The Clog Blog
The Clog Blog: 2026 Anniversary Year
We are celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2026, and we are sharing our adventures here. There's so much happening in the folk world locally and around the region.
16 June 2026: The Phoenix, Hartley Wintney
The rain settled down just in time for a dance out with Jackstraws at The Phoenix, a lovely old pub full of fascinating things, including an enormous model ship in a case in one of the side rooms. Despite a few absences and one injured dancer (who still did a great job as caller and general announcer), we traded dances back and forth with Jackstraws all evening. Jackstraws are a Cotswold side with a beautiful, graceful style, and it's always a joy to watch them dance.
We're always happy with people stop and chat with us, and this evening we met some lovely folks who wanted to know more about the music, the Northwest and Cotswold styles, and Morris in general. England has such a rich folk tradition! With that in mind, you can learn more about different styles of dance on the Morris Federation's website:
9 June 2026 - The Bell in the Bury, Odiham
The Bell in the Bury is a historic pub that was rescued from closure by a great community effort and is now staffed by volunteers, all of whom seem to be having a wonderful time. We were joined at the Bell by our good friends Fleet Morris, for an evening of dancing followed by a music session. The pleasant weather and beautiful location brought out a good audience.
7 June 2026 - Sun in North Waltham
After a rainy start to the weekend, the clear skies on Sunday were very welcome. We haven't danced at the North Waltham fete in years, but we enjoyed ourselves immensely. It's a proper old-fashioned village fete with games, tombola, book stall and bric-a-brac, a beer tent and a dog show.
We did two spots on the green, each one followed by our famous joining in dance. It's good to do the joining in dance twice, because the first time around we only got four volunteers (small children - they don't worry about looking silly). They learned the dance steps and had a lot of fun, so the second time we called for volunteers, we got a real crowd of all ages.
We were having so much fun we forgot to get the camera out, but pictures will follow as soon as our village contact sends them to us.
6 June 2026 - Rain in Chichester
We travelled to Chichester on Saturday for a day of dance with the delightful Fishbourne Mill Morris and a number of other invited sides from around the region. It's a great day out, and we were looking forward to seeing everyone. Rain was forecast, but we thought 'How bad could the weather be?'
Pretty bad, actually. After a slightly damp start in Priory Park, we moved to our first spot on East Street, where the rain started to come down in earnest. Dancers were drenched, and although the musicians had rain slickers to protect their instruments, they also looked like drowned rats by the end of the spot.
After a lunch break, several sides made a good attempt at performing in the face of driving rain and rising winds, until word came that a friendly pub had opened their doors to the group. We converged on the Chichester Inn (38 West Street, lovely place, highly recommend), where we spent the rest of the afternoon dancing, singing and drowning our sorrows in some very good beer. A good time was had by all, and many thanks to Fishbourne Mill for hosting.
02 June 2026 - Pub evening with Borderline Morris
Change of month, change of weather - June has arrived and we're back to rain and chilly evenings. Honestly, it's a relief not to be hot and sweaty, although we did have a little trouble settling on the best spot to dance at Longbridge Mill. The patio would have been ideal on a dry afternoon, but after a wet day it felt less like dancing and more like skating. So we moved dancers and audience closer to the car park and danced on the tarmac - a longer hike to the bar, but no injuries.
We haven't danced with Borderline for a while, but we really should get together with them more often - they're a lovely bunch of people and a lot of fun to hang out with. We traded dances back and forth until the sun went down and the breeze took on more of a bite, then we all headed home. There was time for a lovely group photo before we all scattered.
28 May 2026 - Pub evening with Old Speckled Hen
We ranged a little further afield this week for an evening at The Olde Red Lion with another Northwest side, Old Speckled Hen. OSH are a blast to dance with, and not just because they do the same style as us and their dances are of a similar length (a Northwest dance can be twice as long as a Cotswold dance, although it is true that the hanky wielders do jump higher than us). OSH dance with a lot of energy and a real sense of fun, and they have a great band as well.
By Thursday the heat wave was starting to settle down into just comfortably warm, so we had an audience of cheerful people sitting outside with their drinks and chips. And the dancing must have been good, because they all stuck around until we finished with a joint 18-person version of Ripon Nine Man shortly before 10. At that point, the more musically inclined of us moved into the back room of the pub for a session. A perfect evening!
