Run	Date	Hare(s)	Description	MapRef	1:50000	1:25000	1:10000	More
968	2021-10-10 11:00	Bambi & Philip Finnemore	Ambersham Common New Road	SU912194

Another mild, dry, grey day for hashing, as summer clings on for a while longer. The heather on Heyshott Common was in full bloom, forming a most colourful carpet for our exertions.

Snake Charmer arrived in plenty of time to announce that she had forgotten to bring the Hash-It, she put it down to the lack of truck drivers, and Brexit, like everything else that goes wrong.

It was nice to see Canman, Soapbox and Treefeller again after a while of absence.

The hares had little to say before the off, except that this was a "three and you are on" trail, always a source of confusion on account of us using three blobs, really close together in a triangle to indicate a false trail combined with no one listening to what the Hares say anyway.

So the horse-doofers of this Hash was a dash West across the road and up the slope on to Ambersham Common where it took a while before Slightly found the way South around the pit down to the crossroads and a quick put the dogs on leads without tripping exercise.

West next on a little of the tarmac to turn North on to Heyshott Common, with a thick soft loam underfoot adding a spring to our as yet un-tired legs. A quick visit to the cottage at Polecats gave time for an impromptu regroup and a natter, including Dr Blood's short lecture on the best source of charcoal for artistic drawing, do not take him up on his offer to show you his etchings.

Next we wandered West in Upper Polecats Copse with the aforementioned Dr B unluckily finding all the false trails, our pace now slackening as the sharp undulations and increase of sand underfoot sapped the vast energy reserves that all Hashers posses, somewhere.

Having reached the Western edge of the common there was nowhere of any interest to go but North into Goldballs Plantation where the geometric precision of the pine trunk location would put a military tattoo to shame.

Unfortunately the fish hook on the climb below The Roughs had been converted into an abstract work, open to interpretation, at least it brought us all together to mutter about sabotage, it would have caught Slightly, Pancsi, Snake Charmer and Dr Blood.

Continuing North brought us to the Dismantled Railway for a straight charge East to reach a check under the bridge that carries The Serpent and Lipchiss trails. No flour further on the old line, so a climb on to the bridge was needed, this could have been achieved by backtracking a few hundred yards and taking a gentle ramp, but no!, once the first attempted and succeeded on the hard way up the rest followed like ewes.

Sausage lottery harnessed her canine pack and urged them up, getting dragged to the top in the process, brilliant! others employed Nordic Poles and desperately grasped roots to claw the way.

All safely up and dusted down we continued East under the power cables to cross the stream by the recently refurbished bridge at Little London. The last part, to the chariots, was over well known familiar territory, so the pack made short work of the final checks, reaching the On-In after a longish one hour and twenty minutes of full on hashing.

A pleasant surprise awaited us in the car park, out of Philip's van came a cool box loaded with liquid refreshment and a table which he quickly furnished with all sorts of nibbles which we soon set about in some order, what a star!.

Needless to say at a particularly jovial circle we discussed various Hasher's shortcomings during the morning, however it remains with Snake Charmer to carry next.

The matter of Philip's Hashname came up again, and this time it was put to bed with a decision that from henceforth he will be known as "Vanman ".

A few of us, two actually, guess who?, retired to The Unicorn where a gentle moist mist was wafting amongst the picnic tables in the garden and the cider was not cloudy.

On – On ! Bambi

See: Track ... AND ... photos by Bambi