2010-04-03 48 9

Location

In the Schimmelfeld (mould field) at the city limits of the medieval town of Besigheim.

Participants

Expedition

General lack of motivation, a need for more sleep and a rather bad weather forecast made me not seriously pursuing any hashing plans for that day. Anyway, I had a network pass for the Stuttgart region which had already been paid for available for that day, weather got a bit better than expected, and I felt I simply had to go out somewhere. So, why not visit Besigheim, that town always looks quite nice from the train.

So I went off much later than any reasonable time to go for a longer hashing trip, trying to make it for 4 pm. Since I already had missed the slightly cheaper bus, and - unlike most others around here - the next train going there carries bikes for no extra cost, I took the bike with me. This turned out to be a good decision, since, due to some significant destruction work (they actually started with the first steps of what will be a total and final destruction of public and other transport in the entire Stuttgart region within of a few years) my train to Besigheim was late and I missed my connection. Dear loudspeaker, I'm not going to accept any excuse. Knowing the reason, there simply is no excuse for this delay.

Instead of waiting an hour for the next train, I jumped on one which won't stop at Besigheim, got off at Bietigheim and raced down along the Enz valley trail to Besigheim. I hadn't brought any kind of map, and remembered only vaguely from looking up the hash how it might be possible to get there. It was supposed to be on a hill, at the upper end of town. Also, to get there by 4pm wasn't a very comfortable thing any more, time-wise.

Little more than 10 minutes to 4 I finally noticed that I had taken the wrong road, looking down on the hash from a distance of about 500 metres. A little bit further I found a long row of steps. For a short moment I considered carrying the bike down those steps, but closer examination of the fields below showed a good chance of there being a better way another "little" bit further. This was wrong, but there still was something not too much unlike an unpaved track, and probably legal to pass (however, in case someone asks there's always the "hapless visitor having missed the way" tactics, which not even would be a lie). Finally, I reached the hash four minutes to four - so, there was actually plenty of time left, wasn't there?

Made a few photos, left a marker, left the place and went for a visit of the old town centre. The chance that someone else will turn up is near zero, anyway.

Besigheim itself turned out to be quite nice, a well preserved medieval town with lots of traditional half-timbered houses. I just had wished the weather was better.

Gallery

At the hash

The hash is over there (actually a little bit out of the picture to the right)
The name of the game: In the mould field ¹. If the X was supposed to mark the spot, it's a few metres off, though.
View from hash #1
Opposite direction looks a bit less rural...
Coordinates reached
A marker taped to a nearby signpost.