The Castle Inn, Stoke-Gabriel
Run No. 2057 "The Magnificent Seven + 2"
HARE: Poacher
Who wuz there: Poacher, Man-Pig, Piltdown Man, Georgy Porgy, Smellie, Beeflicker, Smash, Miss Mash & Ernie
Circle
The
Hash can be a fickle animal. This is frequently reflected in the first
Hash of the year. At one extreme, Hashers make a New Years' resolution
to do more Hashes. They turn up at the first Hash of the year never to
be seen again for 12 months!
At
the other extreme, post Christmas blues, cold weather and apathy
combine for a low turn out. One can never forecast which way the Hash
will go. As an exemplar, last Saturday's Devon A2B had a spectacular 60
runners turn up (albeit that it was a combined run with Plympton to
mark their 2300th run). Compare that with last night. A paltry 9, but
this at least one up on last week!
In
fairness, the weather was pretty appalling; cold wet and windy. There
was heavy rain and the car's thermometer registered a chilly 2 degrees
outside.
Snow
on Dartmoor prevented Pisswell and Beefy from making the journey
south....snowed in (Inn!?). The road works on Kings Ash Hill didn't
help much either. I did feel sorry for Poacher having made the trip up
from the South Hams to lay a lovely trail; the first of a trilogy of
January Poacher trails for TVH3.
So, was it worth the trip? You betcha!
The briefing was, well, er, brief.
"It's muddy out there. There is a fish hook and a Ha-Ha and a couple of Long/Short splits".
Trail
The
start of the run was bitterly cold. In fact, it took a good half hour
to warm up. For the Walkers, Piltdown Man, Georgy Porgy, Smash and Miss
Mash, they never warmed up and were more than glad for a rapid return
to the pub.
The
trail started by taking us left out of the pub and left again down
Mill Hill and to our first check outside Mill Hill Court. The trail
then took us down The Barnhay to what looked like a dead end...but
wasn't. A narrow ginnel took us across the end of Church Walk and it
was straight over and into what looked like an orchard.
Beeflicker
was, inevitably, leading as we reached the foreshore of the Mill Pool
and a left turn along a very wet footpath up to the junction of The
Mill Pool and Coombe Shute and another check.
This
confused everyone so Beeflicker and Man-Pig checked out Byter Mill
Lane (again), a bit further this time but only to find the Ha-Ha. Back
at Coombe Shute, we saw Smash and Miss Mash for the last time. The
weather was bitter and I think that they'd had enough.
After
some zigzagging, the Hare had us heading up Lower Broadpath and then
back down Broadpath to Stoke Hill and another check.
Beeflicker
had disappeared who knows where at this stage. The Pig checked
downhill only to find the check that he'd been at 3 minutes earlier.
Back up to Hillfield and the first of the Long Short splits. We checked
out the Hillfield cup-de-sac and found nothing.
Upon
our return to the entrance to Hillfield, we found a fresh arrow in
flour. This pointed to an obscured footpath that runs between Paignton
Road and Broad Path.
Ernie,
Smellie and I looked at each other. It was wet and cold but, on the
plus side, we were beginning to warm up. The Pig was sure that it would
be a short loop and said that he'd give it a go. Ernie and Smellie
agreed to join him but, only if we made it a run/walk.
And
so the trio embarked on the Long, passing some children's play
equipment that was behind a hedge to our left before arriving at a
gate. A barely discernible track crossed open grassland to another gate
just inside the Paignton Road. An arrow then had us follow a tarmac
footpath that kept us off the main road until we arrived at the edge of
the village and...... a pavement!
The
marks now took us along the right hand side of Paignton Road, New Road
and School Road. We looked to be heading straight back to the pub. We
were all looking to our right so it was with some surprise that Ernie
glanced to his left to see the second Long/Short split pointing the
Longs down Duncannon Lane.
This
looked strangely familiar. The Bird had informed us that the last time
that TVH3 had run from Stoke Gabriel was back in 2016 on a trail Hared
by Wigwam. If I remember correctly, we ran through the graveyard and
passed Mig Man's grave. I mentioned this to Smellie and we both
reflected on our time running with Mig Man. Although it went unsaid, at
that moment, we both missed Mig Man; not a sad moment. More of a
"Thankyou" for having had the privilege of having shared some time with
one of the great gentlemen of the Hash - kind and positive.
Dungannon
Lane looked familiar. I cast my mind back to a trail that may have
been laid by Woof Woof 15 years or so ago. I vaguely recalled a track
across open pasture somewhere along this lane. At that moment, to our
left was an opening onto open ground.
Initially,
we couldn't find any marks but, after a few yards, blobs of flour,
"On-On". Through an opening in a bank, a little more open pasture and
then through a metal kissing gate and into the woodland that borders
the creek. More blobs of flour but it was slippery so the pace was
slow.
The trio of Longs followed the footpath through the woods, catching glimpses of the Moon reflecting off the creek to our right.
"Proper
Hashing this", said Ernie. "I'm enjoying this", at the same time as an
overhanging brach snagged his beanie pulling it off.
Eventually,
we arrive at a fairly large junction. The Pig is sure that it is left
and so it is as we find our first mark but something has changed. The
path here is very wide; much wider than I remember it. There is also a
horizontally boarded fence to our left - apparently protecting a fairly
recently planted holly hedge. We are on trail so we push on and arrive
at another gate with baffling lock release system. The Pig is pulling
the lever back-and-forth and from side-to-side but nothing is happening.
It is only on inspection by torchlight that all becomes clear. Pull
the loop vertically upwards - oh blessed release.
We
traverse the molehills, up a gassed slope and onto the rather new
looking driveway that is Wood House Lane. This drops onto the lower part
of Mill Hill. I point Ernie and Smellie back up Mill Hill as I have
left my car at the bottom of the Hill. Time for a change of clothing and
a pint of ale.
Down-Downs
And then there were five, again, that rapidly diminished to two.
Even
before having returned to the pub, Smellie and I agreed that the
numbers didn't warrant Down-Downs. By the time that I'd arrived at the
pub, Smellie was finishing a cup of tea as Piltdown Man and George
Porgy had been back a while and were keen to get home and warm. I don't
think Smash and Miss Mash made it to the pub and there was no sign of
Beeflicker. Ernie, too, had decided to get home early. So it was left
to Man-Pig and Poacher to enjoy the hospitality of the Castle Inn.
Poacher
had very kindly got a pint waiting for me upon my return. He also
shared his pizza and chips. It was a very nice welcome back from the
cold outdoors. Cheers Poacher.
The trail was really very good but you would have needed to have done both of the Longs to make the most of it.
Stoke
Gabriel is a fantastically picturesque village and we really should
try to get back down here in daylight in order to appreciate its
beauty.
Poor
Poacher had told the pub that they could expect, perhaps twenty
Hashers? On another day, twenty might have been a fair guess. I didn't
know who to feel more sorry for, the pub or Poacher.
Nevertheless, the
pub was very welcoming for those that did make it into the On-Down.
Ernie, Smellie and myself thoroughly enjoyed the Longs so a big
"Thankyou" to Poacher for laying the trail and getting us out and doing
something worthwhile on what would otherwise have been a boring
evening in, watching the box.
Next week
Next
week's Hash is from The Crown and Sceptre, St Marychurch, Torquay.
Once again, your intrepid Hare is Poacher. If next week's trail is
anything like last night's, you won't be disappointed.
On-On to next week.
Happy New Year. MP