“Have you ever had the feeling you have been here before?”  Well, it turns out that the hares laid the same trail as the last Didcot run from Wantage.  But, as they hadn’t been on that one, it was new to them, if to no-one else.  And the mood Lemony was in at Hash Words, no-one would have been brave enough to cross her at any time during the evening!  She usurped the GM by getting the circle together and trying to get the hash to start on time, then told the pack they could take notice of the run backs or not, up to them, she really didn’t care!  What attitude!

The hares did the briefing in the car park due to the lack of space outside the pub, and had laid the trail from the pub, but this didn’t help Chris, who is rather new to hashing and was in the pub.  Luckily, Dipstick was in there too, having a pint or two before the run, so they both found their way out of the bar and onto the trail which went off through the leisure centre car park and turned right onto the path which weaved its way over to Letcombe Regis.  Here the walkers took a short cut and walked up the road while the runners went though the village.  Epic and Northern Soul took a long cut, turning along beside the manor house into a cul de sac and finding 3 blobs they called On.  This was where the hares had got a bit lost and thought they had re-traced their steps well.  But obviously not.  They called Epic back but he was buzzing as always “5 blobs before the cross,  we thought we were on ..  brilliant!” The trail went down the road opposite the pub and up a footpath along the side of a field before meeting a very rutted bridleway which joined the road just below Windmill Hill.  It was here that Swallow asked caught us up and asked if anyone had seen CS who was putting his shoes on in the car park when she set off.  Looking back along the ruts we could see a figure coming out of the mist.  He had caught us up. Very impressive. 

The trail went up and across the road and on to East Challow before turning right along the old canal and finally turning back into Wantage for a wiggle through the streets, round the church and back into the Civic Centre car park. 

We re-grouped into the pub where those who had gone for fish and chips (that’s right, you can take your own food into this pub) came in in dribs and drabs.  And, finally, CS entered.  He was feeling rather sorry for himself.  He had run the first half of the trail by himself as he was trying to catch up with the pack.  During this epic feat his shoe had been rubbing and produced a rather large blister which meant he had to spend 5 minutes adjusting his shoe before limping along, on his own again, for the remainder of the trail.  He made it though.  What an accolade to the hares for marking the trail so well. Eric ran brilliantly.  She has started doing Park Run in Chepstow and it really showed in her increased stamina.  Well done, Eric. 

On On

Hares: Wimpey and Lemony Snicket

Hounds:  Zorro, Piscine Down, Big Stiffy, Hotlips, Dingaling, Dipstick, Hutch, Rubber Sole, Rubber Sole’s Buddy, Epic Fail Pressganger and Qualcast, Professional Peach, Cheap Date, St Bernard, Swallow, Uranus, Comet, CS Gas, Northern Soul, Hell Boy, Jake and Barry, Patsy, Edina, Saphi, Eric, Accrual Joke, Henry V and Chris

Date: 11 April 2017

Distance:  5 miles