| Date | Hare | Scribe |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Dec 2018 | Maurice | Paul |
Di & I arrived at the Red Lion at 10.55am, just in time to see Maurice trudge up the road, having just finished laying the trail. This made me think he had either started laying the trail late, or maybe the walkers or RUNNERS were in for a bit of a long one!
Not that this was a worry for me. Having had knee replacement surgery just 13 days previously, I was just going to read the newspaper and wait for the pub to open. However, after a brief chat with Maurice, he informed me the trail had no stiles, was relatively flat, and he could make a minor adjustment for Mike & myself, so I decided to give it a go.
It was a good turnout with about 20 hashers raring to go. There was a healthy split between runners & walkers, and it was good to see some newbies returning for a second time.
After Maurice gave his briefing, we all set off down the road with Mike, Keith & myself all hobbling, holding up the rear. We also had James, Di & Evie for company. Evie was tasked with taking the pictures for the day.
The trail had a good mix of village pathways, country footpaths & bridleways, with some excellent scenery and plenty of wildlife to see. Along with the usual farmyard animals, there was also a paddock full of alpacas.
After following the flour symbols & taking the Mike&Paul shortcut, (apart from Di, Evie & James, all the walkers appeared to take the shortcut, missing out the muddy incline) we arrived safely back at the pub at 12.20pm.
To our surprise no runners had made it back so far, but us walkers carried on enjoying our apres-hash and chitchat. Some 15 minutes later, and still no sign of a runner, Keith contacted Maurice, who was already out searching for lost souls. 5 minutes later, just 2 runners had returned, so Keith jumped in his car to go and hunt for the others. Thankfully, a short while later, all returned safely.
I’d just like to say that Paul and I felt honoured to have a trail specifically designed for us and that we enjoyed it immensely. And what a good old-fashioned pub the Red Lion is. Can we go there again please
Where did we go wrong?
7 runners set out, including 2 new ladies whom I really hope do return…..
We followed the flour, yes it was raining and it looked as if Maurice had made do with some wholemeal flour from Fiona’s cupboard, but we got hopelessly lost. We missed the long / short divide – though Adam assured me that it was there plain for all to see.
Eventually we found ourselves on a long chalk path and suspected that Maurice had tried to conceal the trail here as some sort of test. We eventually gave up hope of finding the trail and stood at the top of some field by a wooded area (obviously I’ve no idea where this might have been) whilst the less geographically challenged runners debated which way might take us back to Baydon.
The group separated, well David and Des abandoned the rest of us and made their way to the pub. The rest of us struck out over this field and scrambled through / over some barbed wire and were ambling hopefully in the right direction until our wonderful GOM appeared.
His car is always pristine but he waved aside our apologies as we climbed aboard – lovely bloke.
However, we enjoyed the day, the company and the route that we followed (though nothing like the 5 miles promised by Maurice).
Thanks to everyone for a good hash.
Just for once, it rained. A lot. But not for long, and by the time we got back, I had nearly dried out. A small group of returnees enjoyed drinks and chatter until nearly 1 o’clock before Paul spoiled my pint by reminding me the runners ( and Maurice) were still not back. Being conscientious, and not wanting to get sued, I set about looking for them in my car. I met 5 tired , wet and muddy hashers on a lane about a mile away and took them back to the pub. They were really grateful and I was announced a hero. Maurice was still AWOL and I set off again eventually finding the poor guy , plus pooch, further down the same lane, probably more exhausted than the others had been. A memorable hash, and very enjoyable despite the rain and shenanigans. Thanks Maurice.!