Run No. 1919

Monday 18th April 2021

Venue: Hen & Chickens

Beers: GK IPA

Location: Baldock

Hare/s: A Jolly Postie?

Runners: 19

Virgins: 0

Visitors: 0

Newies: 0

Après: 2

Hash Hounds: 1

Total: 22

Membership: At the end of the Garden (or not!)

             As the great Rabbi Burns once said “The Best laid plans of Mice & Men - I know already!”  Of course these early days of being allowed out again would have teething troubles, but after witnessing last year’s money spent & work they had carried out! [No doubt we’ll find out why later? – Ed] on last year’s visit to Hash from the Orange Tree it still came as a shock that their garden was no longer covid compliant.

So, the Hare had to do a bit of calling around for an alternative, first had no Real Ales, but the second was okay for a couple of Pods to come in & remain in their socially distanced groups, then finally the Hen & Chickens answered the call & came up trumps, Real Ale & a covid planned Garden with properly spaced tables on the gravel Pétanque area.

Mother & Lemming were early birds, they saw the Hare sitting at a table outside the Pub frontage, he was now wearing his Day-glo Orange UK Nash Hash Hare’s T-Shirt.  Mother thought that she could see a pint glass of water on the table behind the Hare, positioned deliberately as if he was hiding it to preserve his Hash reputation!

The Trail started with the first Pod of Milf, No Eye Deer, Mother & Lemming setting off north-eastward on South Road, a street that’s name is a bit of an oxymoron as it actually runs from southwest to northeast!  Anyhow cardinal points aside, it was a short trot to the roundabout at the junction with the Clothall Road, no CHK there, just blue arrows directing the Pack around by the Car Sales on to the north-western arm of the Clothall Road.

After 200 Yards along the road, with homes only lining the southern side, a CHK was found opposite a footpath across the road.  Fliptop was already on Trail with Teddy, having parked up around here, he decided to avoid the start outside of the Pub & start from where he was On Trail.

Dust was found on the green crop field running north-eastward behind Tapps Garden Centre to the east, while Pod 1 made good headway over the between the crops there was some commotion back on Clothal Road as Philippa proved to be Sparky’s apprentice as she caught the raised kerb on the verge & fell face first into the road, thankfully Tony & Kylie were on hand to lend some assistance.  Philippa took some time out before resuming the Trail.

The Pods went for 300 Yards to reach a CHK where the earthen footpath arrives at a T-junction with a tarmac footpath running along the southwestern boundary of the Clothall Estate.  Three Options for the CHK, on straight on into one section of the estate, then there was south-eastward or the north-westward options?  Having stopped to see if Philippa was Ok, the Hare was now quite away behind & had to put a spurt on, but at least he wasn’t far enough away not to notice Fliptop had fallen for the Falsie to the east.

Northwest is was as Lemming & Mother led the way some 290 Yards up to a small green space in the west of the estate, here there were two options from the CHK, down the western footpath running behind the local School grounds or around by the small fenced-in green area.  The First Pod made good progress & soon found Trail on an arcing route to end up heading due east & on to the bending Yeomanary Drive, there arrows pointed the way over to a cut-through to Wynn Close & on to a wide alley between the homes.

 A CHK was found by a snicket off to the west, which was searched before the real Trail was picked up passing through a small wooded area, there a few of these small green spaces linking the tentacle like arms of the small dead-end sections of the estate.

At the end of one of a longer green spaces, with an avenue of trees, Dust was picked up & this led out on Westell Close.  The Trail turned northwest, crossing the roundabout in Yeomanry Drive, with Pod 1 now heading out on the north-eastern arm of Yeomanry Drive, meanwhile Pod 3 with Paxo, Pebbledash & TBT OBE followed the short, Short Cut to pass by the local Convenience Store to reach the roundabout.

Milf, Mother, Lemming, My Lil’ & No Eye Deer’s Pod followed arrows directing a northerly turn through another green space with little homes dotted around it, some noticed that there were a few with bench tables outside of their fronts.  The Dust took to the nor-eastern arm & out on to the green space in the centre of the Clothall Estate, an area that was home to former Herts Hasher Reg “I’ll be back!” Holdsworth many moons ago.

The Trail continue eastward & crossed the all-encompassing Yeomanry Road for one last time before heading over one last green strip to come out by the end of two side streets in a line, a CHK was found to the east of the dead-end of Aleyn Way. 

