The British have long been celebrated for their eccentricity, and nowhere is this more evident than in the extraordinary events and competitions that take place across the country each year. From chasing wheels of cheese down treacherous hillsides to wrestling with your toes, these quirky gatherings showcase a uniquely British combination of tradition, humor, and competitive spirit. Here is your guide to some of the most wonderfully bizarre events happening in Britain today.
Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling: Chasing Glory (and Dairy)
Perhaps the most famous of Britain’s unusual events, the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake takes place annually on the Spring Bank Holiday (usually the last Monday in May) in Gloucestershire.
How It Works
A 7 to 9-pound round of Double Gloucester cheese is sent rolling down Cooper’s Hill, a 200-yard slope with a gradient of around 50 percent. Competitors chase after the cheese, though catching it is nearly impossible as it can reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. The first person to cross the finish line at the bottom wins the cheese.
The History
The exact origins remain uncertain, but the tradition is believed to be at least 600 years old, with the earliest written record dating to 1826. Historians have proposed two theories for its origin: either it evolved from a ritual maintaining grazing rights for commoners, or it developed from pagan celebrations where burning brushwood was rolled down the hill to mark the New Year’s emergence from winter.
What to Expect
Cooper’s Hill is extremely steep, eroding, and covered with loose rocks, twigs, and stinging nettles. Participants rarely manage to stay upright, with spectacular tumbles being part of the spectacle. Local rugby players wait at the bottom to catch (or more accurately, stop) competitors as they fly down the hill.
How to Participate
Anyone over 18 can participate with no registration required. Simply arrive at the top of the hill on the day. Multiple races are held, including separate events for men and women, plus uphill races for children. Organizers suggest arriving by 10am, with races typically starting from noon.
What began as a small village tradition has exploded into an international sensation, drawing competitors from Australia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and beyond. The event’s most notable competitor is Chris Anderson, who has dominated for 15 years with a staggering 23 race victories.
World Worm Charming Championships: The Art of Luring Invertebrates
Every June, the village of Willaston in Cheshire hosts what may be the world’s most peculiar wildlife competition: the World Worm Charming Championships.
Origins
The event began in 1980 when farmer’s son Tom Shufflebotham amazed spectators by charming 511 worms from the ground in just 30 minutes. The competition was organized by John Bailey, then deputy headmaster of Willaston County Primary School, who wrote the original rules.
The concept started as a 10p-a-go stall at the school fete the year before. As one organizer explained, it was done as a one-off initially but became too popular to stop.
The Rules
The competition is governed by the International Federation of Charming Worms and Allied Pastimes (IFCWAP), which has established 18 official rules that have been translated into 30 languages. Key regulations include:
- Each competitor operates within a 3 x 3 meter plot
- Only vibrations or music may be used to attract worms
- Digging is forbidden, as are “drugs” including water or other liquids
- Competitors have 30 minutes to collect as many worms as possible
- Garden forks can be stuck into the ground, and any music can be played
- All worms must be returned after the birds have gone to roost
The World Record
The current world record was set on 29 June 2009 by 10-year-old Sophie Smith of Willaston, who raised an incredible 567 worms during the competition.
How to Participate
The World Worm Charming Championships are held on a Saturday in late June at Willaston Primary Academy in Cheshire. The event is organized by the Friends of Willaston School Association and welcomes all ages.
World Bog Snorkelling Championships: Diving Into the Depths
Every August Bank Holiday, the small Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells hosts what Lonely Planet has called one of the top 50 “must do” experiences in the world.
The Challenge
Competitors must complete two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard water-filled trench cut through a dense peat bog, wearing traditional snorkel, diving mask, and flippers. The crucial catch is that conventional swimming strokes are banned. Competitors must rely solely on flipper power to propel themselves through the murky water.
History
The first World Bog Snorkelling Championship was held in 1988 in the Waen Rhydd peat bog. Since then, the event has grown to attract around 150 competitors annually, with participants traveling from as far as Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States.
World Records
The current men’s world record of 1 minute 12.34 seconds was set in 2023 by Neil Rutter, obliterating his previous record of 1 minute 18.82 seconds by nearly 6.5 seconds. The women’s world record stands at 1 minute 22.56 seconds, set by Kirsty Johnson in 2014.
