Run 788 - Wam! The Chapel, Cotford st Luke

Hare: WAM!

Hounds: Gent Caller, Tenzing, Baby Spice, Chubby Checker, Dog Plucker, Phantom, Bigbird, Martini, Why Bother, Pink2Lips, DitW, Just Bull.

The 3 witches arrived on their wheely broomsticks just as the rain did, but that didn’t faze the dirty dozen, or so they became later on!

Two and on we were told and beware the horses.Off we ran through the park area, a group of onlookers giving us a clap as we passed them, coming out onto the access road and onto a stile where some misguided individual had pinned a note telling walkers that poison had been laid  on the path, they had also attempted to obliterate it, but as their walk was only a short one we were soon back on flour. At this point in the hash Why Bother was leading us all, a great transformation from the previous week when on the last downhill stretch back to the cars his knees hurt so much I thought we were going to have to take it in turns to carry him!!The trail was flat and fast, taking us along field edges to Wick Farm then across to the steam railway line with a sneaky hard right turn to go over the Milverton road and towards Pontispool farm.  This was where our hare had battled with the young horses, but they had been moved into another field by the time we got there.      I’d had a feeling that we were going towards WAM’s house but she wasn’t letting on, though after some more running that’s where we all ended up. WAM had made a birthday cake for DitW, whose ????? birthday was the following day, so we all had a piece of cake and a drink and sang Happy Birthday to DitW.Grudgingly, we continued on the trail, still fast and flat, but the rain had stopped and a few fields later and almost before we knew it we had reached our starting point at the Chapel.It was a very enjoyable run, though I didn’t much enjoy the nettles, and with cake as well!Thank you WAM.

Run 785 - Brush Off

Hare: Brush off Hounds: Big Bird, Tom Tom, Gentleman Caller, Grass hopper, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Phantom, P2L, Tenzing, Ditw, Why Bother, Colin and Dog Plucker

The meeting point was The Monk, West Monkton, where we all gathered and took our instructions from our hare, two and on and the normal animals in fields etc. Then off we set up Noah’s Hill and passed the ponds and left up a footpath and across the field back towards West Monkton and onto Church Hill, we then tool a path taking us to the old Manor. This was part of the old Abbey of Glastonbury estate, one of the only estates west of the river Parrett, which is where the name West Monkton derived from.The path came back out onto a road, we turned left back down the road towards the village (well some of us did?). At the crossroads we went back up Church Hill and turned into the footpath running pass the old quarry. Quarrying stopped here over 100 years ago, the stones from this quarry is made of mud and sandstone and was used mainly in the West Monkton area to build walling and barns.This footpath brings us out above Gotton, where we turned left then right, passed Somerset yurts at Hill farm. Now the word yurt, most people believe that this means trellis tent that was used by the herdsmen from Asia. The Russian original yurt is a misapplication of the Turkic Yurt meaning territory or campsite. So if you are one of those people that like to stay in a yurt for week you are still just camping!We then found our way across more fields to the back of Hestercombe gardens and house, where the hare put in a sneaky loop around the back of the house thought the car park and up the zig zag path and back around again to the front of the house and our regroup looking over the formal gardens. Hestercombe has a unique combination of three centuries of garden design: Coplestone Warre Bampfylde's Georgian landscape garden, the Victorian terrace and shrubbery and the Edwardian garden design by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll.After the regroup we are taken back up though blue bell woods passed Gotton house and across the fields back to the pub.A very well executed run. Thank you Brush Off/Simon.

Run 781: Phantom Crowcombe on down The Carew Arms

Hare: PhantomHounds: Tom Tom, Big Bird, Wam!, JB. Gentleman Caller, Ferret, Dripped On, Floater, Soc App.,  Chubbie Checker, Dog Plucker, 

late comers Martini and Ferret
In the pub: Bangkok

It was a dark and foggy night and the hare said to the hounds….. it’s two and on and there are ewes with lambs so please walk in their presence.
It certainly was foggy as we set off but (drum roll please) it wasn’t raining.   Running in the fog is a bit surreal … it was sometimes difficult to tell if we were running up or down hill and we certainly had to call to avoid loosing any hashers.   Our two new hashers (well Dog Plucker has been once before) where active members of the pack, checking here and there …. no one quite had the nerve to ask them how they got their names (perhaps next week).    
The fog began to clear and the moon was bright.   It was possible to see that we were in lovely countryside, running over streams and through woods.  Phantom had set a ferret trap at the regroup … a sneaky little turn, which Ferret missed …. oh dear … more sweets for us.  After the regroup there did seem to be a lot more up hill than down hill so we did get a bit spread out so JB called an impromptu …. once all gathered together again we made our way back to the start to find Bangkok in the pub having cycled her new bike down Crowcombe hill!!  There was an enormous otter hound in the pub which was only 7 months old so will probably get even more enormous.   They are apparently more endangered than white rhino ….. with only 2000 in the world, 300 of which are in the UK!

A lovely run Phantom.. thank you and I look forward to a re run in the summer so we can appreciate the views!

   

Run 779 Notley Arms, Monksilver Tom Tom

 Run Number:- 779- 26^th February 2014

Venue:- Notley Arms, Monksilver.

Hare:- TomTom.

Hounds:- Pink 2 lips, Big bird, Phantom, Dripped on, Bat eyes, Brush off, Gentleman caller, Grasshopper, Justin, Floater, JB.

