Hash 459 – Bathurst Arms @ North Cerney

If, in a moment of peaceful reflection, you wonder what the perfect hash might be like, our hash this Sunday was probably not far removed from the picture that formed in your mind.

We ran through the glorious countryside of the South Cotswolds on a warm spring morning with our old friends and then sat, in the sunshine, outside an old fashioned pub that sells proper beer. GOM Brian has, in his time, broken the British and All-Comers records for the shortest KVH3 hash and the longest KVH3 hash – and, in my view, he must also now be in line for the record for the Best KVH3 hash after his trail today.

Enough of these utopian reflections however– what we need is an accurate report on today’s trail. A commendable sized group of regulars and a few new faces (Paul and Di brought three generations of their family and Andreas brought along a new lady hasher whose name I am afraid I failed to ask – my apologies to her) jigged about and stretched their lean and supple bodies outside the Bathurst Arms just as the sun was breaking through the clouds.

We would have had a few more runners had Margaret and John arrived on time but they were even later than usual and we saw nothing of them until the apres. We waited for ten minutes but then Brian decided to press on, and so after an interesting brief we were off up a very long winding hill. After what seemed like an age of plodding doggedly up this hill I was on my own and miles behind everyone else so as I finally got to the top I was particularly pleased to see Brian and Keith chatting in the sunshine. Keith said that as he was feeling unfit he was quite happy to run with me at the back and so we trotted round together chatting and admiring the countryside – and it was lovely with everything green and poised to burst into full Spring. We ran through the grounds of some very expensive looking houses and then through woodland and along fields at the bottom of a valley and finally up another steep hill to the road where we met the walkers. Stopping only briefly for a sociable chat, we ran on over a large field with some horses charging about and then back to the pub down the same hill that we climbed at the beginning. As we arrived back at the pub, we were welcomed by the front runners who had changed and were sitting outside languidly enjoying a pint (except Fiona who was first back and was enjoying a double soda water).

As always the après was extremely pleasant. Jeremy made a speech thanking Brian for his splendid trail and Simon presented the bags to somebody for a very good reason (which escapes me for the moment) – and somebody is still sitting on the Hash Horn.

A classic and memorable trail –thank you Brian.