TVH3 The Words for 20th January 2025

Run #2059

The Park Inn, Kingskerswell

 

HARE: Shitfaced & friend (Man-Pig!)

 

Circle

A good turn out again this week. There was one announcement that membership is now due. £30 for the year (what a bargain!) to be paid by the end of January. Weekly payers can carry on giving a pound to Pisswell or Beeflicker.

 

That concluded, over to the Hare (or is that Hares?) for tonight’s briefing. A Walkers, a Shorts and a Longs, with two long/short splits. No sweetie stop but there was a curly sausage for a fiver waiting for those who wanted one back at the pub afterwards. Nice!

 

Trail

And with that we were off…. A couple of early checks slowed up the FRBs as we left Kingskerswell behind.

 

The first L/S appeared at the base of the steep incline up past the quarry. A few opted to take this route but the longs ploughed on towards Newton Abbot, stopping briefly only to ensure that Poacher wasn’t having a heart attack. Fortunately he wasn’t, so on we continued.

 

I didn’t see Poacher again on trail so I was mighty pleased to see him back at the OD when I eventually made it there! Slightly distracted by what looked like the festive train of lights, but it actually turned out to be a pack of Teignbridge Trotters. We missed a check taking us up some steps into Milber. I called a happy ‘on, on’ to the Trotters, but didn’t get much of a response.

 

Once in Milber, we headed through a network of residential roads, but always climbing upwards. This was going to be a toughie tonight I could feel it. Man-Pig seemed to predict when we needed some helpful guidance and appeared at various checks (there were a fair few of them) to ensure we went the correct way.

 

We hit the woods, and I said a fond farewell to Beefy, Wet Jonny and Beeflicker as they flew off up over the uneven ground. Behind me, I was aware of the torches and occasional chatter of Pisswell and Missin.

 

A bit of a surprise check had us heading back into residential Milber again but we soon found ourselves back in the woods and popping out in familiar territory for me, on the ridge track at the top, heading towards Coffinswell.

 

Somehow, Beeflicker was in my view now so I caught him up and we ran this section together. On arriving in Coffinswell, we carried on ahead and then came across an arrow on our left at the bottom of a footpath. ‘Oh dear,’ I said (or words to that effect) ‘I think we have missed a mark’. So back we went, and up we went, and up we went some more. By this time, Pisswell and Missin (who had clearly NOT missed the arrow left) were long gone and we were climbing the lonely road together. Beeflicker stepped it up a gear and soon it was just me again, although I could hear Beeflicker’s reassuring calls and see his torch light up ahead.

 

At the eventual top of a very long and steep climb, we went right on to a footpath through a field. I could see Beeflicker, but who else was there? It was the co-Hare Man-Pig on his way across the path to locate the lid of his flour container. ‘Great trail!’ I called. This was hashing at its finest.

 

Through the field and down a very gnarly and slippery woodland footpath, I came across the arrow I’d seen earlier, only this time it was correctly marked on the right! ‘Hooray’, I thought. I was really glad I had gone back. 

 

By now, my legs were beginning to tire. Having been ill for a number of weeks, I hadn’t run more than about 5K, so this route was testing me. But I pulled myself together and carried on through Coffinswell, past the Linney Inn which looked very inviting.

 

Up ahead, I could hear talking and see torch light. One was definitely Beeflicker, but who were the others? I pushed on to catch them up, and did so just as we reached another gnarly and slippery footpath, marked on the right. It was Pisswell and Missin, with Beeflicker. It was nice to see them again. 

 

So up we climbed, and then down we went until we emerged from the footpath to the primary school. We knew we were nearly back then – just a quick run along the main road before we were directed left, and then saw the happy ‘OH’ mark.

 

Great trail and nice to be back in Kingskesrwell again after a bit of a break. Thank you Shitfaced and Man-Pig!

 

Down-Downs: Fukarwe - for disturbing the peace with 70’s soft rock and lots of yawning in his wagon. Threesum –for bragging about her imminent Caribbean cruise. Man-Pig – for a brilliant trail, despite marking a VP out in the dark. Pisswell & Poacher – for a near death experience (Poacher) and I’m not sure what Pisswell’s was for?

 

Next week: We’re at The Bell in Bovey Tracey, circling up in the Station Rd car park with Pocket Rocket’s virgin lay (with help from Poacher).

 

ON ON to next week, Well Hopped x