Hashing around Mobberley, Tuesday 11th April 2017

A 6 mile run from the Frozen Mop, Mobberley

My little legses had successfully got over the shock of the previous weekend so a little trot was in order. Apart from anything else I hadn’t been out for two days and that really is quite enough rest for a chap.

I decided on a little cross-country run with the fine ladies and gentlemen of the Cheshire Hash House Harriers, it’s Tuesday and they always run on a Tuesday and always at 7.45pm. Except sometimes.

Anyroadup, at 7.45pm Rob, who planned the route, gave his victims the runners a quick talk before we all set off into the unknown.

 

Rob, in charge, telling everyone like it is

Off went jolly-well went, charging around the countryside, scaring the living daylights out of the gentlefolk of Mobberley and the cows in the fields as we searched in vain for the route we were supposed to take.

Looking for the route…and no, NOT stopping for a wee

Pleasantly surprised to see that the Roebuck in Mobberley has re-opened after many years of closure. Time will tell though, it’s the Mobberley 8 on Friday – will the pub be able to cope?

Not a brilliant photograph of moonrise over Mobberley. Photo was taken on my Samsung S5 phone. A proper camera would be better.

Our start & finish, the Frozen Mop. I’ll be back there on Friday – on my bicycle.

Where we went, anti-clockwise:

6 miles and fairly flat.

We were out for 1hr 16mins, which considering we were having to route-find in failing light wasn’t too bad.

I didn’t stop for beer or chips, I’ve an early morning appointment with a chainsaw.

It was a nice route, mostly off-road, and most of the ground was quite dry. There were some quite long stretches in between checks – but that’s to be expected when Rob plans a route, he likes that sort of thing!

Thanks again to CH3 for making me feel so welcome – I WILL stop for beer next time!

Hashing around Hale, Tuesday 21st February 2017

The Cheshire Hash House Harriers (A drinking club with a running problem) always run on Tuesday evenings at 7.45pm. Except sometimes, Their website is a mine of information and is worth checking out. I’ve run with other hashes (they can be found all over the world) buth the Cheshire Hash are, in my humble opinion, the finest.

I used to run with CH3 fairly regularly – until my Tuesday evenings got so busy that something had to go….and that was the Hash. Things have quietened off of late and now that my Tuesdays are less busy it was time to get down to some evening running.

Around 15 runners and one doggy gathered in Hale, a fairly upmarket (posh) suburb of Manchester. After a quick speech from Andy, the trail-layer, the throng set off, much to the amusement of Hale’s gentlefolk.

The first mile or so was inevitably on tarmac, even so, every opportunity to run on footpaths was exploited to the full. Eventually we hit the path on the banks of the River Bollin. I’ve used this path in the past and I know that it gets horribly muddily slippy after not a lot of rain. We’d had not a lot of rain and therefore the path was very muddy in parts – I’m surprised that everyone managed to stay upright.

The trail led us alongside, and sometime across, parts of Hale Golf Course. We were on a public footpath but the golf club members would have had a fit if they’d spotted us charging across there precious fairway.

Slipping and sliding our wobbly way, we passed under the M56 and hit even squelchier ground. My nice clean trail running shoes were no longer nice and clean. We were still running alongside the River Bollin.

Skirting the edge of Sunbank Wood, we gradually turned to head back towards Hale, leaving the River Bollin. More bits of tarmac took us over the M56 and then over another section of Hale Golf course, narrowly avoiding The Priory, the private hospital for those with lots of money. Or private medical cover. Whatever, charging back over the golf course would have upset the gold club members, big time. Oh well.

It was nearly all tarmac back to base now. There was the odd treacherously muddy path but nothing too challenging. Not for the Cheshire Hash anyway.

It was a good run, just what I needed – lots of fun and in very good company. There were some new faces, inevitable considering how long it’s been since my last Hash, but there were lots of old faces too

No photographs I’m afraid, I just didn’t have the time. No beer either – I had to charge off as soon as we’d completed the run. This Tuesday evening ended up getting busy again!

Where we went (anticlockwise):

6.45 miles with not a lot of up – maybe 350ft.

Thanks to Andy for planning and setting a really excellent trail, and the CH3 membership for making me feel very welcome….like I’d not even been away!

Tuesday 9th October, Hashing in Cheshire

Cheshire Hash House Harriers (CH3) runs are always approx 7:45 pm. Always Tuesday (except sometimes). Well that’s what their website says.

My confidence in the health of my knees had been boosted in recent days.

Q: What’s the best way to try to knacker them up again?

A: Go for a run with the Hash.

Last night they ran from the Rifleman in Wilmslow, a rather posh town in north Cheshire. At approx 7:45pm a group of 35 runners set off from the pub to follow a trail made up of bits of tissue paper – usually stuck in hedges or wrapped around bits of barbed wire fence.

5 miles 1 furlong, very little ascent, lots of fun. And mud.

As it was dark I have very little idea of where we actually ran. I can only say that the route was 5 miles 1 furlong in length – which meant we probably ran rather further than that, perhaps 5.5 miles in total. The blue blobs on the map show the VERY approximate route we followed, there could have been more…or less. The run is somewhat shorter than a normal Cheshire Hash, the reason being that the pub had put a fine spread of food on for the runners – and everyone wanted to be back in good time to partake.

The distance was more than adequate for a midweek stretch through muddy fields & tracks, and muddy it was. All the runners were armed with torches, some used head torches, others preferred hand-held torches. Charging around muddy (and worse) fields looking for trail markers is fun, in the dark it’s hilarious!

Heaven knows what the gentlefolk of Wilmslow thought at the strange sight of 35 lights bounding around in the darkness. Occasionally a light would disappear momentarily – usually accompanied by cursing…then followed by laughter. Bogs are easily missed in the dark, even with a decent torch. Judging by the very muddy runners rolling up at the Rifleman at 9pm there must have been plenty of bogs, or we all fell into the same one!

I hadn’t been out with the Hash for a while, my knees being the main reason. I was a little surprised at the pace, I’m sure they didn’t run as fast the last time I was out with them. Later in the evening it was clear that the pace had indeed been faster, mainly because of a number of new and much younger members. It was a good run anyway, I just need to clean the crud of my shoes now.

No photographs of the runners, perhaps next time.

Thanks to Nick & Heather for laying an excellent trail, choosing a very good venue….and sorting the food. Top stuff!