Here there were a myriad of paths over a small wooden footbridge, these headed away in all points of the compass over the open common area, the Hare was happy to see that the Falsie climbing up the hillside to the southeast had been found & someone was spotted cutting over to the correct path rising to the northeast over the hill of the common that Milf had found.  The Hare was beside himself to see that My Lil’ had gone wrong by staying with the low ground & had to come back from searching the north-western option over toward the Royston Road.

Tent Packer caught up as the Trail was found up over the common, Canny Cant had also made up good ground as both had left Mrs Mallet & Gen & Tonic back by the Pub.

Out in a north-east direction for 210 Yards to reach a CHK on a wide hard core path, two option of nor-nor-east or 180 degrees in the opposite direction down toward a bridge spanning the A505 Bypass?  Nothing to the Royston Road up in the north, but success down toward the by-pass, 180 Yards down toward the bridge a CHK was found on a concrete set of three steps by the Footbridge.

Falsie over to the south-eastern side of the by-pass but those with eagle eyes could have seen the Hare removing his orange Hare T-shirt after making his way down the edge of the Clothall estate with Philippa & Tony on the Short Cut down behind the homes on the eastern edge of the Clothall Estate.,

Milf found the Trail down to the sou-sou-west, after the route turned due west it would drop down to be intercepted by the SCB-Pod to continue westward on a route that gently snake its way along the contour of the route for just over 500 Yards.  On the way Milf got some pictures of the strung out Hash making their way down from the ridge of the Common.

To the right there were more homes with bench seat tables out front, the view was a nice one looking southward with a panorama of the rolling green Herts countryside, unspoilt by the by-pass being cut into the ground & out of sight. 

One guy was sitting on a bench watching the aeroplane being flown over at the NLMFC, some of the Pack didn’t realise that it was a model aircraft, so Mr X said that he’s have to do a Father Ted & Dougal in the Caravan when Ted tried to explain perspective to Dougal with a toy cow & some real cows far away in a field. “Small cow near, large cow far away!”  The runway is a part of the North London R/C Model Flying Club, & to be fair some of the models are really impressive & can be confused as real sized aircraft without a point of reference to scale them by.

 A turn at the gate to the start of the driveway had the Trail follow the bend in the Wallington Road & led down the verge back toward South Road, but that would be far too short a Trail as arrows pointed the way off by the local allotments opposite Taps Garden Centre.

The path changed course to diagonal cut south-eastward through a crop field for 200 Yards, on the way My Lil’ pointed out that he could see the Hen & Chickens over the southwestern corner of the allotments!  No Eye Der was now convinced that the Hare had been looking at her ‘Rate My Walk’ App, for she & Whatevershesays were looking at setting the Trail here & it was following the same route, & he had set one from Mardley Heath that was the same as one they had also planned!  The Hare denied all knowledge & thought it was a case of Great Minds think alike.

Back to the Trail & the Dust led on to the edge of the Clothall Road, where much to My Lil’s annoyance arrows again pointed away from South Road the way to cross the A505 By-pass.

TBT OBE went wrong & unlike the rest of the SCB Pod he was found to be making his way out of a field of Ovines, with a sheepish look he emerged from the private land & said that there was nothing but ewes in the field!  Back to the Trail & once over the dual-carriageway the Trail crossed over to the southern side & on to a footpath that turns back on a hair-pin on the corner of Holme Farm Turkeys [Somewhere you are guaranteed a gobble Pebbledash! – Ed]

Lemming & Mother had already found the Trail, so as Canny Cant & Tent Pack cut over to the Armco barrier, to straddle it & follow the rest down the barrier The Trail sou-sou-west by the by-pass, this dusty route would rise up to a Footbridge over the dual carriage-way on its way into the ‘cut & shut’ tunnels.  A CHK was found here, again it was situated on a set of three concrete steps, there were only two options, southeast down toward Clothall in the distance, or head over the bridge to the corner of Weston Hills Nature Reserve.

Over the dual carriage way, looking to the left the Hash could see the bypass tunnels, only 60 yards along the edge of the crop field & arrows pointed the way south-westward along the edge of the hedgerow for the Nature Reserve.  The Hare, who had been expecting Sludge to be out & about on the Trail, went to all the trouble of placing T’s down the old Limekiln Lane just to try & catch him out!

Flying Solo now caught up with the Keenies, while TBT OBE kept looking in to the Nature Reserve in hope of seeing Trail & avoiding the long, slow climb up the chalky farm land, but the Hare had laid arrows in bright blue chalk that even No Eye Deer could see & she pointed these out to TBT OBE!

