Ed. Another narrow escape this week – I’m not saying the Scribe completely forgot she had been unceremoniously dobbed in for the Words duties this week, buuuuuut…she completely forgot. However, conscientious to a fault (on being reminded…), ChatGP-, uh, I mean Olive whipped up not one, not two, but THREE potential options for me to choose from – and all before 6am! (Alright, over-achiever… 😂😘)

🌟 👣  🌟

A quick parish notice before you settle down:

Our lovely, hard-working Hare Razer, Lactaster, is looking for hares to lay a tail on the following dates (some rather imminent!): 

18th February

25th February

4th March

25th March

8th April

29th April

If you haven’t laid a hash for a while, and think you might be able to find some time to tramp around the beautiful South Hams with a few bags of flour for company on one of the above dates, PLEASE do let Lactaster know – and save the poor thing some sleepless nights!!
(Also, if you’re struggling to find an available co-hare, please mention to the committee so they can try and help find you some support.)

🌟 👣  🌟

Hash 1566 – EAST ALLINGTON
(Ed. The lightest of light touches to this week’s edits [just not quite the same, marking machine-learning’s homework…😂])

In chilly East Allington, dry for a change,
The South Hams crew gathered, wonderfully strange.
A couple of new folks were dragged out to play
By Blown Off (who insists he’s modest… in his own way).

One newbie we’re sure had a dog with a “B”—
The name is forgotten, but the bark was carefree.
They claimed to be cousins, though no one could tell;
One was good-looking… The other? …Well.

The run started gently (a rare, rare event),
Perhaps age-related, or energy spent.
But Pugsley, unstoppable, flew with the fleet—
His speed surely powered by avoiding Dad’s… unique… technique.

Now Gomez was lively, unusually so,
Asking odd questions no one wanted to know.
One hasher was startled, confused by his chat—
Her memory failed her (and she’s perfectly fine with that).

Pugsley was told to cover his face—
Or ears? Or eyes? Somewhere in that space.
The RA tried helping, but honestly, who
Can keep track of chaos in this merry crew?

Meanwhile poor Willy Waiver, with Muckspreader in the lead,
Was trapped in a loop of remarkable speed.
Around a big field he kept circling on,
And no one is sure if he’s back or just gone.

Then came the tumbles—Lowt’arse took a fall,
Got scraped, got bruised, but stood proud and tall.
A chunk from her hand, a twist in her stride—
But she powered on bravely, with grit and her pride.

Gomez, of course, had commentary ready
(Not always helpful, not always steady).
Lowt’arse reached out midfall for support,
But his “treasures” (we’ll call them) were not the right sort.

They did not assist, they did not save the day,
And that is all that we’re going to say…

So cheers to the runners of South Hams terrain—
The wild, the bewildered, the joyfully insane.
May your nights stay dry, your routes stay clear,
And may no-one’s ‘valuables’ be grabbed this year…
 
But wait! The night was hardly through—
For justice calls in Hashing too.
The circle formed, the chatter slowed,
And Down Downs proudly were bestowed.

First Gomez stood, but shook his head:
“I’m driving home!” (Responsible, he said).
The crowd all groaned—no drink? How tragic!
Driver duty kills the magic.

Next came the hares—Rusty and Overshot—
Praised for the trail they cleverly…forgot.
For every twist and mystery bend
A hearty Down Down they must defend.

Lowt’arse, of course, stepped forward tall
For her glorious, gravity-defying fall.
She earned her sip with pride that night—
A badge of honour for her flight.

Then Cousin of BO was called
(Dragged out, bewildered, but not appalled).
For joining chaos with surprising cheer
A Down Down welcomed their first Hashing year.

And Olive too was summoned up,
Raising high her noble cup—
For buddying Lowt’arse through the pain,
A true Hasher through sun or rain.

So cheers to the shambles, the slips, and the fun,
To every mis-step on every run.
In the South Hams crew, one thing is clear—
You earn your Down Downs fair and square each year!

To summarise, down downs awarded to:

• Mr. Overshot & Rusty Bottom – hares
• Lowt’arse – spectacular tumble; unexpected fumble
• Blown-Off (?) – rampant short-cutting (probably)
• Blown-Off’s 2 x cousins – virgins
• Olive – hashing heroism (or saucy revelations – you decide!)
• Shaggy – by default

On on to ERMINGTON

Photo credit: Rusty Bottom

🏃 📸 🍻   Tragically, there are currently NO photos of last Wednesday’s alternately boggy, brambly and gradient-tastic adventure around the fields of East Allington. If, by some miracle, you have any to share – either of the hash, or at home of the often imitated, never bettered (occasionally battered…?) Jumbo Sausage, aka the warm and welcoming Fortescue Arms – please do chuck them in here: Hash 1566 photo album on the SH4 Facebook page. 🏃 📸 🍻

👣

👣

Next SH4 Hash 🐷👣: 
HASH 1567 –  28th January, 2026 

CIRCLE UP 7.25pm

Outside: The Crooked Spire, Ermington, PL21 9LP
Https://what3words.com/shredder.inflame.regress

ON DOWN:
Inside: The Crooked Spire

Hares: Lowt’arse and Barbarella

👣

🍝 Hash Food: Orders by end of the day on Tuesday (today), please! 🍝

For more info, please see the Hash 1567 event page on the SH4 Facebook Group.

Add your photos of how the evening went down (on Weds 28th January, 2026) to the Hash 1567 photo album  on SH4’s Facebook page.

📝 If you are the lucky Scribe at ERMINGTON on 28th January, please submit your edition of The Words to thewords@sh4.org.uk by Sunday evening (1st February, 2026) – TVM! 📝

👣

SH4 ‘EALTH & SAFETY

Please make a note of the SH4 hash phone number and add it to your phone:

🌟 SH4 hash phone number: 07922 103701 🌟

Use this number to call for assistance if you come ‘unstuck’ out on the trail, or need to get a message to ‘base camp’ (On Down) during the run.

👣

 
  Don’t forget to see Rusty Bottom before the hash to log you out on trail using the new-fangled checking-out/checking-in app (developed by our very own digital-wizard, Whisperer).

Don’t forget to also check back in with Rusty once you’re safely back. 

👣

SH4 MercHASHdise 

Show your love for SH4 and wear your membership proudly with a bespoke SH4 car sticker!

Available exclusively to SH4 members (and, to be fair, anyone else who wants one…) for the bargain sum of £0.50 ea., you can afford one for every vehicle in your fleet! 😊

See a member of the committee at the next hash meet to get yours.

👣

_____________________