THE “WHAT GOES DOWN… ” HASH
Run Number: 390
Date: Sunday 25 Mar 07
Time: 50 minutes
Distance: About 4 miles
Run Location: Kingston
The Pub: The Scott Arms
Pub Links: To follow
Weather: Overcast, dry with a cold wind
HARE(S): J-F (Entente) Lechanoine
HOUNDS - Steve Thornton
- Ben (The Slobby Uno ♂) Sadd
- Rowland (Pet Rescue) Stibbards
- Bronwen (Ronlet) Jones
- Ed (Birdseye) Sadd
- Martin (Madness) Lawson
- Duncan (Day Glo) Ray
Not In Photograph:Social Hounds/Hash Puppies:- Gail (Tour Guide) Sadd
- Wendy Stibbards
Real Hounds:
THE WORDS
Despite the distance to the venue and the loss of an hour, the Hounds turned up in good time, ensuring a parking place at the popular walkers’ start point in Purbeck. In fact Pet Rescue and Wendy were really keen and were half way through their thermos when Ronlet arrived followed closely by the Hare himself, or rather toute seule, and Day Glo, who had toyed with the idea of cycling to the event but thought better of it. Madness! Talking of whom… And we welcomed Steve back who had not been deterred by his first foray, although he looked slightly concerned by the topography of the area. Didn’t we all! Birdseye arrived avec parte du famille (well, French GCE was a long time ago) ie. the ♂ part of the Slobby Duo and Tour Guide, who was more than happy to join Wendy for a pleasant walk. For the runners, the other concern, apart from the gradients was the drop in temperature cause by the wind chill factor, and there was much debate and changing of kit in readiness. Madness and the Sadds (it’s all in the names, you know) were undaunted in T-shirts and shorts.
Entente stood in again for Hash Flash duties, risking life and limb in his choice of vantage point and incurring a frosty glare from a local driver who clearly couldn’t cope with negotiating a photographer and a corner at the same time. The briefing was fortunately ‘brief’ as not only was there a need to warm up, but Ronlet’s eyes were clearly meeting round the back of her head.
The route headed up and west, and Birdseye took an early lead, guessing correctly a right hand turn off the main drag into some thickish woodland – much to Ronlet’s relief. He was lucky again at the next check and Madness, who had ventured down the wrong route, and Ronlet were hard pressed to catch up with the pack as it was now down hill on some rather rutted, stony tracks. Fortunately there was another check just before Blashenwell Farm which allowed for regrouping, but the Sadd’s were clearly on a role and The Slobby Uno was soon disappearing into the distance giving us only a second or two to admire the farm, its yard and pond with outstanding views of Corfe Castle.
At the next check fortunes changed and Day Glo took the On-ers. With the sound of running water, Madness availed himself of a pitstop (tricky spelling is you’re not careful) while we entered Corfe Common following an undulating path which allowed splendid views of the Castle as we crested every brow – and there were a few too many of those. A whip-in allowed a quick catching of breath but with several routes on offer we couldn’t hang about and Day Glo again spotted the sawdust heading away from the village. At the next check, Ronlet found the trail contouring round the base of various tumuli with a herd of ponies looking rather disdainfully down at us. The track headed towards the main road and a whip-in at the gates.
Over the road, the trail headed inevitably upwards and not unfortunately towards the Swanage Railway from whence we could hear a train’s whistle blast. The Hare’s ‘Not that way!’ was not very cheering. Initially the pack stayed together pretty well, with a few stiles and stream crossings allowing a bit of a breather, plus the very occasional check. But the contours were getting closer and the hill loving whippets started to draw away and we could only guess at the distant cries of On On from the likes of Pet Rescue, Birdseye and the Slobby Uno. Day Glo was putting up a manful showing and probably chatting with the Hare. Ronlet and Madness were, however, bemoaning (or rather gasping) their lack of steam and were just hoping that the distant church was the fourth whip-in. It was and Steve, who must be planning his hill training programme over the next week, even managed a wry smile. More than I could, but at least we had the spectacular view with the murkiness from earlier beginning to thin out. The only incongruence was the laundry hanging from the church until my sugar-starved brain twigged it was now a house.
We knew we were close to the pub but couldn’t be sure that the Hare hadn’t planned a diversion. Fortunately he hadn’t, and we gratefully ran down to the On In. Only one slight hitch to this timely finale was the lack of car keys. Tour Guide and Wendy had not returned from their amble and as there was still a chilly wind atop the hillside, Birdseye and Pet Rescue trotted off in search – well they clearly needed a longer run anyway. Once we all reassembled we were rewarded for our travails by some good ale and, once we’d worked out the ordering system, some good food expeditiously presented. On On!
MUG & T-SHIRT RATINGS
(??*) - Denotes attendance by those not Mug Rated (social hounds).
GOLD T-SHIRT AWARD (50 AND OVER)
Andy (Warthog) Goodman (190); Bronwen (Ronlet) Jones (151); Brian (BrEW) Errington-Weddle (116 + 1*); Ed (Birdseye) Sadd (109); Terry (Buggalugs) Canham (108 + 1*); Terry (Walt) Disney (99); Mark (Jibber) Humphries (85); Tim (Silent Running) Bryning (84 + 1*); Tim (Classic) King (69); J-F (Entente) Lechanoine (69); Duncan (Day Glo) Ray (64 + 2*); Jason (Kinky Bugger) Wareham (54); Martin (Madness) Lawson (53)
MUG AWARD AND CAN WEAR BLUE T-SHIRT (25 - 49)
Sylvie (Ça Va) Lechanoine (43 + 1*); John (Semaphore) Carr (42); Tom (Jock) Moncur (38); Frances (Stop Watch) Canham (35*); Ruth (Typhoon) Canham (35*); Jim (Forget Me Not) Forrest (25 + 6*); Helen (Elle) Goodman (27*)
NEED MORE HASHES OR POSTING ORDER (10 - 24)
Gail (Tour Guide) Sadd (8 + 14*); Steve (Bob the Builder) Pritchard (20); Nick (Tri Harder) Bateson (20); Gordon (F Med) Rafferty (18); John (Strider) Bryning (17); Rowland (Pet Rescue) Stibbards (16); Tom (Two Shoes) Gillard (15); Lesley (Tinkerbell) Bryning (13*); Mark (Shady) Vincent (12); Edward (The Wanderer) Vincent (11)
NEED MORE HASHES (5 - 9)
Emma Sadd (8 + 1*); Sarah Bryning (1 + 8*); Ben (The Slobby Uno ♂) Sadd (8); James (i-Plod) Vincent (6); Clare (The Slobby Uno ♀) Sadd (4 + 2*); John (Nokia) Noraika (5); Wendy Stibbards (5*)
KEEP HASHING (1 - 4)
Peter Fuller (4); Ombeline Lechanoine (4*); Heather Terrington (2 + 1*); Jenny Fuller (2); Patrick Ginn (2); Steve (Cloth Ears) Lomas (2); Rod (Dyno) Thomas (2); Steve Thornton (2); Gabbi Lomas (1); Colin McGrory (1); David Orriss (1); Fiona Ray (1); Chantelle Wareham (1); Robert Carr (1*); Sandie Disney (1*); Kate Forrest (1*); Renee Ginn (1*); Alf Sadd (1*); Fiona Vincent (1*); Janice Vincent (1*)
Price: Entente # 390 |
