With Nicky "Flasher" Adcock due to leave for Bonny Scotland in the near future after nearly 12 years with the Yeovil Road Running Club, there was a chance for an additional hash in the month of April - and as it took place on London Marathon day, which made the 26.2 mile hash course appropriate! At short notice Mixy was assisted by the newly named Richard "Daisy's Dad" Blackmore - when spectating at the recent Yeovil Half, Richard was disappointed how few people knew his name, but knew his Dalmation Daisy! (there was at least one person at this hash who confessed that she was one of them - wasn't there, Sue!)

At 11am, the only person there to run was Nicky herself - so at least the guest of honour was there, and she was able to don her compulsory hat, a nice "See you Jimmy" tartan affair with ginger wig; worryingly she looked really good in it! Dave Rees ran down from Abbey Manor whilst it wasn't raining (he ran back again afterwards - did he miss the storm?!) and the long distance group runners arrived, and after a quick group photo, it was off. Nicky checked out a long false trail at pace, and it was a shame for the hares (ha ha!) when everyone ran past the first footpath, the sneaky one through someone's garden to Bell Chase, and headed uphill - Mel nearly got to the Asda traffic lights before being called back. Out on the path towards the Westlands social club, everyone humoured the dot making them go under the pedestrian barriers, and then came across a particularly cunning bit of hash laying - needed Mixy to do a bit of subtle sprntimg, "finding" the trail and shouting loudly before the group headed off down Preston Grove.

Janus had a bit of a fall - not run over by a bike as it appears in the photos! Across through Westlands' car park and avoiding the lure of the Golden Arches, the group headed up through Rustywell Park to Hendford Hill and across to Lover's Lane at the side of Ninesprings where the beer stop waited - in honour of the little race taking in the Capital, it was London Pride all round! Adam "Dumbledore" Hawkins willingly posed for the photo with the "Ginger Beard" - honest!

Down through Southwoods (as a result of the hare's house hunting!) and to Goldenstones, before heading over Pen Hill and the "SB" Shortbread Stop - it was that, whisky or haggis, wasn't it?! - before going back over Tesco bridge and back along the Westland footpath and On Inn.

Back in the car park, the clouds blackened over as we watched Woody running laps of the car park until her Garmin reached 20 miles, and offers of lifts were made to Dave Rees, who then ran home - minutes, nay, seconds later the heavens absolutely opened; see the lovely arty photos taken by Richard Janus Dodge from inside of a rain streaked windscreen of the other runners hiding under car boots!

Next hash is just a fortnight away, 6th May at the Three Elms, North Wootton, 11am, Sue Hodges leading.

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/FlasherSFarewellHashApril222012#

Rain greeted the hares Mixy and Janus who took to the roads to cunningly hide beer and hot cross buns for later stops, but luckily this stopped by the time the course came to be laid - after all, there's nothing worse than soggy flour ... or hares! Learning from the lessons of the recce the course avoided the more vicious foliage of St Michael's Hill and tried to live up to the billed "5 ish, flattish" didn't stop the laid trail heading up every steep hill all the way round the Tower and Hedgecock before heading across to the Cartgate and the hidden buns - but as time ran out, the last mile was left as a run and it was back to the House to meet the assembled throng.

And a throng it was - despite fears that Easter Day visiting would put off the majority of the usual hashers, there was a good turn out. Warthog was the first on the swings outside the House (nice horsy looking things made out of tyres), swiftly joined by Fossil, fending off rampant injury and who'd already finished the morning's lomg run on his one remaining cartilage, and there were a good number of Chard hashers who had joined us for the day. Heading off across the Park, the group made their way out on to the road and up Hollow Lane, before dropping down to have a look at a Llama and peer at an Alpacha, and then a climb up towards the Tower. It was gratifying for both hares to see the flase trails up the steep hills were fully checked out!

On into the woods of Hedgecock, the group stopped at the old pumping station for jelly babies and then headed down to East Sttoke church, from where it was out across the fields - in deference to usual, the trail did not go through the little muddy bit, though Sadie threatened to push Donna Smith in to the mudd - but the csmera wasn't trained on her so didn't bother. Over the fields, there were good views of the Pinnacle and the Tower in the distance, and the trail led round to the Hot Cross Bun stop - enjoyed by all, though brought rudely to a halt by that Troll jumping out from under the bridge! (From the troll's point of view, looking up through the cracks in the slabs of the bridge from a freezing river to "enjoy" an "up shorts view" of Jakeman's lycra wasn't pleasant either!)

