Run	Date	Hare(s)	Description	MapRef	1:50000	1:25000	1:10000	More
982	2022-04-24 11:00	Popeye	Buriton Queen Elizabeth Country Park	SU733197

A bright bright sun blasting out of an azure sky, a white white chalk in the car park, there was no escape from the stark illumination as we circled up, interrupted occasionally by the passage of some of the many hikers out to sample the South Downs Way.

We had a long awaited visit from Malibog, who can normally to be found getting lost in the Stockholm area, at the moment he is not moving with his usual alacrity having discovered that loosing ones fitness is literally as easy as falling of a bicycle.

Then Aragorn took exception to back wheel of a passing trail bike, which started Bika shouting at him to stop, which started the other dogs howling, which drowned out much of what the hares said, which probably would have been a load of lies anyway.

We launched into our usual frantic attempts to find the start of the trail, hashers thither and yon, some even running.

Snake charmer found it on the path south, alongside Fagg's farm, a long gentle climb over soft open grassland up to the treeline of the park.

Only Bambi was silly enough to check the steep steep down hill false trail from the entrance gate, no matter as the rest soon discovered a fish hook just before the top of the ridge, it caught Snake Charmer, Kinky, Dr Blood and Pink Flamingo.

At the top we found ourselves at the junction of the SDW and Hangars Way, a plethora of paths at our disposal, accordingly an opportunity for some to indulge in a natter while others methodically worked their way through the possibilities.

Eventually a trail was found south, not on the SDW, on the other wider trail that can so easily be confused with the SDW. After a short distance on this trail the flour went decidedly off piste, up the slope to the right and obscure, probably having provided breakfast for the local slugs and snails.

Showing too much vigour for their own good, Snake Charmer, Kinky and Bambi kept going up the slope, north, and blundered on to the return trail, later Snake Charmer said "I don't know what came over me, I was lead astray by Kinky".

Meanwhile the pack, with hare aid, discovered the true trail south into Holt Down plantation. This marked the turning point of the run, as we headed west and then took the SDW north when we came across it, although on account of the previous off route wanderings we did not waste any time on false trails. An effective fish hook on this section caught Kinky, Snake Charmer, Bambi, Splasher and Prancer.

If we had continued north on the SDW then we would have hit the on-out trail, the hares avoided this by taking us through the bushes west and down to Hangers Way, good idea, except that it involved a steep, steep, steep descent on loose slippery leaves.

You know that feeling, you are just trying to stand still but the slope is inexorably dragging you down, slowly at first and then faster and faster until you loose all control and throw your fate into the lap of the gods.

The gods smiled on us, no serious mishaps, and a lot of smiling as the adrenaline dissipated.

The hard rocky Hangar Way north in the blistering sunshine could not have been more of a contrast.

Some of the pack had had enough and jogged on-in from the trail head, while those with some fuel left in their tanks were treated to a climb up to the well concealed orienteering checkpoint east of War Down before a charge down to the car park, reaching the On-In after one hour and nine minutes of breathless hashing.

The circle in the chalky, white, dusty car park did not take long, Dr Blood took some harangue because he had not carried the Hash-It, and then out of the blue it was awarded to Bambi under some totally trumped up pretext.

Some of us then released our handbrake and coasted down the hill to The Five Bells where the service was tortoise like and the atmosphere in the sunny garden, delightful.

On – On ! Bambi

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