Run 866 - Letcombe Regis
Run PhotosRun: 866
Date: Sunday, 15 March 2009
Venue: The Greyhound, Letcombe Regis
Hare(s): The Childrey Posse - Rear Admiral and Deaf Aid
Hounds: Golden shower, Twitcher, Plod, Pressganger, Eric, Gnome Alone, CS Gas, Norah Batty, Cherry, S/Shoveller, Penelope Pitstop, J-Wax, Balderick, Big Stiffy, and just for the beer, Monkey whisperer, and baby Monkey Whisperer
The K9s were represented by Meg and Trip Hazard
Scribe: Plod
What a gorgeous morning. Just right for a Sunday morning stroll down to the local pub for a quick lunch-time pint. Only it wasn't a stroll was it. Oh it was a gorgeous morning, very spring like, sunny too. Legs in shorts were begining to make an appearance. Anyway, we gathered in the car-park, Golden Shower sporting the proposed new DH3 t-shirt and there seemed an awfull lot of catching up to do. Cressida was wearing a Sweat Shirt with the logo 'Knackered Gardener'. No one could remember her hash name so she suggested that was a suitable one. No won't work. I've checked back, we all agreed at the time that the chosen hash name was a naff one, but Cherry it was, and Cherry it is. Anyway, 11 came and went. And then the Hares got impatient. Deaf Aid started to go on about how we would be interfering with her Sunday evening drinking plans if we didn't get going soon. So order was called and we gathered round. Rear Admiral, bless his cotton socks, did the honours. He drew a Regroup and called it a Muster!!! But even he couldn't do right. Deaf Aid kept trying to speed things up.
So, having been told it was a 5 miler and that the On was left out of the pub car park, we were off. See the photos for the reason for my earlier reference about the stroll. We meandered . . . well, ambled through the village. And then there was no mistaking about where we were going. Straight up to The Ridgeway. Deaf Aid got confused: called back two FRBs who were ON and tried to send them up a False - that must have been some bash you were attending that night. And so we started to climb. Passed an Allotment with as many gardeners in it as were in the pack - never seen so many. And we climbed. All right, maybe I can't call it a hill but it was long, and a steep gradient to boot. So a stroll it turned out to be.
Just before the summit and the Ridgeway, just below Segbury Hill Fort, we stopped to admire the view - and try and identify every landmark between there and Oxford. Yes, and the photos prove it, THE power station was there in all its glory. When all got bored of that then the last few yards to the fort itself. Some actually broke into a trot at this point. While sitting at the top there was a lot of arm waving etc and just before we resumed I heard my name being called - and apparently I missed some sort of salute. Knowing CS Gas was up there, it was probably a mass moonie - so my lack of energy to raise my head did me a favour - though thinking about it - what a photo opportunity - might even have made a good new Didcot H3 logo.
Anyway, the runners were sent on a loop around the perimeter of the Fort, while us shortcutters merely ambled down to the next check, down being the operative word. For this was the turning point. We now started on the downhill leg of the trail. To begin with though this seemed steeper then the uphill, and so the stroll continued. However, just before we hit Letcombe Bassett, we turned off to the right and ran in parallel with Segsbury Brook. This was on the level and I think that the runners consciences started pricking them and they started disappearing into the distance.
And so it was that we found ourselves at the Letcombe Regis Allotment gardens - we'd passed them on the way out - and the On Inn.
And who should we find back at the pub - but Monkey Whisperer, + junior. No, not Baby Driver,but new born baby daughter, Eleanor.
My GPS thingy showed 2.7 miles and 1 hour 14 mins but as i didn't start it till we were halfway on the outward leg, I'm not sure what the total distance or time was. I would have guessed at 4 miles rather then 5 but I have been known to be wrong before.
A very enjoyable morning that turned out to be. My Guinness didn't seem to touch the sides as it went down, a couple more would have been nice but . . . So thank you Hares for a nice trail. Twice before you could have taken us up into the clouds and you didn't. Can we maybe go back to those times . . ? Only joking.
At some stage, Gnome Alone decided that a trail he had offered to lay . . . well, he couldn't do it . . . because it clashed with his Pottery classes. Can you see it. Gnome Alone in an apron, sat there spining his wheel while his fingers mould a lump of clay into . . whatever. But then I overheard a snippet, where he was talking about a naked woman climbing out of a bath full of mud ? ! ? Just what kind of 'moulding' does he go in for?
Enjoy the photos.
The next hash is in two weeks time when we're at The Plough at Garsington. The Hare will be yours truly and I promise that as it's the last Sunday run of the Winter, it won't be too long - though it will be longer then my virgin trail here which lasted about 25 minutes. See you all there.
Plod