This week’s run was hared by KMA, and kicked off at his local, the Mitre.
Sensibly, a drink stop was omitted as no one would have appreciated standing around in the cold. In any case, there was a wide choice of fine ales in the pub at the specially negotiated discount price of £3.50 a pint, so well done to the hare for arranging that.
One complicating factor in setting the trail was that, unusually, the gates of Richmond Park were to be locked at 8pm that night. (Subsequent investigation revealed that this was due to the annual deer cull that is currently in progress in the park). So we all had to be out by that time. As a result we had what must have been one of the shortest trails around Richmond Park for quite some time, at barely 5km in length. But as is often said, no hare has ever got a down down for setting too short a trail. The upside was that we got back to the Mitre in good time to embark on demolishing most of the landlord’s beer stocks. The hare had also managed to negotiate the provision of hash food, which was most welcome. Unfortunately, the landlord did make the mistake of placing the food dishes on a table right in front of where Fat Bastard was sitting. So that didn’t last very long.
Usual down downs, including a couple of visiting pilots from the USA who appeared to have flown across in their corporate jet just for the West London Hash, only to be returning back across the pond once they had sobered up the next day. I also vaguely recall that Last Tango may have been awarded a down down for being trapped the wrong side of the Richmond Park fence after the 8pm lockup. Apparently she had to chat up the park ranger to let her out and hence avoid begin culled.