THE “2005 WARTHOG WINTER SPECIAL” (347)
HASH WORDS – 18 DEC 05
“THE KINGS ARMS” AT EAST STOUR COMMON
Time: 105 minutes
Distance: About 10 km
Weather: Fine but cool
Hare: Warthog
BH3 Hounds: Ça Va, Day Glo, Entente, Jibber, Kinky Bugger, Madness, Pet Rescue, Silent Running, Strider, Walt
Real Hounds: Alamein
Social Hounds: Tinkerbell
THE WORDS
The car park at the Kings Arms filled with a mixture of BH3, Ham Hill H3, Dorset Doddlers and few who just fancied a seasonal run out all organised by Warthog. At least it did once we got the hang of getting the cars up the steep and slippery grassy slope of the car park. Jibber’s eyes looked bad after the office party the night before. The wise pre-ordered their lunch from the Inn’s host with the menus in the car park before the off. Warthog asked those present to form the circle, gave the briefing and demonstrated the trail symbols which had been laid in flour. Day Glo copped for a down-down for talking out of turn. Silent Running finally caught up with Kinky Bugger and was able to present him with his 25 run tankard, which was over a year overdue. We admired the smart T-shirts H5 have with their individual handles written on the back. After a photo-call in front of the pub we were told to start checking and we were off.
The pack of about 30 galloped off North with the BH3 hounds struggling with the new trail media, which resulted in far smaller signs than they were used to. Madness confessing he has seen no signs at all yet when we had passed quite a few. Silent Running convincingly selected a stile to cross on the wrong route and became the back marker once he has got his real hound back across the obstacle. Strider and Pet Rescue were already making early showing at the front of the pack and finding the way. We hit the mandatory “let’s run along the stream”, so favoured by the hare, surprisingly early. Alamein struggled badly with “pawspin” on the bits of the stream that were still frozen. Warthog was doing a good job keeping the pack together by giving a few tail enders a slight economical to avoid a stile bottleneck by allowing a few to run unobserved along the other side of the hedge to the main trail. Before long the large pack fanned out across the fields searching Southish for the right route towards the wooded Duncliffe Hill. The far right option being called resulted in the left flank searchers, including Strider, Day Glo and Walt being left badly adrift, but our wise hare had laid plenty of “Rs” for Regroup in the trail so they were not left behind for long. Although he was running well Jibber’s eyes looked worse. Kinky Bugger was also going well.
Then began a long trend of uphill into Duncliffe Woods. Some of this was off the main tracks and the full wisdom of the flour trail was revealed with cunning twisty trails though broken woodland with mini-dabs being laid on stumps, logs, sticks and even individual branches. Madness took a heavy tumble as the trail faded away in some bracken. Here Entente and Ça Va were keeping together and maintaining good placing near the front. At almost exactly the hour point we gathered on the hill top to enjoy the view and our hare produced good Christmas fare for us all to enjoy, even providing bowl and water for the real hound. Jibber’s eyes seemed better now – something to do with hair of the dog from the hare. After a good rest and full of beer, blue vodka and mince pies the hounds wobbled off downhill and were soon on the steep slopes trying to follow mini-dabs through the woods, with Walt and Pet Rescue prominent.
The trail flattened out into fields but there was still plenty of cunning evident as the most unlikely option often proving the way. At this stage BH3 were well represented at the front with Day Glo, Strider and Silent Running swapping the lead and finding the trail. At a gate onto a road Silent Running struggled with the gate catch and Alamein took his opportunity to break free and dashed into the road. Heroine Ça Va took a superwoman single leap over the gate and rescued the wayward real hound from being run over. After the excitement it was noted that this was the On-in and the serious business of the run home began. Strider accelerated away to be first hound home and the rest straggled in to the pub car park. Warthog enjoyed teasing him about being all washed and changed while the back markers were still arriving.
Our thanks go to Warthog and H5 for the very kind invitation. Especial thanks go to the hare for laying a really good, devious long trail and for providing the sustenance at the top of Duncliffe Hill on a great day for a run. A really large crowd then repaired to the Kings Arms for good ale and fine food. Anyone in H5 got an e-photo as we forgot the camera?
Price: Warthog # 068 |
