Loads of Hash in Lees Garden

It was hashing time again on Monday night. This was to be a special hash for Scrum Muffin (Claire) and  Little Pecker (me) as we were setting the hash. We chose the White Horse at Hascombe as the 'On Inn' so that Guildford Hash House Harriers got to experience a little that the Greensand Way has to offer.

Little Pecker was the 'Live Hare' at the White Horse on the Greensand Way

We scouted out the route the night before and decided that we would spice things up a bit by having me set the hash Live (remember In The Bum did it in a previous blog?) . This meant I would set off only about 15 minutes ahead of the hashers and lay the trail as I ran.

Scrum Muffin was 'check in chicken' at the white horse on the Greensand Way

Scrum Muffin was to be Check in Chicken which meant she stayed near the back and made sure the stupid/lazy/knitting club/elderly hashers made it back alive. This is not a job for the feint  hearted, you need good CPR and first aid skills as well as severe patience.

Some runners from Amsterdam Joined us on the Hash at the White Horse at Hascombe on the Greensand Way

It was great to see some new faces (visitors) as usual. There were even two chaps from Amsterdam who were in for quite a shock when they were to meet some 'uphill' terrain they had never experienced before.

Little Pecker lays the flour trail in Busbridge Woods

So off I went at 7.15 pm. running as fast as I could I went straight up the Hurtwood on the Greensand Way before diverting across it towards Little Burgate Farm. Laying little flour marks and 'checking' circles as I went. Music in my headphones blaring I was determined they wouldnt catch me!

Flour trail near Little Burgate Farm

15 minutes later and the main hash was off charging (and moaning) up The Hurtwood too! By this time I was well past Little Burgate Farm and working my way towards Busbridge Woods and a surprise for the Hash at the Halfway mark.

Hasher at sunset at Little Burgate Farm near the Greensand Way

As Scrum Muffin kept things calm at the rear of the pack the guys at the front found themselves climbing a very steep path I call the treasure path and bursting out in to someones garden! 

Guildford Hash House Harriers at a beer stop in Hascombe at Little Peckers House.

The Garden was mine and they found me relaxing there with a little beer in hand welcoming everyone to the halfway mark and a beer stop. Always a welcome surprise on any hilly run.

Useful signpost near Hascombe near the Greensand Way 

It was nice for me to leave my garden with the group and continue on back towards the White Horse. We ran them out through a part of Hascombe Grange and back down towards Hascombe. Eventually we popped out back by the pond at Hascombe where the Hashers rejoined the Greensand Way for the final sprint back to the car park.

hashing flour marks at the pond in hascombe on the Greensand Way

We marked the end of the run with the usual 'On Inn' and signed it off LP for Little Pecker and SM for Scrum Muffin.

Flour trails marking the hash on the Greensand Way 

The hashers all said they really enjoyed a very scenic run so we were very pleased.  We even found out from the bar man at the White Horse that he used to hash in Russia in Moscow through Gorky Park!


There are so many beautiful trails in this area we are bound to bring the hashers back here again soon. In the meantime it felt fitting that we were there  less than two weeks before our main run in a place where we had trained, done an Easter Runday and led 2 hashes. 


There is a small chance some of the flour may still mark the way when we do our actual run on the Jubilee weekend.




On On !


Little Pecker 

Hash, Dogging , Trig Planking, Swinging, Beer, Cake and Strumming a Little One in the Pub

Monday was Hashing with the Guildford Hash House Harriers. The hash met up in a pub car park in Westhumble. Popeye was the hare so we knew we were in for a treat. The last hash he led involved us being in a row boat across the Guildford Canal in santa hats so we were expecting some surprises.

typical running kit on a hash

When you get to the car park and you notice the hare has been setting a trail that required a lifevest, grapling hook , karabiners and a divers knife you outwardly smile and inwardly panic.

Popeye explained that the original plan was to end the hash with a 300m rope run down a very steep part of the hill and across the river......but.....when he laid the trail the river was so deep and strong from all the rain he had got his arm caught and been dragged under and very nearly drowned.

Popeye made it VERY CLEAR that the advanced route he had laid was OFF LIMITS because it was suicide. And in hashing speak suicide means suicide and then some.

Claire back on the North Downs Way at Box Hill

It was great to be back on the North Downs Way after our Sunday Runday the day before. We were further east this time and having found the previous run about 'flat and samey' this was about to be the opposite.

Claire running up Box Hill on the North Downs Way

We crossed a bridge and began a flour trail leading up Box Hill......and I mean up. We climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed (and when I was not in sight of anyone I slowed to a walk and got my breath back) and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed.



Google Phenomenom Lee Trig Point Planking on Box Hill

The climb was well worth it. The view was another great one, but better than that we saw a Trig Point . I was dancing around with glee in front of a bemused family eating a mcdonalds on a bench. They slurped milkshake as the guy with half of Field and Trek on his back started to 'hump' the trig point and shout 'am I straight?' 'do I look plankly enough?'

Claire Trig Point Planking on Box Hill on the North Downs Way

I got a well deserved rest taking a picture of Claire planking as well. Hasher 'Ponce' was unimpressed with our antics and made a note in his naughty book which got us a down down later that night. my explanation that 'we were one of the highest ranking google hits for 'trig point planking' pictures fell on bewildered ears.

'Sminging' - smiling with your swing

As we ran through 'liquor box' *fnar* on the top of Box Hill we also found a swing so we had a go at a bit of swinging and I played 'Nigel' to Claires 'Tyra' .

Hash Dog on Box Hill

Ive hashed before with a few dogs and always found them quite annoying. They charge about, are buggered when we reach a stile and usually lost ffor ages.  On this hash though we met a new hash dog who was ace. He even seemed to understand the shout 'On On' and go bombing off along the trail. We reckoned he has been trained to sniff out flour.

