Historical Interest
Butlers Cross 241m / 790ft
In the 19th century John Russell's family owned the nearby mansion Chequers and their servants and staff resided at Butlers Cross.
Well this week's hash came with warning suggesting waders and crampons would be useful!
The evenings wet weather may of also put off all but the bravest stalwarts of hashing however the best of the best arrived in the car park numbering "a coming of age" 21+.
Natasha set about a brief welcome as no one wished to stand about too long in the rain. The reference to crampons sent the FRB's searching for a trail in the direction of the nearby hills only to find the start was along the road to Kimble before a path right led us up the side of an open field with the rain slashing down upon us backed by a stiff cold breeze. Soon we entered the manicured lawns of Ellesborough Golf Course and passed in front of their club house to the road to regroup and allow Roger and late comers to join us.
This next section of this hash cannot be accurately described in hashing terms so I will turn to mountaineering reference and call it "The Ascent".
Initially in the dark it was an innocent slope that became acutely steep and slippery. Halfway up Poppy got very excited to see Hells Belles slipping onto all fours in a scramble to scale the hillside. Others with less vigour crawled on hands and knees clinging by finger tip to the slippery slope. Roger was heard doing a risk assessment in case of the need for emergency access.
Amazing what we fools will do in darkness, I mean you climb a hill for the view but having finally arrived at the top of Coombe Hill the monument was shrouded in wet misty rain and visibility was down to about 5.00 metres. Just by way of rubbing salt in the wound an FRB on-back greeted the fittest of us at the memorial, - as if anyone would wish to go back down and up that hill again!
My last recollection when HWH3 hashers were on all fours climbing such a hill was many years pass when Rob Green sent us up Pulpit Hill, near Cadsden from the old WW2 rifle butts.
Historical Interest
Coombe Hill 260m / 850feet
Monument was erected to commemorated the local service men fallen during the 2nd Boer War.
Restored and rededicated in 2010
When we had all arrived, cleaned off our hands and knees Natasha declared it the long/short trail splitting left and right each side of the obelisk. Into the murky mist the FRB's rushed off stage left leaving three of us to figure out the shorter trail with the knowledge "to keep right of the row of trees". We fumbled about on the side of the hill for a while deciding many of the downhill paths were not appropriate until a clear wide track emerged with a misty vision of trees to the left. Whilst this path seemed to go on forever I think this was a deception of the murky conditions and eventually we came through a wood to a road – Lodge Hill. We were out of the mist and a short distance along the road we found "The Ridgeway Path" leading us into the woods on a downhill path, well it had to be all downhill from here to cross paths where clearly the long trailers would rejoin this track. The long trail had gone on a large wooded loop taking in Low and High Scrubs and Fugsdon Woods to arrive where we were in Goodmerhill Wood. This track brought us to the foot of Lodge Hill and Coombe Hill Farm with a five minute run back to Butlers Cross and the hospitality of the Russell Arms.
Thanks to the Russell Arms for some good chips and to Natasha for paying for them. As to the Hash Natasha many thanks for the entertainment it has an Oscar, no Tosca feel to it!