Britain truly is a nation of odd traditions. We like our rhyme and ritual, whether that’s flipping a pancake on Shrove Tuesday or dancing around a pole to mark May Day. And, as the late Bank Holiday Monday is upon us, so too comes an array of slightly eccentric traditions, including the annual cheese-rolling competition in Gloucestershire.
But what are these traditions about, and why do we love them so much? Here, we take a dive into Britain’s weirdest traditions, from mud diving in Essex to knob throwing in Dorset. Each year, on the late Bank Holiday Monday, hundreds of people flock to Gloucestershire to attend the annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling event. Yes, this is likely the most British thing in existence.
The tradition dates back to the 1880s, though some have suggested it could be even older – as much as 600 years. However, the race winners have only been documented since 1985. Participants gather at the top of the almost vertical Cooper’s Hill in the village of Brockworth, with a nine-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese released down the hill (often reaching speeds of over 70 miles per hour).
Competitors haul themselves down the 200-yard slope and the first one to make it to the bottom wins the cheese. What a prize. The competition comes with its risks though, as in 1997 33 people needed medical treatment.
Last year, at least one person was carried away on a stretcher, and with no official organisers, the event takes place without the support of the e.