After walking on the public footpath through  that nice house next to the Cartgate, the sneaky hares led the pack along the Cartgate towards Yeovil before nipping down over the bank to Windsor Lane and a beer stop - a good half mile from the hot cross bun stop! A second bun and a can of lager or blue stuff apiece and the pack wobbled on back towards Montacute House - all suitably jaded, particularly hare Mixy whose recent lack of running was more than apparent!

PS There were notable absentees. Lee Holloway was being a good boy, cooking Easter lunch for his lunch and his young lady, whilst all bets were lost that Paul McNeill would be found snuggled up asleep in the loft insulation he was laying!

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/TheEasterMonkeycuteHash8thApril2012#

We few,we brave few, we band of brothers - many are called but few met the challlenge of the torrential rain that was lashing Yeovil; pity Jon "Windy Bottom" and Mtt "Duke" Crane who were out early to lay the course (Still it is something of an honour - just the fourth or fifth wet H5 hash!). The excuses came flooding in, some more reasonable than others .. admittedly a lot of the usual suspects were off getting even wetter and muddier on the Wessex League finale at Kingston Lacy, but the texts ranged from tales of lurgi to the much more honest "who runs in weather like this?!". At the pub itself, one runner (who remains nameless but those who were there know who you are, Richard!) decided that it would be better to go home and watch the rain with his dog, and it finally got too cold to wait for the long-distance group to arrive - we reckoned that they would have finished their run, had a cup of tea and dry clothes and thought better of it - rather than that Phil had been wearing his "Not Lost, Just Exploring T-shirt" and taken it as an instruction rather than a bit of a joke!

The group headed off down Mudford Road, working hard against the head wind and driving rain - Barnacles Orme and Two-Skin Blencowe to the fore - and ended up at the play area at Yeovil Rec. In the absence of money for a Mocha at the Galley and flour markings (washed out by the rain), we had to trust the hares' explanation that the correct course including the zip-wire and climbing over the pirate ship and down the dragon slide - net result; wet arses all round!

Look at the RunReplay course - looks like we ran miles and the hares have obviously been well trained, as there were some particularly nasty twists - and how they laughed when the whole group ran right down Ilchester Road almost to Yeovil Marsh.. only to get carried away and not notice that the Crane clan were still standing back by the bus stop at the top of the hill! Down to a good beer stop (those hedgehogs will bury anything) and out into the mud (Mixy nearly missing out on a puddle until put right!), before a really nice bit - heading down Marsh Lane, only to round the field, and past the Windy Bottom which gave the man his name, before heading back up hill & come out just feet from where we'd been 10 minutes earlier!

Despite the rain stopping and the sun coming out, the enthusiasm had been used up and so it was a quick trot back along Combe Street Lane and an ad hoc jelly baby stop at the Hundred Stone before the call of On Inn - well done Windy Bottom and Duke for a very enjoyable hash; next time we'll let you have a dry one so more people turn up!

Next hash - Easter Sunday, 8th April - Montacute House!

RunReplay - http://www.runreplay.com/replay.aspx?event=1322

Photos on: https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/FleurDeLysHash04032012# 

Since the first running on Sunday 28^th September 2003, the Ham Hill Hash House Harriers have been meeting on a roughly monthly basis, trailing their flour and blobbing where no hash has blobbed before across South Somerset and North Dorset, and Sunday saw the 100^th hash taking place back where it all started – the Fleur de Lis, Stoke sub Hamdon and a run over Ham Hill itself.

Back in 2003 the Ham Hill Hash (H5) had been inspired by a trip to the Lundy Hash by Martin “Major Clanger” Monaghan and Martin “Mixy” Chaffey, members of the Yeovil Town Road Running Club, and the mix of laid flour trails, shouted instructions and more laid back type of running quickly caught on as a supplement to the “proper” running of the Club’s training nights. The first hash was laid by Mixy and Major Clanger for a group of    , including members of the Bridgwater, Taunton and Blandford hashes who came to help celebrate the inaugural hash. It was good to see a number of the originals back in place on Sunday – Fred “Midflow” and Sue “Grotbags” Fox, Nicky “Flasher” Adcock and Andy “Warthog” Goodman amongst them and we were also joined by Rowland Stibbards, who came out of running retirement for the occasion.

