Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling

Cheese Rolling is considered one of the 7 of the world’s most bizarre ‘Feats of Strength’ events. Every year thousands will gather around Cooper’s Hill in the southwest region of England known as Gloucestershire. The hill itself isn’t what brings tourists from around the world, rather the athletes who attempt to conquer it.

Upwards of 40 contests annually attempt to chase a rolling cheese wheel down the hill for what may be the strangest competition in the history of mankind. However, the rich tradition dates back several hundred years validating the race as a world-famous event. The legacy lives on without a conclusive origin, yet many attest that it spawned during the early 1800s to celebrate the turn of winter and a fresh batch of crops.

At the very top of Cooper’s Hill, the master of Ceremonies will release a nine-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese which can take on speeds of over 70 miles an hour. The first runner to get to the bottom of the hill wins the contest and a whole lot of cheese, literally.

Unfortunately, the Cheese Rolling event is by no means a safe competition. If you decide you are crazy enough to compete, make sure you don’t bruise or cry easily. Dozens are injured every year as contestants attempting to make it down the hill are often hospitalized.