Run	Date	Hare(s)	Description	MapRef	1:50000	1:25000	1:10000	Aerial
Run 635	8 June 2008	The Ref and Old Faithful	Fairmile Bottom LayBy	SU984092

A band of the usual Die Hards returned to The Bottom for the second time this year, the day living up to its name being warm and sunny. Somewhere in the roar of the traffic the hares unusualy gave us no lies and warned us to be careful as recent rain had made things a bit slippery.... just like we like it. From this location there is no option (unless you risk crossing a busy road) but to climb the steep escarpment, its just a question of where the climb will be made. So here there is always a sort of foreplay, with the hares tempting the pack up steep falsies with the trail moving either left or right from the start. This hash was no exception.

This time the foreplay consisted of big loop through the woods beneath Yewtree Gate with Pancsi leading us round, back out and then eventualy up the climb and into Rewell Wood. The route went left at the top, along the edge and then via some easy checks made its way east and then south arriving at a check on one of those spots where there are five or six ways to go that this wood is well known for. Pancsi who was already well ahead, followed by Splasher chose the correct trail and dissapeared further into the distance.

But then he reached an apparent dead end deep in the wood, and the pack gradualy closed up. A large tree branch descended from the canopy and landed with a thud right in front of Spiderman, at least that is what Miss Perfect told me. Now we were all together and having a chat and generaly had lost interest in looking for flour and would still be there today had not Dr Blood , I think, spotted the white stuff taking us over a section of ankle twisting felled brushwood and around the falsie that had blocked our way.

Several more of the multiway checks followed that were just hard work to sort out as we made our way gradualy back towards the edge of the drop and the usual finale here which like the foreplay consists of the hares keeping us guessing about where we will make the descent down to the road. Do you think that mobiles should be turned off during the Hash ? .... well Pru doesnt.... so while we were all busy looking for the way down she was saying "I'M ON THE HASH!" etc. After a lot of scampering back and fore we found a way down and quickly arrived at the On-In marker which had an added "take it slow" warning. Are we turning into a Nanny Hash ?.

After thanking the hares for another brilliant variation of the Faimile Bottom theme, the joint masters drew our attention to Tigger who had been a bit of an SCB, The Ref who had swallowed a fly (and was looking longingly at Spiderman) before giving the Hash-It to Dr Blood for continuing down a falsie after having been called back because as he said "I was enjoying it so much".

Thirsts were quenched at The Spur where the garden is really a treat for the eyes.

On-On Bambi.