200 Yards & a CHK was found, here it was a choice of sticking with the tree-line footpath, or enter the nature reserve that dramatically drops away from Gibbet Hill, Falsies were set in & around this small enclosed wildflower area, when setting this the Hare had to set the third Falsie from the Bottom up [Steady Pebbledash! – Ed] as the decent was too great for his knee.  This conservation area is inhabited by various bird, plant &b insect life, but at one point it was used by Ancient Britons & Romans for Lime production & chalk extraction.

The Trail continued north-westward, dropping down & rising up on a rollercoaster like route to reach a CHK over by the corner of a wood at the top end of Gibbet Hill, a turn to the right & Trail was found though a gate in the Hedgerow.  Dust ran on down by the low western edge of the fenced in Gibbet Hill enclosure to pass into the main wood of Western Hills Nature Reserve.

Nor-nor-east the Trail ran, as the Trail made its way between the broadleaf trees to come around to a northerly direction & up to a CHK by a footpath leading out on to the Chiltern Road, where the end of the shopping parade could be see, but it wasn’t time to head back to the backs trees just yet.  The Trail turned eastward & led on behind the homes as the Pods made their way north-eastward & back to the main, central path through the floor on the woodland.

Mother & Lemming led the way as they came across the Hare, who had been sitting on a bench awaiting the remaining Pods to arrive, earlier he had sent My Lil’, Whatevershesays, Philippa & Tony off on a short cut way back at the Nature Reserve, Paxo, Pebbledash were also sent off that way.  Fliptop also cut the Trail short as he didn’t want to tire out Teddy as they were off to do Agility Training later that Day!

While waiting at the Kissing gate to direct the SCBs, the Hare was barked at by a small pooch, apparently the owner reckons that the Hare’s bright orange top had the dog thinking he was a postman!

Lemming moaned about the steepness of the Falsies, the Hare confessed that he had to approach one from the other direction on the wooden ridge they were just running by.  From the wooded area the Trail led down to a CHK by an alleyway out to Ivel Way, Lemming & Mother led the way to placate the Hare who had set the Trail on a hairpin bend back through the thicket & up to the meadow area of wild plants.

 Milf had to make sure there were only Virtual Hugs at the Kissing Gate as the Pods passed into the more open section of common to the northern end of the nature reserve.  The Hare

Had the Trail run down to almost the end the north-eastern arm of Ivel Way, there through a kissing gate was the last CHK, which wasn’t really taxing& the Pods were soon On to old footpath of Limekiln lane & now it was a decent down through the wooded edge of the reserve, down to the north is the Baldock Park Mobile Homes Park. 

It was a nice long trot down to come out on to the tarmac lane, that leads on by the entrance to the Mobile Home park & out on to 1960/70’s estate before finally coming out onto South Road, now it was a simple case turning right to head up toward the Hen & Chickens.

Just TBT OBE was left to come in, he was fine as he was in his own Pod, taking extra Socially Distancing measures than everyone else to protect Sue.  Back at Base & the returning Pods found Mrs Mallet & Gen & Tonic were already entering the Pub Garden.

Now, the Hare had earlier explained that the Hash had the spaced out tables at the very back of the Pub Garden, which were on the Pétanque area but there seems to be no point in putting this information on Farcebook or waffling on about it at the Chalk talk as the Pods just sat at any free table in the garden. [Herding cats is far easier! – Ed]

Seems that this week we had a lot of injuries, with a Hobbling Sludge joining later with Flanders, Lemming was seen to be showing off his knee which was strapped up with tape, a sight that reminded some older members of a Butlins’ ‘Knobbly Knee Contest’ (it was enough to put you off your Pork Scratchings) but it wasn’t as bumpy or sore as Philippa’s knee which was receiving some treatment to the graze.

Then there was Flying Solo who appeared she was giving everyone the finger, as she had her index finger bandaged up after breaking it with a lawnmower!  Which was nearly a punchline for Pebbledash’s Covid Bush trimming!

It was nice to sit out in the sun, on what was a great day, though being so spread out it’s not quite the same, especially without a Circle, but we are getting there -  slowly but safely.  Sludge was making up lost time & getting the Hash to fill in some of the blanks on the Hareline, looks like we’ll all be going to Fat Fighters with the number of Barbecues coming up? Or do we become the Herts Gourmet Hash?