17/3/10, 7 p.m.
Port Mahon, 82 Saint Clement's Street, Oxford, OX3 1AW. OS NGR SP 526060.  St Patrick's Day Hash (Irish themed drinks at beginning, end, and enroute).  Paid parking available in St. Clement's car park, 100 m from the pub.

24/3/10, 7 p.m.
Volunteer needed.

31/3/10, 7 p.m.
The Boat Inn, Thrupp, Kidlington, OX5 1JY.

All runs normally start Wednesdays, at 7pm.

The address for the canoe company is:

Black Mountain Activities
The Activity Centre
Three Cocks
Brecon
Powys
LD3 0SD

We shall be meeting at 9AM, I'm sure there will be car sharing for any non drivers / sharing travel costs. I would like a couple of volenteers that have cars, so that we can leave a car at each campsite, for getting more beer or maybe some food.

Itenary

Day One

Glasbury to Whitney
10 mile - 5/6 hour journey, stopping at hay on wye for lunch. Camping is opposite the pub, there is also a b+b if anyone wants it (poundbandb.co.uk).
There are several shadow rapids over the 5 mile section between hay and whitney which are easy to navigate, (there is occasions when you may need to get out of your canoe and pull it through, this only happens during the summer months with extremely dry conditions) your last small rapid is just before Hay. This natural small weir can be paddled over, "river right".

Day Two

Whitney - Preston
14 miles - 5/6 hour journey stopping at merbach or bredwardine for lunch (bredwardine has a castle).
The Later part of the day will see you traveling through the Scar and Monnington Falls, (A small rapid). Camping is a farmers field with a portaloo and stand pipe, the pub a 20 - 30 minute walk away.

Day Three

Preston - Hereford
10miles - 5/6 hour journey
there are no places for you to stop for lunch apart for stopping on the side of the river bank for a picnic. Your destination is the tennis courts which is situated on the right hand side beyond the old stone bridge (there are three bridges which you will pass under) When you arrive you should not leave the canoe unattended at any time whilst you are awaiting collection.

I will be booking tables for both evenings and also breakfast for day two this will be an additional £6 paid on the day.
There will be one large and one small barrel supplied with each boat so pack light. I was going to suggest we put the tents in one of the cars to go to the campste ahead of us to keep the weight and space down but this can be organised later.

For more information go to www.blackmountain.co.uk

Tonight the away weekend has been revealed as being held over the weekend of 12 to 14 November 2010. I have booked Burley Youth hostel which is on the edge of the New Forest. Street Map. Excellent hashing country and only about 1.5 hours away from us.

Burley YHA
Cott Lane
Burley Ringwood
Hampshire
BH24 4BB

Telephone: 0845 371 9309
E-mail: burley@yha.org.uk

Ordnance Survey National Grid Reference: SU 221028

See www.new-forest-national-park.com for general details of the area.

The hostel places are limited and although slightly more available than last year have already received interest in half of the 36 places available with 10 places now secured with deposits of £25 per-person, or there abouts, received. This covers the accommodation costs. Warning: dependent on the mail/female ratio one of the dorms may have to be mixed.

Beer for the weekend will be from the local Ringwood Brewery which is about 6.5 miles away.  To remind you they have:

• Huffkin - their Autumn ale - 4.4%
• 49er - 4.9%
• Old Thumper - 5.4%

So for the Friday night I have organised a brewery tour which will be an additional £6.50 per head.  Again this will be limited to around the same number as the hostel (so those guys will be given preference if others take alternative accommodation).  It will start at  6 p.m., finishing at about 9.15 p.m., and includes a tasting session and a free 1/2 pint mug to takeaway.  Am therefore proposing that afterwards we have a curry in Ringwood, instead of eating in the hostel, with cars or taxis to ferry us back later.  Beer, wine and soft drinks will be available on our return and if you don't like that there is a pub selling Fullers about 50 m away.

Yet to be organised but will happen:

• theme for Saturday night
• lliaison with a local (Wessex?) hash on Sunday return
• hares for Friday p.m. hash and possibly Saturday am. too but there will the still be a free afternoon to go into Bournemouth or Lymington or just drink, fall asleep, opportunities to wake me up later etc.
• caterers

On On, Shagger
PS NatWest don't take cheques made out to Shagger but will take those for Steve (or Stephen) Goodenough.

Finger Flasher is organising another canoe trip down the River Wye for the Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May. This year it will be 34 miles over 3 days from Glasbury to Hereford on the bank holiday weekend Saturday 29th to Monday 31st May.

The approximate cost would be £75 per person. This includes boat hire, barrels, camping fees, river maps, and is based on 14 people, this may go up or down depending on how many of you are interested.

If you are interested you can either e-mail me, phone me or see me after a hash, I would also need a £20 deposit to secure your place.

Any questions just ask. Finger Flasher.