QH3 Run 844. Hathersage Thorpe Bunkhouse Weekend

Thorpe Farm Bunkhouses

RUN #844
Date : 3 - 5 October 2014
Location: Thorpe Bunkhouse, Hathersage (S32 1BQ)
Hares: Durex and Butcher's Dog
Weather: Wet Saturday morning but clearing to be sunny and dry
Pack size: 33


The first weekend in October is our traditional bunkhouse hash and this year we returned to the Thorpe Bunkhouses in Hathersage. There was the usual cross-cultural exchange between the Quorn and Norfolk hashes with a couple of strays from Yorkshire. During Friday night the extended dry summer weather came to an end. Glad I wasn't one of the campers. However, our RA Butt Plug worked really hard to organise dry sunny weather for the walk Saturday afternoon and the hash trail on Sunday. It was pretty cold first thing Sunday morning when I got up to set the trail with Butcher's Dog - first icy windscreens of the autumn.
The weekend timetable orchestrated by our GM B*gger, otherwise known as the Fat Controller, was as follows: 
Saturday 

08:30   Breakfast is available in the dining car       

B*gger - Fat Contoller for the weekend

09:30   End of Breakfast service

09:44    Departure for Higger Tor  (Continental timings +1hour)

16:34    Arrival from Higger Tor

18:00    Dinner is available in the dining car  (Dress code applies)

19:00   Evening cabaret in the Lounge

22:00   A General Knowledge quiz in the Bar

23:00  Carriages

Sunday 

08:30   Breakfast is available in the dining car

09:30   End of Breakfast service

11:00   Departure for 844 trail

13:00   Awards Presentation in the Lounge

14:00  Carriages

The three barrels of beer from Nottingham Brewery settled quickly and drinking commenced early. When travel documents were issued by B*gger at 22:00 on Friday, the theme of 'HiggOrient Express' started to take shape.

Saturday we did our usual Peak District walk though this year with a slight twist. Travellers were not warned beforehand but the 'walk' commenced with a train ride from Hathersage to Grindleford. Trying to get hashers organised for the designated start time was like herding cats. To our surprise, Chicki was only 5 minutes late and as a consequence we got to the railway station 20 minutes early. 

All aboard for Higger Tor!

The walk was in three parts, the first part being from Grindleford station up to the Longshaw Estate. This was just over an hour's walk and the wooded area provided some shelter from the rain. Things of note were: the stone-age double bed; the variety of tree specially grown for making wooden toilet seats; and an ideal stream for Pooh sticks. 

Pooh sticks on the Longshaw Estate

The estate café and the Fox House Pub provided an ideal first stop which split the group into two. Indeed, as a couple of pints of beer take longer than coffee and cake (especially bearing in mind how slow Too Tuf drinks beer), a third of the pack remained behind in the Fox House to finish drinks whilst the rest headed for Higger Tor. 

Trig point on Cowper Stone

Much to our surprise the entire group, Underlay included, opted to do the complete walk, even though the leaders' promise of 'not too much up' proved to be a falsehood. The sun was shining nicely by the time we got to the top of Higger Tor where packed lunches were consumed and the slow beer drinkers were given time to catch up. B*gger had written a comprehensive guide to Higger Tor, 95% of it made up! Up and up we went onto Stanage edge via the Cowper Stone before starting the final part of the hike down towards Hathersage, The nine-mile walk loosened us up for the weekend. Well done to Underlay for making it all the way around! B*gger arrived back at the bunkhouse at precisely 16:34 - the weekend was going well to schedule. Beer and lots of cake at the end of the walk, what more could a hasher want?

Norfolk lead the way in showing how to dress for dinner - Riff Raff, Hugonaut and WC

Many dressed appropriately for dinner, oriental costumes being most popular. There was no prize but WC and Hugonaut would get the award for being the best dressed. Goblin and her helpers served up samosas and pappadams for starters, followed by lamb curry, cheese and biscuits with port. The Fat Controller (B*gger) kept us entertained all evening with games and a quiz. Beer and wine flowed. During the proceedings unnamed Norfolk hasher Chris got hash handle - Deliar - a consequence of admitting to using partial truths during the games.

The Sunday r*n was a fitting Peak District Hathersage trail. Diarrhoea made the trip up from Nottingham just for the day - was it worth crashing the motorbike for? The trail passed by Little John's grave before heading upwards and towards, but not quite, Stanage Edge. Those who contributed most to reducing any beer wastage (including Wimpy and Too Tuf) generally opted for the walkers' short-cut. Most persisted for the entire trail. As a finale, all attendees were treated to a Hope Valley ice cream before the closing circle led by Butt Plug with input from Riff Raff. The hares (myself and Butcher's Dog) were awarded a popular 42% for the trail. 

It was a great weekend and enjoyed by all. Many thanks to the core of Quorn Hashers who looked after the planning and execution of the weekend. Particular thanks go to B*gger and Goblin who put a lot of their time into making the weekend a success.

On On...Durex

Hash trail #844 as laid by Durex