What a way to spend an evening!  Out in the sunshine with a group of barmy people. But Albert Square chose to stay home and make a cake for his work’s bake off competition!

We set off up the road to the north, then made the front runners do a pointless loop down the first lane on the right, then round in a circle to the phone box before continuing north. 

We turned off left onto a footpath which was rather hidden from sight, across a style and then across the field and over the stream and through the copse.  Here we turned right and followed the field round until we met another footpath which we joined, turning right and setting off back to the main road.  At the junction we came across a bike grave yard!  Turning left we went north again, along the road and along the side of the field before turning right through the wood.  As we came back towards the road there was a footpath off to the left which was rather nettly and down hill.  Wimpey had been cruel and laid a fish hook some way down this track! 

The trail went on to the road and turned left.  At The Mole we turned right and ran down a lovely tree-lined drive to Baldon Row, a small hamlet with a beautiful church and a church yard looking out over the surrounding countryside.  Lo-Cost set off through the church yard, followed by Epic, but were soon called back as the trail went along the top, then turned back down hill, completing 2 sides of the triangle and passing the place where Lo-Cost and Epic would have ended up if they had kept going!  Following the path to the right we came to a crossroads and the field of cows.  These had been rather stubborn to move when the trail was laid and a rather large bull had been discovered at the back of the pack.  Luckily they were somewhat further from the path in the evening otherwise most of the hash would have missed the next pretty part of the trail by following a short cut.  There was a little concern because most of the runners were still in the field when CS got stuck in the gate.  But we finally eased him through.  After crossing the field we went through Pebble Hill, turned left and then right along the trees towards Little Baldon Farm.  A sharp right turn back on ourselves led through the cornfield.  The farmer had cut a thin path and the corn looked beautiful in the evening sun.  We continued into a paddock where there was a bulus tree – very tasty if you could fight through the nettles to reach them.  We turned right and either went over or under the one bar gate.  CS chose to go over but didn’t notice that the ground dropped away on the other side. Meaning that the bar was rather higher than he realised.  His voice came back to normal by the end of the evening.  But his conkers remained very spicky.

We headed round past the church and right at the road to get back to the pub.  Bjorn Again announced that she had burned 900 calories during the evening.

Pressganger may have been holidaying in Canada but her whole family were in the pub to welcome us back from the run – actually they had no idea we were running from there and had gone out for a quiet meal!   

The yellow shirt went to Henry V for attacking the poor hare with her stick when he was down on his knees for a photo shoot.  He may never run again. 

She also got the pants for attacking the Hutch with her poles while he was wearing them (the pants that is).  She hasn’t hashed for so long she has obviously forgotten the etiquette.

I can’t wait until next week to see how she decorates the shirt!  Most of the flowers and bells she put on a year ago have disappeared.  I am sure it will be back in all its splendour next week once she gets creative.

On On 

Hares:  Wimpey and Lemony Snickett

Hounds:  Hutch, Professional Peach, Rubber Sole, Northern Soul, Rubber Sole’s Buddy, Lo-Cost, Chicken Head, Mother Hen, CS Gas, Gnome Alone, Gatecrasher, Scrumptious, Babs, B’Cider, Epic Fail, Bjorn Again, Henry V, A Cruel Joke, Pyro and Whisper  

Date:  9 August 2016

Distance: 4.5 Miles