Sandygate Inn
Run #2121
Monday 23rd March
We circled up in the car park on a miraculously dry and benign evening outside the Sandygate Inn. Able reckoned it had been 15 years since the hash had last met there. An intro by the GM, a plea from Smellie for hares, and onto tonight’s hare; Beeflicker was remarkably still standing after running 47 miles at the weekend, and even more remarkably had managed to lay a trail.
There would be plenty of checks, no false trails, one and on. So off we set. We were sent off up the lane out of Sandygate and into the darkness. The walkers soon peeled off left and the rest of the pack headed up towards Gappah, across a field and into the woods with Polyfella leading the way. The longs were spat back out onto the road (I think we lost Man Pig here who got confused by the arrow) to ascend to the top of Gappah whilst the shorts carried on through the woods and were (mostly) not to be seen again until we returned to the pub.
The FRBs took some lucky guesses at checks and once almost in sight of Chudleigh hung a left down through fields and emerged out onto the main road. We carefully crossed it as instructed and followed the trail down into Chudleigh Knighton. I was confident we’d go left to cross the Teign at the little bridge but I was proved wrong and had to back track. Thankfully Beefy had kindly marked the check with a bit of reflective metal for me. I soon caught up again with Beefy and Polyfella and we took the trail under the A38 and along the Teign. I think Beefy was hopeful of a river crossing but I was quite pleased to keep my feet dry. We pegged it over the narrow humpback bridge, then up the road as quickly as possible. I think Polyfella’s blue flashing anklets may have saved us from being run over. I breathed a bit easier once we’d gained the cycle path which we then followed all the way back to the pub.
There was already a merry crowd in the pub and the hash had almost completely filled the bar. Once everyone was assembled the awards were given to Woodlend for animal abuse (leading his unwitting dog straight into a parked car), Warm Front for over enthusiastically calling the trail, Wet Fart for taking his clothes off in the car park, Man Pig for taking photo of a harriet’s bottom, and the hare Beeflicker for a fabulous trail.
On on to awards night!
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