|
Owley
Hounds met at Owley, Wittersham, by kind invitation of our hosts Mr and Mrs Piper. It was a sunny day, really warm with very little wind. The quarry were Chris, Adrian and David Walton. The masters and hunt staff were wearing black arm bands in remembrance of the Queen Mother. After a minutes silence the field were reminded that the Queen Mother was a great supporter of the bloodhounds and used to hold a meet at the Royal Lodge, Windsor Park. Hounds were laid on behind the cattle shed, and they hunted down the woods and out onto the marsh. They circled across the corn and, skirting Kingsgate Farm, they turned back up the hill into Comb Wood. Cutting through the wood they came out onto the corn fields on the far side where they lost the field who were struggling to keep up. They took their quarry near the road just short of the nurseries. It was very hot and hounds hunted well in the long corn. For the second hunt they were laid on over the main Wittersham Road, into a field of three foot high rape in full flower. The quarry ran the tram lines, while the field cantered round the set aside strip round the outside. On entering the field the hounds were totally out of sight in the rape and the majority of the pack managed to give everybody the slip as we all miscalculated how fast they were going. They were laid on and were gone. We were amazed how quickly they hunted as we thought the rape scent would overpower the quarrys' scent. The pack unaided crossed the lane down to Shetlands Wood and hunted up over the hill taking the quarry at Top Hill Farm. Here Master Clare Miles led the field over an interesting drop hedge, which a lot of people did not jump once they saw how far she disappeared out of sight. It was sharp hunt with the hounds hunting totally unaided. The third hunt saw hounds taken to Lords Wood, where they hunted down through the wood and out into the grass fields towards Odiam Farm. Turning back along the side of the wood they hunted really well across the grass fields, taking in numerous post and rails to catch their quarry on the road near Green Acres. For the fourth hunt hounds hunted past the beehives into Sstemps Wood where there was an interesting river crossing - it was very steep, effectively a horrendous "close your eyes" effort, where Nic's stallion refused point blank to go on. Clare took lead and also stuck but was spurred on by the threats to cover her coming from the huntsman! Hounds hunted out into the orchards where they lost the line. After extensive casting they picked it up and hunted out into Bramley Orchard where they took their quarry in a black smelly pond. For the fifth hunt hounds hunted round the rape field, crossing the road into Rush Green Wood, hunting through the pheasant pens and out and down into the marshes, where they hunted a big circle and back to take their quarry behind the corn silos on Owley Farm. A long day and hot work for the hounds and lots of jumping for the field.
|
