct advantage in picking up the route, and we quickly assumed a position at the head of the pack.
After making a circuit around Liddington Church we headed down the A4192 and turned right across a stile into the fields. Referring back to local knowledge, we would have avoided this pathway in summer as the second field normally contains a herd of quite boisterous black cows. This was true today, and the cows were quite disturbed seeing so many people invading their territory. We quickly escaped over a stile, and hoped the rest of the group of walkers coped.
The other new sign we found on a bridge was a straight line of sawdust which must not be crossed, making the alternative crossing a wide stream. Not wishing to be accused of cheating, we bravely got our feet wet.
Following the route up Kingshill we had a regroup and then passed by the graveside of a NWH3 runner who died in an air accident in Afghanistan in 2005.
A beer stop was located just at the entrance to the field after the churchyard. As the crowd gathered, the landowner popped his head over the hedge to see what the noise was about, but went away happy after sharing a packet of crisps.
Across the second field there was another encounter with very inquisitive cows who raced around the field in an alarming manner.
Finally we reached the pub where we enjoyed the company of the NW hashers, and shared a couple of bowls of David’s chips.