The sun shone, the beer was cool (cellar temperature; just perfect), the streets of Preston were cleared of civilians and the Police were mobilised. Just about right for hashing.

Founding Host and Hare, Aliarse Preston Pete, had neglected to set a trail so we joined in the Preston 10k run which co-incidentally was on the same day.

The inaugural runners (Lindsey and John, PP and S4S,) set off at 10am dead. They ran a bit through city streets and green parks and finished an hour later, were given a banana, and then went back to (one of) PP’s mansions for a quick wash – for the temperature and sweat had made them foulsome. Whereupon being cleansed they did meet up with latecomers: Sue (first hash Skopelos), and recent returnees from an Indian summer: Flutterby, Skinny Ass and Playboy2.

First stop was The Blue Bell serving Mr Samuel Smiths fine ales. So good is Preston that a round of six drinks cost £6.50 – perfect hashing country. Excellent ale. So good we stayed for another. This set us well on the way to replenishing the electrolytes lost on the run. Just to make sure, we loaded more electrolyte at Mr Wetherspoon’s Greyfriars Public House.

Goodly ale was sadly not sufficient and so we resorted to carb-loading in this tavern which also purveyed solids to help prepare us for more nourishing ales. A long trip to the Black Bull – right across the road gave us the opportunity to further sample the local offerings of Mr Boddington and confirm that the first four pints had not been splendid by mere chance. This pub kept up the high standard we had by then come to expect of Preston and served us beers of such rare quality we felt we should try another. The publican of the Dog and Partridge, seeing a promotional opportunity sponsored this new hash by providing sandwiches to help soak up the excellent beers.

It was felt that time was right for an excursion and so six of us piled into Sue ‘Wankeresley’s’ capacious mini and drove to the scenic heights of Avenham park where we took in the vista and developed a thirst. A quick stop at Aliarse Preson Pete’s late Mum’s pad and then a final quality check on the beers at the Railway Irish Pub left us in no doubt about the suitability of Preston as one of Europe’s finest hash locations.

Later as the sun drooped towards the horizon (Blackpool), the sparrows returned to their nests, the owls were waking up for the night shift and bats started to leave the cloistered eaves and fearing upsetting the locals by drinking their pubs dry it was decided to adjourn the hash for another time – and as my fellow founders put me on a local Virgin with tears of sadness in their eyes they melted away into the still bright sunshine.

The day ended with Aliarse PP guiding the Wankersley crew back to the highways of northern England and him staggering back to crash out amongst his building works.

We will endeavour to maintain the high standards of this hash at any and every future opportunity.

On On Preston and Athens Sam Smiths Shaggers Hash House Harriers (The ‘PASH HASH’)