Beyond the Basic Snorkel
For those seeking an even greater challenge, the Bog Triathlon combines an eight-mile run, a 12-mile mountain bike ride, and a 55-meter bog snorkel. Entrants can compete individually or as relay teams of three.
There is also a Fancy Dress Section, with awards for the best costumes. Previous entries have included a pantomime horse, arguably one of the most difficult costumes to snorkel in.
What Else to Expect
The event features food and drink stalls, crafts, a bouncy castle, live music, and a real ale and cider bar, making it a fantastic day out even for spectators who prefer to stay dry.
World Shin Kicking Championships: The Original English Martial Art
For those who prefer their competitions to involve physical combat, the Cotswold Olimpicks offers the World Shin Kicking Championships, a sport that has been described as an English martial art.
Ancient Origins
The Cotswold Olimpick Games, recognized by the British Olympic Association as the first stirrings of Britain’s Olympic beginnings, were first held around 1612, organized by lawyer Robert Dover. He believed that games brought rich and poor together, increasing social harmony while providing physical exercise necessary for the defense of the kingdom. King James I approved his vision.
Shin kicking originated as one of the most popular events at these games. Originally part of Cotswold Wrestling (similar to Cornish and Cumberland styles), the tripping and leg work gradually evolved into dedicated kicking as inter-village rivalries intensified.
How It Works
Competitors wear white coats representing the traditional shepherd’s smock and may cushion their shins with straw. The goal is to kick your opponent’s shins until they are forced to the ground. The match is overseen by a referee known as a stickler, who uses a staff between combatants to control proceedings. Matches only begin when the stickler withdraws the staff. This practice is believed to be the origin of the phrase “a stickler for the rules.”
Historical Severity
By the 1750s, steel toe caps were common, and competitors used various potions to “pickle” their shins for protection. Such footwear is now banned, and modern competitors are allowed to stuff straw down their trousers as rudimentary shin pads.
The Modern Era
After the games ended in 1852 when the common land was partitioned, they were revived in 1951. Since 1966, the games have been held each year on the Friday after Spring Bank Holiday, attracting thousands of spectators to witness this unique form of combat.
World Gurning Championships: Making Faces at the Egremont Crab Fair
The Egremont Crab Fair in Cumbria is one of the oldest fairs in the world, established in 1267 as a celebration of the Lord of Egremont’s gift of crab apples to local townspeople. Its most famous attraction is the World Gurning Championship.
What Is Gurning?
To gurn is to snarl, look savage, and distort the countenance. Contestants must pull the most grotesque face possible through a horse collar, known as a braffin. The wooden frame amplifies the distortions, making faces appear even more extreme.
The History
The gurning competition dates back to at least 1852, when a local newspaper described it as an “ancient tradition.” The first official World Gurning Championships took place in the 20th century, with a separate women’s category introduced in 1978.
The Legendary Champion
Tommy Mattinson holds the Guinness World Record for the most World Gurning Championship titles, with 19 wins since 1986. He took up the sport after his father won a trophy for gurning, and at just 11 years old, he won his first competition. Other famous gurners include Peter Jackman, known for his iconic “Bela Lugosi” face inspired by Count Dracula, who won three consecutive world titles from 1996 to 1998.
Other Attractions
The Egremont Crab Fair features numerous other quirky events, including Cumberland wrestling, wheelbarrow racing, pipe smoking competitions, climbing the greasy pole, and a ferret show.
World Stinging Nettle Eating Championship: A Painful Tradition
Every year just before the summer solstice, competitors gather at the Bottle Inn in Marshwood, Dorset, for an event that sounds more like a dare than a sport.
Origin Story
The competition began in 1997, born from an argument between two local farmers at the pub. Each believed they had longer stinging nettles in their field. One farmer produced a 15-foot stalk, declaring that if anyone had a longer one, he would eat the difference. Another farmer duly appeared with a 16-foot stalk. True to his word, the first farmer ate a foot of raw stinging nettle, and a tradition was born.
The Rules
Participants have exactly one hour to strip as many leaves as possible from nettle stalks and eat them. Bringing nettles from home is forbidden, as are bathroom breaks and numbing agents. Only swigs of beer or water are permitted to ease the process.