Of the other usual hash suspects, Brian “Sanatogen” Mountjoy-Row, Adam “Dumbledore” Hawkins and Pete  “Hands On” Jakeman were joined by Phil “Fossil” MacQuaid and Mel “Lackov” Dodge, whilst Richard “Janus” Dodge, Deb “Woody” Neal and Deb “Sugar Plum” Stanfield were all apparent in the field of over 40 runners – a cracking turn out.   

Eight years on and H5 100 was led by Mixy and a special “secret hare” – unknown to the members of hash, Major Clanger was back! Years ago Martin Monaghan moved to the Far East (Suffolk to be precise!) but made the pilgrimage back to home ground for the celebration. On the day the weather held fair – temperatures stayed above freezing, although things underfoot were much more interesting for the runners at 11am once the mud had defrosted!

The hares had laid a cunning course across Stoke recreation field – making sure that runners made their way all round the bike track – and then up into the woods on the side of Ham Hill itself. A couple of naughty circular routes later – that Major Clanger has a bit of an evil streak and the course snaked round a bit - and the mud saw a number of people fall over spectacularly – most spectacularly was Matt “Two Skin” Blencowe – wearing his trademark two pairs if socks was no good as he fell flat on his arse and ended up with a perfect circle of mud on the back of his newly shaved head! The jelly baby stop was at the bench we’d run past ten minutes before, overlooking Norton sub Hamdon, and then it was on to Tinker’s Bubble and a quick trip through the waterfall before the climb up Witcombe Valley and a celebration beer stop. With time ticking, the pack headed over towards Hedgecock woods, dropping down to skirt the Prince of Wales pub and around to the Pinnacle atop Ham Hill – a fitting end to Hash 100!

Sliding down the hill (literally in some cases – Karen Edwards, we mean you!) back to the pub the hares apologise for not coming in to join the group for lunch but Clanger had to drive through the snow to Suffolk and I had to get back to my babies – if I’d known about the H5 100 cake, I’d have been in like a shot!

Jon and Matt “Duke” Crane have offered to lay the next hash from the Fleur de Lys, Mudford Road, Yeovil on Sunday 4^th March at 11am – let Jon know if you want to eat there so he can inform the pub.

Photos of H5 100 at https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/The100thHashStokeUnderHamdonHillSun5thFeb2012#

The old year went out with a bang as the Ham Hill hashers travelled out to Crewkerne for a course laid by AOT. The absence of prior recce was no problem, but did mean that the course was a little on the short side – neither Rachel or I were that bothered about running on the first time round!

There was a good turn out for the last run of 2011, including a number of the Chard Hash, despite the Saturday morning timing. The group quickly headed out of the town centre (missing a really cunning little loop the length of the High Street!) and into the green fields beyond – there is something always a bit sadistic about watching a group of runners running in all directions over a big field trying to find the correct route!

After only a mile we stopped for jelly babies, nipping over a ditch (not risking the rusty girder bridge) and then heading uphill. Perhaps the electric fence was a giveaway, but the shouting from the nearby farm confirmed that we weren’t on the correct bridlepath despite the map reading on the morning’s course laying and the whole group had to beat a quick retreat back on to the lane and down past the farm, before a nasty big climb where the hares had to “find” blobs that weren’t there – had the group followed the actual blobs of flour, they’d have got as lost as the hares did earlier in the day!

Luckily hare AOT had found the right road to the beer stop location, so was ready and waiting for the runners when they arrived – for the New Year, a new taste sensation, Double Chocolate Beer; the consensus of opinion – stick to the Banana Bread Beer for the next one!

On On to 2012!

