Wife carrying, cheese rolling, and bed racing are some of the strange sports occurring yearly around England. Then there’s sheep showjumping, bog snorkeling and Morris dancing.
In the Knaresborough bed race, up to 90 teams of 6 competitors push a bed and rider around a punishing 2.4-mile route through the town’s steep streets before plunging into the River Nidd for a short traverse to the finish line.
The unusual sport of cheese rolling was guaranteed to make this list of facts about the British Isles. A unique event, the annual cheese rolling takes place on Cooper’s Hill in Gloucester and exists since 1826.
The event involves a 9-lbs (4 kg), round Double Gloucester cheese rolled down a hill, with competitors chasing after it to the bottom. The first person to reach the finish line wins the cheese.
