R*n 78: Clougha

A select band of harriers gathered together in Rigg Lane car park including visitors, Stan, Martje, and their children Cobi and Willam, from the Riyadh H3. Stan works for the Lappet Company and they have just returned to Lancaster following the problems in the Middle East.

As there were so few committee members present Lurch was nominated RA for the day.

The run, very well marked with copious amounts of flour, took us up the slopes of Clougha before heading towards Littledale and the most scenic beer stop I have yet experienced! (Thank you to the hares for carrying the drinks up the track!)

Apart from nearly losing the smallest visitor down holes between rocks and clumps of heather, the run was fairly uneventful. Thankfully, Nipple, with his beautiful long legs came to the rescue at this point. (He had been way out in front but decided to sit and contemplate the view whilst the Knitting Circle caught up.)

It was a glorious, clear day giving excellent views of windmills, nuclear power stations (which generated some slightly heated discussions - excuse the puns), the bay and surrounding mountains.

A Wimps/Rambo split on the second half gave the Wimps a scenic route back to the car park, the main danger being injury due to the burnt heather stems, whilst the Rambos had a longer, faster route mainly on tarmac. In fact it was so fast that they were able to double back up the Wimps trail to check that no one had got lost in the heather!

Down downs were given at the end to:

• The Hares - for setting such a good trail
• The visitors - for being there
• The Hares and the visitors - for leaving litter (although it was probably a false accusation against the smallest visitor)
• White Noise and Nipple - for toilet talk during the beer stop.

(if there were more, I cannot remember them!)

Pick me up gave us news of Hash Haberdashery and forthcoming events and Stan, having thanked us for being a small but friendly group, told us that his next run would be in Riyadh with probably about 45 harriers and 6 hares.

Everyone had better things to do than go to the on Inn for lunch so we said our farewells and left.