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[Ed. Pugsley has admitted to harnessing the wordsmithing wizardry of “Eh-Ayeeeeee” (AI, to those less familiar with the Boris Johnson pronunciation) to co-author his beautifully lyrical edition of The Words this week: I have no idea how much ChatGPT might claim responsibility for, but it’s all about the quality of the prompt (according to every CoPilot orientation I have suffered this last week), so think Pugsley should still take full credit/blame…]

HASH 1551 – HOLBETON HALLOWEEN HASH

Boaty and I arrived early in the sleepy village of Holbeton, the mist still clinging to the hedgerows and the faint echo of crows overhead. Peaceful, almost too peaceful—until we spotted two locals trudging along the lane carrying what could only be described as a body wrapped in tarpaulin over their shoulders. “Bit early for Halloween decorations,” Boaty muttered, eyeing them suspiciously. We decided it was best not to ask. [Ed.Very wise…]

The evening promised chaos and running in equal measure, as we gathered the troops and welcomed a few newcomers to the Hash—Kerry, Rosie, and James—along with a solid turnout from the Holbeton Harriers, a group of proper runners who looked far too energetic for our liking. [Ed. There was a little ripple of competitive twitchiness in the FRB ranks at this observation…or perhaps that was just a collective shivering at the plummeting air temperature/malign spirits abroad…?]

Miraculously, there was no moaning from Gaffer at the start. “It’s my kind of trail,” he announced cheerily, which immediately made everyone suspicious. The family tradition was kept alive, however, when Goldfish took up the mantle of complaint—disappointed, of all things, that he hadn’t got his feet wet after travelling all the way from London. [Ed. Well, if he will insist on sticking to the marked trail… 🙄 Plenty of opportunities for shiggy and water if you’re prepared to go ‘spectacularly wrong’ on a few checks…]

Muckspreader, true to form, managed to go spectacularly wrong on one of the early checks. By the time he realised he’d gone the wrong way, the local deer—who’d been waiting patiently—decided it was finally safe to cross the road. Later, Beefy was spotted leading Shaggy and Can’t Come gallantly up a long, steep hill… entirely the wrong way. A valiant but utterly misplaced effort. [Ed. a true hash gent 😘] 

Muckspreader redeemed himself somewhat later on with a dazzling display of athleticism, one-handedly pole-vaulting a gate like some sort of countryside Duplantis [Ed. I had to Google: Armand Duplanfis, Swedish-American pole-vaulting world record holder… Not a Greco Roman demi-god, then.] Rusty, She’s Ready, and Olive encountered the same gate moments later and spent so long trying to open it that Gomez had to intervene with his strongman heroics [Ed. Hash Hero!]. Cue much cheering—and possibly swooning—from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, the week’s ongoing dogging theme took an unexpected turn [👀]. After the run, witnesses reported seeing Gaffer’s car steaming up suspiciously, shoes outside the door. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions—best leave it there before anyone calls the parish council [Ed. There can surely be no worse fate in the rural South Hams…].

The Holbeton Harriers were mightily impressed by the beer stop—a spooky, Halloween-themed affair courtesy of Lady Godiva and Rob. It was so good, in fact, that some Hashers were still enjoying it well past 8:30pm. One polite soul even requested apple juice and, in true Hash fashion, was handed a pint of lager instead [Ed. Just the same. But fizzier. And lacking in apples]. Problem solved.

When it came to Down Downs, the honours went as follows:
• Doggy Style – co-Hare
• Lady Godiva – co-Hare and master of the spooky beer stop
• Muckspreader – for his Olympic-style gate-vaulting
• Goldfish – for moaning (family tradition upheld)
• Gomez – for being the night’s strong-armed hero
• Dimmers – for bleating on and on when Anchorman was trying to start the RA’ing
And, in lieu of the missing newcomers (who had sensibly vanished before 9:30pm), we raised a glass to absent friends.

As the night wound down and the mist crept back over Holbeton, laughter echoed through the village lanes. Another Hash done and dusted—mud, mischief, and mystery included.

ON ON to SOUTH MILTON for the SH4 Bonfire Night Fireworks hash!

Photo credit: Beefy

🏃 📸 🍻 You can enjoy a few more photos from the Holbeton harrier-heavy hash on 29th October 2025 by checking out the purpose-built photo album on the SH4 Facebook page 📸 🏃🍻

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Next SH4 Hash 🐷👣: 

 HASH 1552 –  5th November, 2025 

🎇🎆  SOUTH MILTON – Bonfire Night Fireworks Hash! 🎆🎇

CIRCLE UP 7.25pm
Wakeham Farmhouse, South Milton, TQ7 3JQ
What3words: Https://what3words.com/prank.miles.trial

ON DOWN:
The Village Inn, Thurlestone, TQ7 3NN
What3Words: Https://what3words.com/sprouted.clever.speeches

Hare: OLIVE

From the hare:
Parking will be tight along the roads so please car-share if possible.
Fireworks kick off at 8.30 prompt and the bar will have enough for one or two drinks each – bring your own drinks if you would like more.
We will then proceed to The Village Inn for Nice Tackle’s RA-ing. Looking forward to seeing you all X

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For less info (!), please see the Hash 1552 event page on the SH4 Facebook Group.

Add your photos of how the evening went down (on Weds 5th November, 2025) to the Hash 1552 photo album on SH4’s Facebook page.

📝 If you are the lucky Scribe at SOUTH MILTON on 5th November, please submit your edition of The Words to thewords@sh4.org.uk by Sunday evening (9th November, 2025) – TVM! 📝

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UPCOMNG SH4 EVENTS

⛄🌟🎅🏻🌟🎄🌟🎅🏻🌟⛄

We can’t wait to see you all at the Start Bay Centre, Slapton on Saturday 29th November (and Friday 28th November, if you’ve signed up for the bonus extra FREE night!) for what promises to be a spectacular edition of the beloved SH4 Pre-Christmas Hash Bash. Don’t forget your tinsel (or other, more sustainable festive adornments)!

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If you’ve booked to attend this super-value weekend of entertainment, please pay the full amount (£50) to the SH4 account asap to secure your place (account details below and also on the poster):

Account name: SH4
A/c no. 00263482     Sort code: 30-94-72

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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.

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  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. 

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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.

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