I cannot make this stuff up. — Linda Jenkins
You’ve gotta love those wacky Brits!
As I sat down with my nice cuppa this afternoon to read the latest issue of one of my industry newsletters, I was stopped by a headline that read, “ Stranger events in England UK.” Of course I read. And I still have no idea what a “conker” is.
Without further ado, here are the upcoming events for your 2012 travel planning pleasure. Please let me know if you attend one!
Coal Carrying , Ossett, West Yorkshire
9 April 2012
Held each year on Easter Monday, the World Coal Carrying Contest is a test of strength and stamina in which participants carry 50kg (men) or 20kg (women) of coal over a mile-long uphill course.
The contest dates back to 1963.
Visit : www.gawthorpe.ndo.co.uk/coal.htm
The Olimpicks, Dover’s Hill, near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
1 June 2012
Started by local barrister Captain Robert Dover in 1612, the annual Cotswold Olimpicks attracts thousands of spectators and features some well-known countryside games such as tug-of-war, obstacle races and wrestling as well as a few stranger events — including shin-kicking.
The two contestants first fill their trouser legs with straw — to help reduce the pain — before holding one another’s arms and kicking each other wearing steel toe-capped boots.
This year marks the Olimpicks’ 400th anniversary.
Visit : www.olimpickgames.co.uk
Cheese Rolling, Brockworth, Gloucestershire
4 June 2012
This annual event involves daredevils hurling themselves down the steep, grassy slopes in pursuit of Double Gloucester cheeses. The race starts with the master of ceremonies rolling a 4kg Double Gloucester cheese down the hill. On the whistle, competitors run, roll and somersault down the hill after it.
The event dates back to medieval times and is popular with international competitors.
Visit : http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/
Egg Throwing, Helpringham & Swaton, Lincolnshire
24 June 2012
In the annual World Egg Throwing Championships, contestants must construct a gravity-powered egghurling device to launch an egg to a waiting team member. To achieve points, the team member must either catch the egg unbroken or get struck by the egg. As the egg can be traveling at speeds of up to 120 mph this is particularly tricky and can be painful.
Distances to be achieved start at 30 meters but can be extended up to 150 in the knock out competition.
Visit : http://www.eggthrowing.com/
Pea Shooting, Witcham, Cambridgeshire
14 July 2012
This international event brings challengers from as far as New Zealand and the USA to compete for the World Pea Shooting trophy. Accuracy, not distance, is the aim of this competition, with contestants shooting a pea through a 12-inch tube, 12 feet towards a 12-inch target.
Visit : www.eastcambs.gov.uk/tourism
Toe Wrestling, Fenny Bentley, Ashbourne, Kent
25 August 2012,
Each August the Bentley Brook Inn in Derbyshire hosts the Ben & Jerry’s World Toe Wrestling Championship. Competitors locked their big toes together, and attempted to force their opponent’s foot to the ground.
The organisers applied (unsuccessfully) in 1997 for its inclusion in the Olympic Games.
Visit : www.bentleybrookinn.co.uk.
Gravy Wrestling, the Rose & Bowl Inn, Bacup, Rossendale, Lancashire
27 August 2012
The World Gravy Wrestling Championships take place annually as part of the Pennine Lancashire Festival of Food & Culture. Teams slide around in lukewarm gravy and attempt to wrestle one another to the ground. Team members win points for pinning the opposition down in the gravy.
Visit: http://www.worldgravywrestling.com/
Black Pudding Throwing, Royal Oak, Bridge Street, Ramsbottom, Lancashire
9 September 2012
Lancashire is known for the production of black pudding along with tripe (cow’s stomach) and elder (steamed cows’ udder). The aim is to throw a black pudding that has been wrapped in a pair of ladies tights at a collection of Yorkshire puddings on a plinth 20 feet up a tower built in the middle of the main street in Ramsbottom.
Visit : http://www.ramsbottomonline.com/
The World Conker Championships, Ashton, near Oundle, Peterborough
14 October 2012
The World Conker Championships are held each year on the village green in Ashton, Peterborough and attract over 300 competitors attempting to become the King or Queen of Conkers. There are various categories for the knockout competition – ladies, men, teenagers and children.
Visit : www.worldconkerchampionships.com
Contact: Yolanda Copes-Stepney at yolanda.copes-stepney@visitengland.org.
Buon viaggio!
Linda Dini Jenkins is a card-carrying Italophile, travel planner, freelance writer, and amateur photographer. Travel is her passion, so writing about her travels just comes naturally. She hopes all her travelers find a way to express their joys, surprises, and fears as they travel and gives every traveler a nifty journal to help smooth the way. Learn more…
