QH3 Run 848 Red Dress Run, Beeston, Nottingham

RED DRESS RUN

RUN #848
Date : Saturday 25th October 2014
Location: Beeston (NG9 1JG) 
Hares: Malteaser and Durex
Weather: Mild
Pack size: 14

This year a reasonable number turned out in red dresses so our evening looked liked a fun time rather than a transvestites' night out. A late train from Nottingham meant we started off from Beeston station (or rather the Victoria Hotel) 20 minutes behind schedule. The trail was a relatively short two-mile route around Beeston that included five further pub stops.

Pub Stop 2: The Star Inn

Pub Stop 3: The Malt Shovel

Pub Stop 4: The Last Post

Pub Stop 5: Crown Inn

Pub Stop 6: The Hop Pole

Barritone as always was well turned out for the occasion but the award for the worst fitting dress goes to Captain Oates, a size 22 wearing a size 14 tube dress. As this was also a celebration of Malteaser's big birthday the theme was actually 'old ladies red dress' and there were plenty of grey wigs. George provided us with a commentary on the state of the toilets in each pub, five stars going to the Star (so should that be six stars?).

Cpt Oates had the most poorly fitting
 dress of the evening

A quick circle was held outside the Malt Shovel where RA Butt Plug awarded DDs to newcomer George (brother of welcome back Motormouth); Chicki (being stressed and late); Captain Oates (getting lost finding his destination); and Malteaser (Hashy Birthday). At the Malt Shovel Rasher and Eager Beaver had joined the pack for their farewell Quorn Hash. Eager was wearing the red dress that has probably appeared in all Quorn Red Dress Runs - how can Eager Beaver and Too Tuf fit in the same dress? There was also a lot of discussion as to whether all Malteaser's features were genuine or not. Rasher found a comfortable place there to rest his head (and possibly a few glasses of beer). There was much wig exchanging going on - wigging?
Those who bought a round of drinks in The Last Post were a lot happier, lots of change there, as well as many inquisitive locals. In keeping with the red dress theme, Captain Oates celebrated here with a red coloured beer. Indeed, he seemed to be working his way through pretty obscure drinks at most stops. We managed to keep together as a pack up to the the fifth stop at the Crown. 
The trail reached the final stop, The Hop Pole, on schedule at about 23:00 though here we started to lose people. Skids and Malteaser disappeared into the Lebanese takeaway. Butcher's Dog and Sausage left with Eager Beaver and Rasher citing the need to go cycling the next day and another group headed off for the last train. There was a time once when on a red dress trail we would hit the clubs and were happy to catch the first train/bus the next day. It's not only Malteaser who is getting older, we all are.
On On...
Durex

Red Dress trail as planned by the hares.

QH3 Run 847 The Windmill Inn, Wymeswold

RUN #847

Date : Sunday 19th October 2014
Location: The Windmill Inn, Wymeswold (LE12 6TT) 
Hare: Dope
Weather: Mild and sunny
Pack size: 13




This was Dope's virgin QH3 hare and, considering his relatively short hashing career with Quorn, mostly on 'eventful' trails, this trail went rather well. Such was the devotion of our hare today he had stayed in a B&B nearby to ensure he could set this hash in the morning. We couldn't complain about the weather either, 20ºC and warm sunshine in the middle of October. It was also the first time in our 847 runs that we had started from The Windmill.
I took up an unaccustomed position at the back of the pack walking the trail with a back injury, Surprisingly, I kept up with the pack all the way around - the hare must have set good checks. After more than 30 years of hashing I should try this walking strategy more often - it's much less effort than being an FRB. I was able to catch up after Malteaser fell over blocking the trail! (*****BREAKING NEWS**** had to take Malteaser to Derby A&E early Monday morning with a suspected fractured wrist, yet another hashing injury to add to her long list. The irony being we had to get there before 9 o'clock so she could avoid having to cross the picket line of striking radiographers!).
The trail was actually a figure-of-eight (see GPS trace), well worked out in an area not renown for outstanding hashing trails. Some unusual hash markings were correctly interpreted as 'cross here'. Even a farmer ploughing up the trail failed to stop us finding our way. Barritone didn't pedal fast enough, arrived at the hash late and never managed to catch up the pack. 
The excellent weather meant we could sit outside in the excellent beer garden which was just as well, there's few seats for non-diners during a Sunday lunchtime.
Our RA led the circle awarding DDs to:
1. Chicki (something about the piece of string between her legs);
2. Barritone (latecomer);
3. IP (continuing the theme about Sweet Pea forgetting to take the bacon out the freezer);
4. Skids and Malteaser (fallers);
5. Heroin (didn't like the B&B and went home);
6. Dope, the Hare for a good run; and
7. Durex, walking so fast on the hash he still managed to overtake the RA.

That's the way I saw it....On On Durex.

Trail as walked by Durex

MH3 Run 256. Coopers Tavern, Burton-Upon-Trent

RUN #256

Date : Monday 13th October 2014
Location: Coopers Tavern, Burton-upon-Trent (DE14 1EG) 
Hare: Captain Oates
Weather: Wet
Pack size: about 14





September lacked rain, October is making up for it. A dark, wet and windy evening, hardly the encouragement to go out for a run. But run we did and we enjoyed it. At only six miles it was a shorter trail then we are used to for Burton, and the hare (Captain Oates), despite the rain, laid a well marked route that plots out as a very irregular GPS trace including a cross-over (see Garmin link below). Surprisingly, it was a Captain Oates hash that ran relatively smoothly, even though there were rumours of a body and a wake at the On Inn.

Optional river crossing

It was welcome back to Organ Stops who, with other regular FRBs (Trianal and Beefeater), pulled the pack around with rapid speed. The trail featured an optional river crossing which nobody took, the angry swans stopped me from stepping in.
The Coopers Tavern is a fantastic real ale pub with a friendly staff and cliental - the selection of this pub is, by itself, worthy of giving this hash the 'good run' accolade. 



Those attending that were awarded Down Downs were: 

Hare Captain Oates modelling
lost property (coat)

1. Diarrhoea (Undertaker).
2. Beefeater (FRB and appearing super-dry).
3. Trianal (FRB and misty glasses - carried on running past the On Inn).
4. Seaman Stains (stand in for welcome back Organ Stops).
5. Artless Dodger (latecomer, walker and something about coughin'.)
6. Captain Oates (for successfully laying a good and normal trail).

Trail as done by Durex

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