Guildford Hash House Harriers running across Box Hill on the North Downs Way

At the peak overlooking Westhumble we paused for a well deserved Beer Stop. Popeye was standing infront of the 'advanced' route that we couldnt take anymore. I took a quick peek and it looked terrifying. It reminded me of some abseiling I did in South Africa once. Glad we didnt do it.

Popeye guards the 'advanced route' on the beer stop.

We then enjoyed a gentle descent without anyone dying or drowning towards the pub we parked in called the Stepping Stones.

Hash On Inn sign planking by lee

I got some On Inn planking done (and a sneaky power nap) and claire did some 'Smubwaying'



Claire does a Smubway

It was hasher 'Glob' s birthday recently so we got cake in the car park as well as the usual Beer. He had also got a ukulele for his birthday and had asked Claire to set the intonation ( make sure all the notes play perfectly in pitch on each fret) by gently filing the nut and using a tuner. Once in tune and playing well the pub was treated to a Johnny Cash number by Claire.

Claire plays a bit of ukulele in the pub

I reckoned this was the most scenic Hash we've ever done. Claire pointed out it was the first hash Ive ever done that was daylight all the way through. It was great to mash ukuleles with hashers again, we are doing our 'hashjam' run in 3 weeks time. It was also great that the North Downs Way got a chance to showcase a hill that was a worthy opponent for Leith or Holmbury Hill.

This week is going to be a great varied week for training. Later this week Claire and I get to run along some of the Cornwall Coastal Path, taking in the Cliffs and Sea Views (and keeping an eye out for Basking Sharks).

 I must remember to pack my lifevest, grapling hook, karabiners and divers knife......

In the meantime please take the time to visit our webpage if you havent donated already
www.charitygiving.co.uk/greensandway2012

Virgin Hares, Hash Golf , Underdeveloped Ankles and Twin Peaks

After running 55 miles in a weekend what could be better than a little 6 mile run the next day in Hook Heath with the Guildford Hash House Harriers?

We tee d off in a car park in St Johns a wee bit late (everyone had already left) so we knew we were going to have to run hard to catch up the pack. The front side of the run was going to be hard work with us being this under form already.

Scrum Muffin getting ready for the Hash in the car park

We set off at a very rapid pace led by Scrum Muffin (Claire). We both still had our full Greensand Way running packs on too. We had Scrum Muffins dad Loose Article in tow as well.  We started across the Golf Course in Woking following the flour trail as we went. I like running across footpaths that lead over Golf Courses as they always make me feel naughty.

Scrum 'tiger woods'  Muffin and Loose 'Colin Montgomery' Article Hashing across the Golf Coure in Woking

Loose'Colin Montgomery' Article not having a wee in public as that would be illegal

We chipped over small bridges and navigated through tricky bunkers and thought we could see the pack in the far distance. It turned out we were reading the green badly and we were much more behind than we first thought.

Scrum 'tiger woods' Muffin doing a great 'bail out' on Woking Golf Course

As you know I get very excited about type 22 WW2 bunkers on the GHQ line so I was pleased to get to interact with a new class of bunker that evening.

Little 'nick faldo' Pecker finds a new type of bunker on a Woking Hash

What we thought was the main pack turned out to be Under Developed walking with a very hurty ankle. The poor guy was surrounded by Scrum Muffin and I with our large packs offering our caddy services....

• Walky pills for the pain?
• ankle support?
• little drinky?
• Mars Bar?
• Space Blanket?
• First Aid Kit?
• 9 iron?

In true hash style he didn't understand any of these things, only beer which we didn't have. We ran on leaving Loose Article with him checking he was ok. His handicap would be seriously affected by this mishap.

Leaving Loose 'Colin Montgomery' Article and Under 'Jack Nicklaus' Developed behind

As we aced our way out towards Hook Heath we crossed Blackhorse Rd and I was very pleased to find us running past Blackhorse Apiaries or 'Bee School' where I learnt to keep Bees with the king of Beekeeping and inventor of the Swarmbuster 3000 Jon Hamer !

Lee learns about the birdies and the bees here - Blackhorse Apiaries

Loose 'Colin Montgomery' Article caught us up again so I got the chance to try mirror posing with another member of  Scrum Muffins family. We gave it our best 'Smirror' Smile with a mirror.

Smirror - smile with a mirror.

We had a virgin hare setting the trail, that is someone who hasn't laid a trail before and so a number of the hashers seemed to be taking the piss out of how much flour she had put down. At one stage Scrum 'tiger woods' Muffin and I came across 3 arrows to show us which direction to go in.

Scrum 'tiger woods' Muffin narrowly avoids an oopsiwahli

As we entered the back nine of our hash we were still very much still bogeying. We ran on as the darkness came and eventually came across 'Twin Peaks' a new hasher we hadn't met before. So named as she is a Doctor and has ....er.....big.....er........lady things.

Scrum Muffin and Twin Peaks

We ran on and back towards the Golf Course again. We had a chance to do some Smollarding too - Smiling with your lit Bollard.

Smollarding

Eventually we got the sign that the 19th Hole was approaching and we were at the dead ball stage of the run. We finally got back to the car park about a minute or two  behind the main pack having spent the entire run near the back.

Scrum 'tiger woods'  Muffin at the 'On in' hashing towards the 19th Hole

We retired to the 19th Hole for beer and to discuss how well we all faired on this run. At over 6 miles this was quite a 'runners run' and involved a fair bit of running in the 'rough' (along busy dark main roads) but all in all we enjoyed it.

Scrum 'tiger woods' Muffin and I were also surprised at how well we had done give the mileage we had done the previous 2 days.

All in all we enjoyed hash golf and would do it again.