Quirky Places, Events & Traditions

The Gloucester Cheese Rolling dates back to at least the 19th century, though some believe it could be much older. It may have roots in pagan rituals or local customs celebrating the onset of spring. Held annually, competitors chase a 9-pound round of Double Gloucester cheese down the very steep, rough terrain of Cooper's Hill near Gloucester, England. The cheese can reach speeds up to 70 mph, making it nearly impossible to catch. The objective is not necessarily to catch the cheese but to be the first to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill.It typically takes place on the Spring Bank Holiday in May.

Cheese Rolling

The World Nettle Eating Championships is a distinctive and challenging event held annually at The Bottle Inn in Marshwood, Dorset, England. This unusual competition involves participants consuming as many stinging nettles as possible within a set time. Participants are given one hour to eat as many nettle leaves as possible. The leaves are stripped from the stalks, and only the leaves count towards the final tally. The current records for the most nettles eaten are impressive, with some competitors managing to strip and consume over 70 feet of nettles within the hour.

World Nettle eating championships

Bog Snorkelling is a unique and eccentric sporting event held annually in Llanwrtyd Wells, a small town in Powys, Wales. The event takes place in a peat bog near the town. The bog is specifically prepared for the event with trenches filled with water. Competitors swim through two consecutive water-filled trenches, each 60 yards (55 meters) long, for a total distance of 120 yards (110 meters). Participants must complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes. Instead, they use flippers and a snorkel.

world bog snorkelling championships

The Acton Burnell Parliament, held in 1283, is a significant event in English history as it is considered one of the earliest instances of the English Parliament convening with a recognizable structure and set of functions. The Acton Burnell Parliament was held during the reign of King Edward I (1272- 1307), who was known for his administrative reforms and military campaigns. Acton Burnell is a village in Shropshire, England. The parliament was held at Acton Burnell Castle, the fortified manor house of Robert Burnell, who was the Bishop of Bath and Wells and the Lord Chancellor of England.

acton burnell parliament

The Mostyn Funship, originally known as the TSS Duke of Lancaster, is a unique and iconic structure located on the Clwyd coast of North Wales. Originally built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast, and launched in 1955. It was a passenger and cargo steam turbine ship, one of the last passenger-only steamers built for British Railways. The ship was retired from regular passenger service in the early 1970s. In 1979, it was purchased by a company intending to convert it into a floating leisure and retail complex. The Funship closed in the mid-1980s, and since then, the ship has remained in place, slowly deteriorating. Various attempts to revive it or repurpose it have been made over the years, but none have been successful due to objections by the police and local council who have used very dubious methods to thwart any attempt to re-open.

mostyn funship

Wassailing is a traditional practice in English culture, particularly Somerset & Devon that involves singing and drinking to the health of trees, particularly apple trees, to ensure a good harvest in the coming year. It has roots in ancient pagan customs and has evolved over time to include various regional customs and practices. Groups of wassailers (sometimes referred to as mummers or carolers) travel from house to house, singing and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts or hospitality. The Wassail Bowl is a large bowl filled with a hot, spiced drink, often a mulled cider or ale. The wassail drink is typically made with ingredients like apples, spices, sugar, and sometimes eggs. Participants gather in an orchard, typically on Twelfth Night (January 5 or 6) or Old Twelfth Night (January 17)

Wassailing

Traditional and historic event held annually in various towns in the United Kingdom, most famously in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. This medieval game is played on Shrove Tuesday and, in some places, also on Ash Wednesday. The exact origins of Shrovetide Football are unclear, but it dates back to at least the 12th century. It is believed to have pagan roots, possibly linked to fertility rites and pre-Lenten festivities. The town is divided into two teams: the Up'Ards and the Down'Ards. The division is based on which side of the Henmore Brook players are born or reside on. The goals are three miles apart, located at old millstones in the villages of Sturston and Clifton. Players aim to tap the ball three times on their respective goal’s millstone.

Shrovetide Football

Held annually in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, England, outside the Oaks pub (formerly the Royal Oak) on Bridge Street on the second Sunday of September. The event was originally held outside the Corner Pin pub in nearby Stubbins before that pub was closed and converted to offices. Money raised by the event is donated to local good causes. The event is said to date back to the Wars of the Roses at a battle in Stubbins, Lancashire in 1455. A series of civil wars fought between the houses of Lancaster (whose symbol was the red rose) and York (whose symbol was the white rose) in the 15th century. According to legend, the black pudding hurling competition began when the combatants ran out of ammunition and resorted to throwing food at each other instead, black puddings from Lancashire and Yorkshire puddings from Yorkshire. The competition was revived by a pub landlord in 1839 and revived again in 1984 by the Stubbins Community Trust. It has been a popular custom in the town ever since, drawing thousands of spectators to watch every year. The goal of the competition is to hurl three black puddings underhand at a stack of Yorkshire puddings mounted on a 20-foot high plinth. The winner is the person who knocks down the most Yorkshire puddings with their black pudding.

World Black Pudding hurling Championships

One of the most unique and entertaining events in Gloucestershire, held annually in the historic market town of Tetbury. This quirky and physically demanding event involves participants racing up a steep hill while carrying a heavy woolsack on their shoulders. The race takes place on Gumstool Hill, one of the steepest hills in the town, making it a real test of strength and endurance. The origins of the Tetbury Woolsack Races are rooted in the town's history as a major center for the wool trade during the medieval period. Tetbury, like many towns in the Cotswolds, grew wealthy from the wool industry, and the race is believed to have been inspired by the tradition of young men showing off their strength by carrying heavy sacks of wool up the hill. The race involves competitors carrying a sack of wool—commonly known as a woolsack—up the steep incline of Gumstool Hill. The hill has a gradient of 1 in 4, making the task incredibly challenging. The woolsacks weigh approximately 60 pounds (27 kg) for men and 35 pounds (16 kg) for women. There are various categories in the race, including men's, women's, and team events. In the team events, groups of four people take turns carrying the sack up the hill. The race is a test of both speed and strength, with participants sprinting up the hill as fast as they can while balancing the heavy sack on their shoulders. The Tetbury Woolsack Races take place on Spring Bank Holiday Monday at the end of May and are part of a larger festival that includes street entertainment, stalls, and live music.

Tetbury Woolsack Races

Each year in Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire, on Wakes Monday (the Monday after the first Sunday following 4 September), a troupe of performers carries real reindeer antlers around the parish, dancing at farms, houses, pubs and landmarks before returning to the village church in the evening. The tradition occupies most of the day and covers several miles. The performers traditionally include: Six antler-bearers, A Hobby Horse, Maid Marian, A Fool, A Bowman (archer) and musicians accompanying the procession. The Fool traditionally carries a pig's bladder and interacts with spectators, while the Hobby Horse and Bowman add a theatrical element that suggests the dance may once have been part of a larger folk drama. The earliest documentary reference to a related performance in the village dates from 1532, while the first detailed description of the horn dance itself appears in 1686. However, the antlers are centuries older than either record. Many local traditions claim the dance dates from a fair held in 1226, but historians have found no direct evidence proving that date.

Abbots Bromley Horn Dance

Quirky Places, Events & Traditions

The British Isles have some bonkers traditions and weird places which are great fun to visit. Here’s a few of our favourites which we’ll add to as and when we get to experience them. Pubs also often have their own customs and traditions which have often stood as long or longer than British Institutions.

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