The Record
The aptly named Phil Thorne holds the current record, having devoured an incredible 104 feet of stinging nettles in 2018.
World Conker Championships: Serious Competition with Chestnuts
Every second Sunday in October, the village of Ashton in Northamptonshire hosts the World Conker Championships, a surprisingly serious competition involving horse chestnuts.
History
The competition started in 1965, conceived in a pub after bad weather ruined a planned fishing expedition. Someone suggested playing conkers instead, and the idea was embraced with such enthusiasm that it became an annual event.
Recent Controversy
In 2024, allegations of cheating emerged when men’s runner-up Alastair Johnson-Ferguson discovered that winner David Jakins (who was also one of the event’s organizers) had a brown-painted steel conker in his pocket. Jakins was cleared after video evidence was reviewed, but the incident highlighted just how seriously participants take this childhood game.
International Appeal
The competition has grown steadily in popularity, with participants now coming from countries including Japan, South Africa, and the United States.
World Toe Wrestling Championships: Like Arm Wrestling, But Grosser
Since 1974, the Haig Bar in Wetton, Derbyshire has hosted the World Toe Wrestling Championships, a unique combat sport born in a local pub.
How It Works
Competitors sit across from each other on a specially constructed podium called a “toedium,” lock big toes, and attempt to pin the other person’s foot for three seconds. Complete with referees and mandatory foot hygiene rules, it is essentially arm wrestling, but with feet.
A Rocky Start
For two years, one of the event’s originators retained the championship, but in 1976, a Canadian visitor competed and won. This was such a blow to British pride that the sport was discontinued, though it was eventually revived and has grown more popular than ever. Enthusiasts have even lobbied for toe wrestling to be included in the Olympic Games.
World Pea Shooting Championships: Precision and Peas
The World Pea Shooting Championships have been held in the village of Witcham in Cambridgeshire since 1971.
Origins
The contest was invented by John Tyson, the village school headmaster, as a fundraiser for building a new village hall. Legend has it he was inspired after catching mischievous pupils amusing themselves by shooting peas at their schoolmates.
Rules
Competitors shoot peas through a peashooter at a putty-covered target from 12 feet away. The target has three concentric rings: five points for the center, three for the intermediate ring, and one for the outer ring. Peashooters must not exceed 12 inches in length, and to prevent cheating with pre-smoothed vegetables, competitors cannot bring their own peas.
In the “open” category, custom-built devices are permitted, with laser sights, arm-braces, and molded mouthpieces being commonplace modifications.
UK Wife Carrying Race: A Scandinavian Import
First held in 2008, the UK Wife Carrying Race in Dorking, Surrey, brings a Scandinavian tradition to British soil.
The Course
The 380-meter course runs up and down The Nower, a steep grassland hill with a 15-meter ascent. Competitors must navigate straw bale hurdles and a “Splash Zone” where spectators douse participants with water pistols and buckets.
The Rules
Despite the name, you do not have to carry your own wife. It can be anyone, though they should ideally weigh less than you. All “wives” must weigh at least 50 kilograms; anyone underweight must wear a rucksack filled with items to reach the required weight. Various carrying techniques are permitted, including the piggy-back, fireman’s carry, and the fast-but-challenging Estonian Hold where the carried person hangs upside-down on the carrier’s back.
Prizes
Winners receive a barrel of local ale worth 150 pounds, commemorative medals, and 250 pounds towards expenses to represent Britain at the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland.
How to Get Involved
Most of these events welcome participants and spectators alike. Here is a quick calendar:
Conclusion
These wonderfully eccentric events represent something quintessentially British: the ability to take the absurd completely seriously while never losing sight of the fun. Whether you fancy chasing cheese, charming worms, or making grotesque faces through a horse collar, Britain offers a bizarre competition to suit every taste.
Most events require no special qualifications beyond enthusiasm and a good sense of humor. They also offer fantastic days out for spectators, with many featuring food stalls, live entertainment, and plenty of local atmosphere.
So why not add a few to your calendar? After all, where else in the world can you become a champion by virtue of your toes, your facial contortions, or your ability to coax earthworms from the ground?
