R*n 171: Hornby

We met on The Royal Oak car park in Hornby on a bright sunny morning but with a bitterly cold wind to find the pub was closed for refurbishment.  What a disappointment - no beer or chips! After a welcome by Thunder Dick and a quick briefing in the circle by hares White Noise and Off His Trolley, we find we have a new marking - a "W" in a circle.  Perhaps this was the toilet stop!  No, this means "WAIT" just another version of "G" so that we cross a busy road together safely.

On on and off we set complete with our canine friend Harry down the village to the bridge, where we took the footpath along the River Wenning and out into a very large field.  There were happy hashers in all directions searching for that elusive flour.  White Noise must have been baking again and used up most of it!  The FRB's followed the river around the edge of the field, while the rest of us just took the shorter route diagonally across the field.  Those of us in the knitting circle then were lucky enough to catch sight of a hare of the four-legged variety hot footing across the field in front of us.  On on we soldiered to a muddy footpath through the trees by the river where we carefully tried to stay on our feet, arriving at Gressingham Bridge dodging the flying mud, compliments of Baldbrick.  After first going under the bridge we emerged on the road to cross over it and arrive at the "W" to be ushered across the road by our caring hares.  However the FRB's were too cold to wait and left Fur Coat, No More Cum and Cum Yak Yak in the knitting circle, yes you are reading this right - No More Cum was in the knitting circle!

Over the stile, across another large field, into the woods and out in the open again we went, where although it was bright sunshine the bitterly cold wind battered us from all directions, so glad I wore my knickers that day!  Passing where the river Wenning joins the Lune our orange hash haberdash proved very useful for the knitting circle, as on seeing the FRB's in the distance a bit of serious short-cutting just had to be done!  Over another stile, onto a path and up hill through fields, where on looking back we were treated to fabulous views of the Lune Valley.  The beer stop wasn't too far away at Eskrigge where hare Off His Trolley was there at the stile doing a superb windmill impression making sure we were going the right way.  A quick beer stop due to the cold, but time to devour some chocolate caramel biscuits for more energy, on on we went with an immediate Rambo/Wimp split.  This took us all through smaller fields this time and on to the back roads of Gressingham with the Wimps trekking through somebody's garden!  After meeting up on the road we continued to Gressingham Bridge where we retraced our steps over the bridge, then under it onto the slippery footpath by the river and took a short-cut through the field back to Hornby.

After the circle and new down-down songs led by White Noise with the rest of us following our song sheets in good tune, there was now a desperate need to find chips and gravy for Cum Yak Yak, so it was decided that due to the temporary closure of The Royal Oak, the "On Inn" would be The Black Bull at Brookhouse.

Down Downs:

• The visitor, Doctor David - a friend of Bedside Manner
• No Haberdash - Twisted, No Knickers, Sideshow Bob
• Using Mobile on r*n - Twisted
• Serious shortcutting - No More Cum
• Arguing with RA - Twisted & Major Twit

Visitor: Doctor David