Photos at: https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/TheCrewkerneDoubleChocolateStoutHash31stDec2011#

RunReplay at: http://www.runreplay.com/replay.aspx?show=myruns

The annual joint hash with Taunton Hash, this year the venue was Curry Rivel, to be a bit nearer Taunton, but really so that we could incorporate the Burton Pynsent Monument into the route! After a recce that was much more eventful than the actual hash (including a classic “get off my land” moment, and the unofficial naming of Destroying Angel – as Phil is such a fun-gi to be with!), the assembled throng met outside the Old Forge Pub – which despite being the Sunday before Christmas remained resolutely closed so the post-run drinks were taken instead at the King William IV just up the road.

The Taunton group tend to be proper hashers so there was a general surprise from my fellow hare that any of them listened to the pre-run briefing(!) and several of the more cunning false trails were missed as the group headed off out past the Church, across a nicely cloggy ploughed field and down through a wood dense enough to get most of the trail – and runners – lost!

The trail took everyone down to the river and a bit of pixy-leading through the fields, the Taunton lot at the front of the pack conveniently forgot the meaning of the all-back fish hook and kept going – though that meant only that they got to go up the hill to the Monument first! They also need a bit of training in the way of the beer stop – they were all a bit slow at getting the lagers open once it was finally found (never assume that you go straight to the huge tower when I’m anything to do with the trail!).

A bit of post-run research revealed that we should have had Cider rather than beer! see http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/somerset/properties/Burton-Pynsent.htm (“When the government of the day was considering taxing cider more heavily, William Pitt the Elder came out strongly against the proposals. Sir William Pynsent was so grateful for Pitt's support that he changed his will, and left the Burton Pynsent estate to Pitt.”)

Unfortunately the efforts of the hares over the last mile went almost to waste when some of the front runners missed the trail but relied on local knowledge to get back to the pub rather than try to rediscover the blobs of flour – those who waited for the hares were in for a treat as the correct trail was a bit of a doozy, over locked gates and through “private path” signs aplenty!. Back to the pubs for the Taunton contingent to practice their down downs – to the bemusement of the Ham Hillers (we have never got our heads round those!)

Photos on: https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/TheOldForgeMudHashCurryRivelDecember182011#

RunReplay at: http://www.runreplay.com/replay.aspx?show=myruns

Earlier in the year, Richard “Janus” Dodge travelled to see daughter number 1 out in Tasmania and took part in the local (by which this means a mere 1.5 hour drive each way!) hash and their annual “Tour de Pisse”. As this consisted of 8km run, 4 drinking stops and a prize draw with some rather dubious prizes at the end, there was some trepidation at the hash that Richard was organising in honour of his new grandson Kayne was under the banner “Kayne’s Tour de Pisse”!

Meeting outside the Ilchester Arms, Richard had provided commemorative T-shirts for all present and so there was a good look to the group that headed across the bridge and out over the fields towards the A303 and along the riverside. It was nice to see Pill Bridge, a favourite of the Inca Trail course, from the opposite direction to normal and we then headed back down Pillbridge Lane but nipped off to the left and a bridge under the main road rather than heading over the Inca Trail bridge – unlucky Duke Crane had already run right to the top of the bridge before being called back, but then he likes going up the hill and then marching back down again!

Back into Ilchester and there was a scheduled beer stop in the back garden of Hazel’s house (Mel being in Australia and all of us hoping that she either knew or wouldn’t look at the photos on the Club website!) where Richard had put on a magnificent spread of Ilchester cheese and Australian wine. After the first 4.5mile loop, I had to head off so sloped off to the pub – leaving the rest of the group to carry on for a further lap, beer stop and a total of 9 miles! (pity those who had run the Sunday Long Run first!)

Photos on: https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/KaynesLeTourDePisseIlchester20thNov2011#   

There was a good turn out for the hash at the Mermaid Inn, Sherborne, with debutant hares Sue Hodges and Matt Blencowe being “helped” by Mixy Chaffey – which meant that the planned route was quickly diverted through the adventure playground; had to be done! Julie Green arrived newly married – so now Julie Biss – and Chris Hurrell turned up newly ginger, the result of allowing his daughter to practice her hair dying (shame he’s already got a hash name – “collar & cuffs” would have taken some explaining, but then again so does “CB”!)

