I enjoyed people telling stories about their hounds: their racing exploits, and how they got their names. We met Vera, a small, quiet self effacing hound who won an amazing 29 races out of 118 under the name of Did She? We met a hound who raced under the name of 'Pour the Wine' but whom the Kennel hands called Tipsy (and she has been tipsy ever since). And the hound who raced as Bob's Memory (named by a widow after her late husband) now known simply as Bob. Tania enjoyed seeing hounds like Cleo and Ali, both of whom she remembers walking at Hersham, now happily homed with caring owners.
We couldn't have asked for better guides. John and Doreen are the Park keepers at Nonsuch. Three days ago they adopted a greyhound from Battersea's country kennels at Kent and they brought her out on the walk today. They guided us to the Mansion House Cafe in the middle of the Park, where we stopped for a cup of tea and a chat. 
Then John and Doreen took us on a ramble back along a beautiful quiet walk, off the beaten track, through open fields and past a pond. We have been to Nonsuch Park many times but today we saw parts of it we hadn't known existed. Once back at the car park Doreen bought out a big bucket of water that the thirsty hounds took it in turns to empty.Well done to the folks who gave homeless hounds from Hersham a day out from the kennels: This is Jet at the end of the walk, having a rest before his trip back to the kennels.
The next social walk will be in September: Please leave a comment at the bottom of the post if you have any preferences or suggestions on where we go.James
