The success of the Hash depends on the quality of the trails. The following information is intended to assist potential hares in planning and laying a good trail.
Aims of a good trail
• Set long and short trails and possibly an even shorter walkers’ route, ideally all hashers should finish at the same time.
• Challenge the FRBs (Front Running B*stards) and make them run hard.
• Use checks and bars to keep the pack together and allow SCBs (Short Cutting B*stards) to keep up.
BH3 normally runs in the winter at 11am on Sundays and in the summer at 7pm on Mondays – times may vary on Bank Holidays. Trails should be in good countryside and as much off-road as possible.
The Hash ideally starts and finishes from the pub, although can start from any suitable point with sufficient parking space with an ON-TO to a nearby pub (What3Words/Grid reference for both required). Village Halls maybe used, but if any payment is required this must be arranged with the GM and Hash Cash beforehand.
A good aim is to get the pack back to the start within 1½ hours, or less when there is limited daylight - typically 4-6 miles. Use public rights of way, footpaths, bridleways, tracks and minor roads, open-access land etc. Keep off-road as much as possible. You may set trails over private land if prior permission is obtained from the landowner.
Recce the trail at least twice before the day. Find an area with scope for plenty of checks and work out the timing of the trail.
Select a good pub, contact the manager and agree the following:
• Date and time of Hash
• Numbers – lots of rowdy people approx 30-40(Winter), 50-60(Summer)
• Parking – Is there sufficient space? Where can we park – 20 –30 spaces needed
• Bar staff – Can they cope? Do they require extra staff?
• Food – Is there hot/cold food?
Please confirm the details several times with the manager – they frequently forget.
The trail should be laid immediately before the run. It needs 2 hares to lay a trail and as a rough guide it takes at least twice as long to set a trail as it does to run it.
The trail markings used by Berkshire HHH are shown under Berkshire Conventions, any variations should be explained by the Hares before starting.
The hares should run the trail with the pack. One hare should keep up with the front runners to stop them getting hopelessly lost and ensure that the checks are marked with the correct direction. The second hare should stay at the back to ensure no one gets left behind.