The objective of the hash is to lay a circular flour trail from the pub to form an interesting run that ends up back at the pub. The trail should take between 1 hour and 1¼ hours to run with well-planned checks and the occasional more difficult check to allow the slower runners to catch up thus keeping the pack together. A re-group can also be incorporated to bring the pack back together - further instructions can be issued there as necessary. Trails should be laid by pairs of hares and not singly.

The Didcot, Hash always runs at 7pm on a Tuesday evening during the Summer months and during the Winter months, every other Sunday, starting at 11 am. Because we run mainly in the country side, this ensures that our trails do tend to be mainly daylights runs.

While we do run on tarmac, we do endeavour to stay off-road, making use of the vast public footpath network and other public rights of way.

Hares' Responsibilities

• Research and lay a trail starting from the appointed pub to commence at 7pm/11am
• Check with the pub landlord well in advance that it is acceptable to use his pub as a hash venue.
• Warn him that there will be a dozen or so people guzzling his beer and make careful note of any fears he/she may have about the car-parking situation. This allows the landlord to make any necessary staffing/stock arrangements, and some landlords have been known to even provide other refreshments too.
• Brief the runners of any hazards on the trail such as livestock in the fields and of any unusual trail markings.
• Keep pack together.
• Make sure everybody gets back home to the pub.
• Mark the trail for latecomers. Carry some flour with you on the run to lay arrows from the pub.

Researching the Trail

• Pick a pub where you think you can set a good trail from (if it hasn't hasn't already been picked for you). The Pub should also sell good real ale and be prepared to put up with noisy hashers.
• Obtain a map for the area.
• Plan a route using the map picking out suitable places for checks, re-groups and short cuts. The trail should be approximately FOUR miles long.
• Walk or run the trail several times to familiarise yourself and your fellow hare with the trail. Remember that a one hour hash will take over two hours to walk.
• Plan the trail around footpaths, bridleways and other public rights of way. The use of private land must be by consent only. Where footpaths cross farmers' fields containing livestock or crops it is only courteous to inform him that runners will be using the footpaths over his land.
• Use the geography of the area to confuse the pack's sense of direction and always ensure the pack can't see the pub from any point on the trail.
• Avoid long straight runs between checks, as this will just space the pack out.
• Include a few loops/or even back-checks for the faster runners - to keep the pack together.
• Checks should occur every 300 - 500 metres or so but at varied intervals and, if possible, at natural check points. The trail should start up again within about 30 - 50 metres and anywhere in a 360° circle, i e "BACK CHECKS" are allowed.

Laying the Trail

• It will usually take two hares at least 3 hours to lay the trail and will use about 4/5 bags of flour.
• If possible lay the trail immediately before the hash. This will eliminate the possibility of it being washed away, sabotaged or eaten.
• Before laying the trail consider hiding some flour en-route so that you have less to carry with you.
• Lay the trail with the cheapest flour from Tesco or Sainsbury.
• In damp conditions trails can also be laid in sawdust, chalk or whiting (used to mark the white lines on football pitches - available from Jewsons under the brand name "Snowpak" at £7 per sack). The latter two can be mixed with flour for economy. For health reasons do not be tempted to use Lime.
• Do not use chalk on the city pavements as it will still be there many weeks later - very confusing for subsequent hashes.
• Flour blobs can be on the ground, fence-posts, trees and garden walls etc. and should be every 20 or 30 yds. In open country the spacing needs to be closer - especially when changing direction.

Markings

ON! Three consecutive flour blobs indicate the correct trail

CHECK - from which the trail can go off in any direction - but, six on a check before checking for the trail can start.

RE-GROUP - wait until ALL the runners have arrived.

FALSE TRAIL, do not proceed beyond

indicates the correct direction of the trail.

Stop and back-track to find a 'devious' change of direction (a figure denotes the number of blobs of flour you have to back-track)

Approx 400 yards before the pub - indicates that the end is nigh.

On the day

• Brief the runners of any hazards on the trail such as livestock in the fields and of any unusual trail markings.
• Mark the trail with arrows from the pub for latecomers. A fairy liquid bottle or cycle water bottle can be very useful for this. On some terrain the check circles can be cut in the direction of the trail.
• There should always be two hares - one in the middle to front of the pack and one bringing up the rear looking after the slower runners.
• If in doubt - consult the more experienced hashers (Twitcher, Golden Shower etc)

Remember - the main objective is to keep the pack together

This Guide was authored by Ladybird for the Oxford Hash. Our thanks for his permission to adapt and use it for Didcot.

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