Run 886 - Upton
Run: 886
Date: Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Venue: George & Dragon, Upton
Hare(s): Gnome Alone
Hounds: S/Shoveller, Penelope Pitstop, Lonely, Bootsy, Big Stiffy, Ringer, NLG 1, NLG 2, Dingaling, Rear Admiral, Gatecrasher, Hutch, R-Sole, Twitcher, Golden Shower, Michelle (1st Run), Rosemary, Graham, Charlotte (1st Run)
Scribe: S/Shoveller
The “George and the Old Dragon” Run
The evening’s events started with the usual slow dribble of arriving hashers, who were requested to park around the corner from the Pub, and who eventually congealed into a pack ready to race off over the horizon - “oh alright then, amble off down the road”. Oh yes, and Gatecrasher had cycled all the way from Oxford to enjoy the trials and tribulations of this Didcot Hash Trail.
Golden Shower called things to order and greeted a couple of newcomers in Michelle and Charlotte. We also welcomed the return of those regular ‘Upton Hashers’, Rosemary and Graham. I guess that Gnome Alone bellows to them over the fence “are you lot coming to the hash, then??”
All but the discerning few, who were convinced this was to be a downland run, drifted down the lane opposite the pub where the blobs were spaced at around 2 hundred yard intervals before reaching a check and spreading out into the recreation ground to seek the onward trail. I think it was Dingaling (one of Ringer’s seemingly huge contingent of young hashers) who found the onward trail out of the far corner of the rec and up onto the former Didcot to Newbury railway line embankment.
At the check over the railway bridge there was much zig-zagging around out before we simply continued along the embankment, following Michelle towards Didcot and passing over the next bridge with nary a check to be seen. Things were different at the third bridge and the trail was eventually called along the path towards East Hagbourne with the trail continuing straight on into the village at the next check. At the check by the church the front runners had the urge to turn right and having gone up a false trail myself, I arrived at the church check just as the FRBs were merging from their false trail. The trail then snaked through and around East Hagbourne’s lanes and footpaths before following the causeway beside the Tadley stream to its junction with the Shuffle Brook where there was another check. The onward trail was found by newcomer, Charlotte, who rapidly disappeared down the long path towards Blewbury before coming to halt at the check on the far side of the field.
We then turned westwards towards home but home was not in our Hare’s thoughts, as he had cunningly arranged for us to pass under our outgoing trail and continue on towards the outskirts of West Hagbourne where a check turned us south towards Upton and the On-Inn. However the next check, on which stood SCB Twitcher before the FRBs had got there sent us left around two sides of a triangle. The direct path towards home was easily sussed by the Upton residents who decided that one side of a triangle was all they needed to use
On our way in we passed a young man who seemed to have problem with the small dog he was presumably taking for a walk. The small dog was running rings round the lad who was diving at the dog in an attempt to catch it – don’t know how long that game went on for!
The weather was kind enough for us to be able to sit outside the pub to munch on our chips and sup our beer but with nary a chance of seeing the Perseid Meteor Shower that night due to cloud cover.
A pleasant evening’s efforts on familiar territory, most deviously used by our Hare. Well laid, Gnome Alone.
S/Shoveller