The whole group of hashers were good enough to throw themselves into it, all going down the slide and over the balance beam and seesaw, before heading down Blackberry Lane and out of Sherborne. Sue had devised a cunning course out past the Cattery, thinking of a nice big hill to take them up, with a nasty little “fishhook” at the top – although the surprise element was lost as Jon Crane and Lee Holloway were miles ahead of everyone else and were at the top of the hill and back down to the group by the time the others had regrouped and so knew there was no real incentive to be in the first 5 to the top!

A jelly baby stop later and it was on towards Trent – apart from the two who missed the false trail cross and were nearly in Stallen before turning back – and then on to a beer stop overlooking Sherborne golf course (nice brown stuff in substitution of the normal blue stuff!). Matt Blencowe used hare’s privilege to bring his daughter, and Jess was told she’d be given extra points for beating “the old ladies” to the finish – Tina and Mel were not impressed! There was still time for a trip up through Crow Woods and another jelly baby stop before heading back to the Mermaid. No food available at the pub but it’s changing hands in a month so watch this space for future pub runs…  

Photos on https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/MermaidHash23102011#

RunReplay on http://www.runreplay.com/replay.aspx?event=1151

Notes to all would be hares, laying the hash courses – even if you have a vague course in mind, it’s always best to carry out a recce run, otherwise you find yourselves running more than 9 miles before you even start the hash! Mixy and Kat had that misfortune, coupled with the fact that it was raining quite steadily throughout the morning – though the course was laid near Kat’s house for the purposes of a mid-run toilet stop!

Running with only the sites of the jelly baby stop and beer stop in mind, it was good pootling all round Yeovil, finding paths that didn’t know existed – there’s a good one round the side of Wyndham Hill, so well done to Matt Blencowe who ran to the top of the hill twice, once from each side, looking for trails that weren’t there!

Midpoint on the run was the Yeovil Hundred Stone – interesting, as it was the site of the old Hundred, effectively the local parliament, but in reality perhaps one of the most uninspiring monuments you’re ever likely to see… unless Hazel “COYS” Ford is sitting astride it with a load of runners mucking about behind her! (information on the Hundred Stone – I wasn’t just making it up! - http://www.yeoviltown.com/history/saxons.aspx )

The rain had abated by this time and the group headed down through the estates off Lyde Road – it must be said that there was a bit of marking Club territory going on, with X signs outside Deb Stanfield’s house, Jon Crane’s house and, for a complete set, Noel Frost’s house too. The trail led over the adventure playground to the old rubbish tip off Lyde Road for the beer stop where the runners were approached by three huge dogs – but you know what they say, they’ll be more scared of you than you are of them… true in this case!      

Photos can be seen at https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/PenMillHash25092011#

As you may know, there are one or two little hills in West Coker – those who did the hash back in August do now! With the assistance of the Crane boys, Mixy was in a bit of an evil mood, trying out new hash signs learned from friends in Chard (such as the “fish hook”) and intent on sending people back and forth as often as possible. Having recce’d a course en route to Nigel Moysey’s surprise party the night before, there was a big dunghill to be traversed and Mixy was the first over it to lay the course – well for two steps, and then knee deep in poo!

Seemingly those on the hash knew Martin well enough not to try the dungheap themselves (apart from Andy “Warthog” Goodman!), but hadn’t guessed on the next section, they’d be running right up one side of the hedge – only to be turned round and back down through the middle of the hedge.. past an active bee hive as it turned out, with a couple of stings incurred! (For poor old Mike Kendrick, he was being stung for a third run in a row!).

After swinging through the village, there was only one place we were going – up Chur Lane, which is a bit of a monster! Near the top of the hill, some nasty devil (we’re blaming Matthew “Duke” Crane!) had put a fish hook, meaning that all runners had to turn and run to the back of the pack (if only to help Deb Neal push her bike up), leaving Rachel “AOT” out in front – though it must be pointed out that when  she found the second fish hook at the very top of the hill, she gave up and lay on the road! In order to gain a name for himself, Matthew then decided to take all runners straight over the hill, down the other side and back up again, like the Grand Old Duke of York .. Duke to his friends! One beer stop later and it was back along the road and back On Inn the pub for a very nice meal.

Photos available at: https://picasaweb.google.com/yeoviltownrrc01/August212011TheWestCokerBeeStingHash#