Guest:-  Vince

In the pub:- Why Bother.

All met in the pub car park on a clear starry night, very nice to be back after a short break.  After the hare did not assure us that there were not any hills we were off to the first check.  Nobody seems particularly keen for the first few checks with lots of hanging about chatting but that abruptly came to an end when we left the road and ran up across a field, then onto a footpath and up again, then a track and up again and again and again. I didn't think we had hills this high, GPS said 950 feet

Finally we reached the top, great now it must all be down.  Along a track to the road.  JB headed off at a pace down the hill while the rest milled around deciding which way to go. After a while JB puffed back up the hill to be told by a smiling Grasshopper that it was that way after all.  As she said all good for the calorie burn.

We were now in some more woods and through a very wet watery field past a luverly old house called Nettlecombe which I had not heard of before.

Regroup just down the road from Nettlecombe where the liquorice allsorts seemed to be in great demand.  After which a fairly uneventful run back to the pub where we met up with Why Bother.  By now the clouds had covered the stars but all in all a very pleasant evening run.

The Notley Arms had a new landlord who was very welcoming and lit the fire especially for us. The menu looked very good to.

Well done to Dripped On and Vince for travelling all the way from Glastonbury, must have been a 70 mile round trip.

Thanks to TomTom for a well laid HASH.

Run 778 The Cross Keys Just Bull

Venue: The Cross Keys

Hare: JB

Hounds: Big Bird, Pink2lips, WAM, DitW, Tom Tom, Martini, Roadkill, Phantom, Sorcerers Apprentice, Gentleman Caller, Baby Spice.

In the pub: Why Bother, Ferret, Bangkok.

The hare gave us the usual information before we started but with the welcome news of no hills. We set off and checked both roundabouts before setting off up the lane.Then right across the fields till we reached Langford Lane, across the lane and more fields before doubling back to the lane again. Good one JB! Again we followed the lane to the next junction and it was left towards Edgeborough Farm. We heard the alarming sound of a large vehicle coming along the lane behind us, at speed, so we all huddled in a gateway as a large tractor rushed past.

Once the danger was past we branched out across fields again to Pickney Lane, where we turned left and I thought I was on my way home. After the regroup when the rain started, it was back across country towards Langford. These were the usual boggy fields we have become used to this winter, including a path where we were up to our knees in water. Trainers to dry yet again! Finally we negotiated the main road traffic back to the pub.

Thanks JB.

Run # 771 : Down in the Woods Langford Budville Village Hall

Run Number: 771: 8^th January 2014

Venue: Langford Budville Village Hall

Hare: Down in the Woods

Hounds:  P2L, Why Bother.  Liz, Big Bird, Brush Off, Grasshopper. Phantom, Wam!, JB. Gentleman Caller, Ferret, Justin (stranger .... maybe?! - could this be a new naming)

In the pub: Bangkok

   

We arrived at the new village Hall with, by the time we got there, quite a convoy of cars (signage for hall very very tiny). After admiring the new village hall and its ample car park there was a quick briefing from the hare about wet conditions and that mostly it would be “two and on” but sometimes it might be “nothing and on”.... well that should be interesting!

Off we set down a foot path and onto a road ... so far so good, plenty of flour but it wasn’t long before we were on a very slippery downhill track with lots of stones and green slime underfoot.   Whilst Wam! was creeping down at snails pace, she nearly got taken out by Grasshopper who seems to have no regard for his own or others safety (you should hear his partner’s views on his badmington skills), powering down the hill, following hot on his tail JB wearing her new “mudclaw” shoes ....... mountain goat like!

On we went through various wooded parts and muddy tracks and on to the first re group .... just a practice, no sweeties.  Not long after that, the real regroup with real sweeties. This was the moment the heavens opened and we all got wet!  We didn’t hang around and carried on through the wood, up a steep very very muddy hill and back into the woods and then on in down the road.   

A quick change an on in to the Martlett where Wam! got her bossy hat on and wouldn’t allow anyone to leave until they had committed to setting a run.  Ferret amused one of the locals by talking about the Romanian woman who was going to massage his a**e tomorrow.... well I never!

Run 768: Roadkill Staple Cross Inn

Hare: Road KillHounds:  P2L, Why Bother. TomTom, Big Bird, Tenzing. Wham!, JB. Gentleman Caller, Phantom, DitW.





On a beautiful clear night with lots of stars, 10 intrepid hounds await instruction from our hare Road Kill, all anticipating a bit of road!! Bit of chat about how we all managed to find the place but in the end not so remote as we all thought…..quick brief on deer park and some wildlife and gates and….
At the cross roads the hounds spread out North, East, South and West, and on on called East on the road, cross roads and check  towards Hockworthy. Another check and left to the deer park and “close the gates”. Lots of deer around. On on towards Turnham and Stuckleys and check at Lea Barton. Left and check again on up and up towards Hockworthy again and guided around and through Court Hall Farm and Home Farm.
Re-group and a lessons in geography and star gazing (is that Taunton or Wellington and what are those red lights!).
On up and check right at Luckleigh Farm towards South Staple Farm and down towards Wilpit Farm with On Inn right marked twice so we didn’t get lost! 
And to finish some road, wouldn’t be right otherwise!
Many thanks for a lovely run….