16 May 2026 - Winchester Mayfest
What a great day out! Mayfest is one of our favourite spring events. Morris sides from all over the region gather in Winchester for a day-long celebration of music and dance. A varied programme includes dance spots around the city centre and in the Great Hall, concerts at St Lawrence Church, stepping workshops from FolkActive, and massed dances in front of the cathedral.
We enjoyed several dance spots with some really great sides, and even our 4 o'clock spot in the rain wasn't a complete wash out. We managed two dances and a couple of tunes for a small but appreciative audience, huddled in the eaves of the cathedral.
12 May 2026 - Pub evening with Berkshire Bedlam
Tuesday evening we met up with our friends Berkshire Bedlam at another of our favourite local pubs, the Calleva Arms in Silchester. It's fun to share a pub evening with another side - you can take turns dancing, so everyone gets a bit of a rest and the audience doesn't get bored, and you get to have a bit of a natter with your friends.
The weather this Tuesday wasn't the best - a chilly spring evening with the sun hiding behind the clouds - and when it started to get dark and the wind developed a bite, we all trooped inside the warm, welcoming pub for a pint and a chat.
9 May 2026 – Ashcombe House Care Home
This Saturday saw us at a summer fete for Ashcombe House Care Home in Basingstoke. Residents and their families came outside to sit in the sun and let us entertain them with 40 minutes of music and dance. We alternated our signature dances with some tunes and a bit of patter from our squire. Our audience seemed to enjoy our performance, but the stars of the show were the two children who danced along from the sidelines.
After a performance in the blazing sun, we were offered ice lollies distributed by those same children – thank you very much!
5 May 2026: Solo spot at
The Coach & Horses, Rotherwick
We had a free Tuesday evening with nothing scheduled, but dancing is much more fun than sitting quietly at home. Luckily the Coach & Horses in Rotherwick was happy to have us come and dance on short notice. Normally we share our Tuesday pub evenings with another side, but an early-spring solo spot is a good chance to get in a final practice and work on our lines (the bane of all Morris sides).
And the Coach & Horses has particularly tasty chips!
When it started to get dark and chilly, we moved indoors to play some tunes, sing a few songs and drink some more of the excellent ales on offer. We'll be back at the Coach & Horses again on 23 June, this time with Kennet Morris. See you there!
Team photo
Team photo at the Coach & Horses
Nice lines
Very important to get those lines straight
Hardworking musicians
'How does that tune go?'
23 April 2026 – St George's Day in Odiham
Hook Eagle Morris hold an annual St George's Day event in Odiham, and it's always a delight – this year more than ever, because of the reopening of The Bell in the Bury, a beloved old pub which has been purchased by the community.
Along with Hook Eagle and the other guest sides, we started things off at The Waterwitch, a lovely and welcoming pub down by the Basingstoke Canal. A couple of dances from each side, then a long trudge up the hill for more dancing at The George/The Red Lion. As it got dark, we made our way to The Bell in the Bury for the highlight of the evening, the inaugural 2026 Shakespeare Shout, organised by St George's Holiday, which promotes making St George's Day a bank holiday. Our shout was awarded the Best Experience by the organisers: a feather in all of our caps.
The evening ended with well-deserved pints and coffees, and a lively session in The Bell for those who still had the energy.
12 April 2026 - Oxford Folk Festival
Oxford Folk Festival, our first dance out of the season. The weather can be unpredictable this early in the year, and although we were a little worried by accounts of cold winds and sudden hail showers from the sides who performed on the Saturday, the sun was shining brightly when we caught the train from Basingstoke on Sunday morning.
Our first spot was at Oxford Castle, and we arrived early enough for hot drinks in their excellent coffee shop. We were dancing with Lodestone, Sussex Junction and Wilkes Gob, all great sides with some interesting dances. The weather held out for another sunny lunchtime spot outside the White Horse on Broad Street, then there was just enough time for a quick pint before heading to Radcliffe Camera, where the rain really started to come down.
Full props to all the sides in attendance – they were there to dance and play, rain or shine, and they gave it their all. Everyone was making the best of it and dancing with energy and a real sense of fun, even if they were soaking wet. (And those rag coats of Wreckers must have been a lot heavier than usual!)
All our musicians were swathed in waterproof parkas to protect their melodeons, except for Rob who'd come out wearing a fleece. Many thanks to the lovely lady from Wilkes Gob who kindly held her umbrella over him for the whole of our last dance!
