This rural eating house set in an area of exclusive real estate has a generous car park to accommodate our ever growing band of hashers this pleasant early spring evening. Our regular throng arrived in steady numbers and soon formed intense discussion groups rather like squawking flocks of seagulls at the seaside it is difficult to get their attention. Our GM bellows “it is late and time to listen to your hare.” As usual late comers were still arriving as the hare briefly expressed rules for discovering the trail, suggesting that a short 4.5mile or a longer 6.0mile hash was on offer and dispensing encouragement that the available trails were checked out with particular attention to the footpath at the rear of the pub car park. Needless to say it was soon called in that direction leaving our late arrivals Aud, Tracey, Jaded and her friend bringing up the rear guard to the first check.
The first part of the trail led through a small copse into a field gently down hill to a check in the valley, all very civil and onward to the next check at the base of this valley. Here on it would have to be up and in true fashion the path led us steeply up beside a hedgerow, turning to skirt the edge of a wood.
Finally near the summit a check led us into the woods named Brook Wood and although a quantity of shiggy mud was found no brook revealed its self as we traced our way through it to the next check.
At this point we had a small bail out with Mad Mick suffering a twisted knee at the weekend after being surprised by a rabbit hole, together with Aud, Jaded and friend deciding to short cut back to the Crown.
A brief sprint across a field and onto a road recognised as Penn Bottom to check out our swift progress. Aide recalled a path up the side of an isolated small white cottage and soon calls us on-on through their side gate and up a track into the woods commonly known as Common Wood.
The trail through Common Wood was well laid with numerous checks soon called on. It set up a brisk pace and Common Wood seemed to go on and on until finally we regrouped at a clearing in sight of a road and our small band at the back caught up. Crossing the road it turns out to be Penn Bottom Road again and into more woods. Our GM is eagerly looking for a short cut back to the pub, usually his excuse is Lesley but this week his 12year old daughter Molly was on her first hash and I know from my own daughters brief hashing experience it is important to make the first hash an enjoyable one or she won’t want to come hashing again. The next check was at the edge of the wood and looking across the fields there were bright lights and clear signs of civilisation not sighted since we left the pub.
With local knowledge it was pointed out that the shortest way back was straight on, but the hare insisted we head towards the bright lights that turned out to be The Penn Tennis Club not Las Vegas.
This brought us onto the main Hazlemere/Penn road and we trotted thirstily pass The Red Lion at Penn Pond. The next check was the long awaited short/ long split and Jane gave Aide a map for the long trail. This proved to be a mistake as he announces he’d had a look at the map and it’s not worth doing the extra loop and we should all take the road straight back to the crown. But Jane was having none of that and so most of the hash set off on the long trail while a few of us regular short cutters headed along the road to the Crown an excellent choice of venue with a superb chip service.
The long cut was, as the name suggests, long. It was also rocky, narrow, steep in places and full of real-hashing shiggy. The pack became somewhat spread out until a few impromptu re-groups were called. After the first seven post- L/S split hours, people started dreaming of loved ones and looking for signs of long lost of civilizations, like the pub.
Well done Jane and Steve for setting an excellent first hash for HWH3 and congratulations to Helen and Jo for simultaneously achieving the same number of runs together and graciously accepting twinned tee shirts to mark this freaky event.