An unseasonably sunny English summer’s day heralded LVH3’s return to flour power on R*n 738, continuing the slow creep back to normality after the dread lockdown. We have in the last few weeks dallied with other methods of route definition, only to have hounds straying badly off trail. Indeed on our last outing some spectacular shortcutting was in evidence. The marking of the trail , providing positive directional reassurance and indeed ensuring full route compliance, has been much missed. Morticia was particularly generous with her ‘positive psychoblobbing’ (her term!) over the moorland. So armed with detailed instructions from the Adams family and a fully marked trail, what could possibly go wrong?!

A staggered start of 4 groups of optimistic and appropriately distanced hashers set off from Dolphinholme village hall. A beautiful route took us across verdant fields, ankle turning and cowpatted, streamside over rooted and tripsy paths, through woodland with exuberant needles and brambles, to the boggy moors and back.We braved the passage of cows, hissing geese and barking dogs. We gawped at idyllic houses - which one would you have ?! Eventually we came to the BS, looking so welcoming with comfy chairs , disinfectant wipes and sanitising gel, and partook of refreshment. Shortly thereafter a climb took us to the surprising tiered cairn on t’moor where it seemed moot to capture a photo with the expansive backdrop of the Lancashire coast. We progressed further along attractive winding paths threading through pink heather, blueberry and bog.

Well, some of us did..... The Spectacular Shortcutters undeterred by the substitution of WN & OHT with STT forged their own mainly road based and petrol fumed trail to return homeward. Evidently free spirited, they are immune to the power of the flour and unconstrained by the interpretation of the written word. For them, the psychoblobs remained undiscovered upon the heathered moor. Instead, the insistent pull of the post hash beer at The Fleece drew them away on their aberrant path.

Most of us enjoyed a leisurely pace in the unfamiliar sunshine but a trio of FRB candidates ( LP, SI and a newly returned WOTJ) ran like some fast and relentless unit on a mission. Clearly they required some sneaky fishhooks to restrain their exuberance. Whatever our pace, we all had a jolly good day of it. Thanks Lurch and Morticia!