Pickney Bush Farm
December 1st 2002

Hounds met at Pickney Bush farm by kind invitation of Mrs I Link and Mr and Mrs R Langrish and we were delighted to have our host Bob Langrish and his daughter out for the day. On the way to the meet the wind and rain was sheeting across the road, blowing the vehicles around. Luckily the rain just about stopped for the meet, but the wind kept blowing all day.

The quarry were Chris and Ed Ramus.

Hounds were taken down the road and laid on into the grass fields behind the cottage. They took a while to settle on the line in the strong wind, eventually hunting through the corn to Chittenden's Lane. The field were on the road while the hounds hunted slowly down the corn with hares jumping up in all directions. The hounds held the line across the road behind Honeychild Manor, and hunted across the cattle fields until coming out onto some clean land where they flew across the road at Winford Bridge. Leaving the New Sewer, hounds hunted across the rape. The order of the day for the field was spread out but the going was deep for the horses. They eventually took their quarry next to Jefferstone's Sewer.

For the second hunt hounds were taken down to the sports ground, and once again they took a while to settle in the wind, but hunted well to cross St Mary's Road at Tatnam Bridge. They lost the line in a field of sheep but once out onto the cultivated land they hunted on to Black Man's Tone Bridge. Skirting Sheaty Sewer they hunted on to take their quarry in the sheep fields behind the meet.

For the third hunt they were taken back to Old House Bridge, and laid on into the fields beyond. They hunted on towards Newchurch, past some interesting ditches. The hounds were at fault where the quarry had run a foot path. On collecting them up, the huntsman, off his horse, cast the hounds behind the houses and they picked up the line across a very black smelly ditch. As his horse had been taken round he had to go, but refused at that spot and luckily found somewhere a bit narrower.

With the huntsman reunited with his horse, the hounds were well ahead and down Bilsington Sewer. They crossed the bridge well and took their quarry behind Rooke Lands Farm.

A difficult day for the hounds in the wind with many walkers on the last hunt and hard going on the cultivated land for the horses, but the grass rode really well.