Run	Date	Hare(s)	Description	MapRef	1:50000	1:25000	1:10000	Aerial
Run 629	16 March 2008	Mussolini	Fairmile Bottom LayBy	SU984092

A balmy 7ºC and windy drizzle with the odd big spots greeted us in the murky depths of Fairmile Bottom. There aint no other way to go but up from the Bottom, so there was no point in the hares telling us it would be flat and dry etc, but they did so anyway, fighting to get the better of the roar of traffic. The good news was that there were some four dot falsies at which a numbered tag was deposited, and what do mumbered tags mean ?, and also a sprinkling of "lady's checks". So it was good to start our way up the slope and leave the juggernauts behind, especially as one of them nearly sucked Doc Freeman out of the lay-by in its wake.

There was a bit of back and fore checking halfway up the escarpment before we made the inevitable climb up to the top with John and Dr Blood leading the way. Lots of ways to go at the top, and by the time we had checked them all out we were in a nice bunch, except for Panda who had found the true trail and was miles ahead in the lush green of Rewell Wood. A good southerly leg stretch later we found ourselves a lady's check at one of the many seven way junctions in the wood. More ways than ladies, so while the men indulged themselves in manly banter the hashers of the femail persuasion did all the work. Strangely with odds of 1:7 against Panda chose the true trail and dissapeared into the distance once again.

There followed a series of straightforward checks taking us northeast, to another lady's check just by the pond in Screens Wood, where the manly banter consisted of Can Man letting us know that the tallest chestnut tree in England is located "just down that path there, I can let you have the coordinates if you are interested"......

This was the turning point. From the pond we waded northwest, towards the chariots and picked up the trail that leads to Yewtree Gate and the edge of the descent. And lo ! who should we see but The Gnu and Sinbad, doing the old "better late than never" routine. We had a spot of bother finding true trail here but eventualy Godiva and Panda sniffed it out on the lower path that runs southwest along the edge. A nice canter olong this trail, and a bit of grumbling from Old Faithful because there had been no tag on the four dot falsie he'd checked, and we soon found the On-In and slithered back down to the roar of the Queen's highway.

A round of mandarines from Dr Blood, a round of applause for the hares, followed by nominations, ending up with Humble Scribe getting the Hash-It (I think, as I was watching a lovely old Roller go by). Then the lucky tag holders were awarded big Easter Eggs by Mussolini (grazzi!) before the rush to The Spur.

Bambi.