Cheese rolling, nettle eating and bog snorkelling – these are Britain's weirdest sports

Each year the UK plays hosts to a variety of bizarre – and occasionally dangerous – wacky sporting events such as Man V Horse, bog-snorkelling and cheese-rolling. Here is our guide to Britain's weirdest sports events.

Britain's weirdest sports

Cheese rolling in Brockworth, Gloucestershire

Cheese rolling Gloucestershire — Contestants in the men's race chase a Double Gloucester Cheese down the steep gradient of Cooper's Hill during the annual Bank Holiday tradition of cheese-rolling on May 25, 2009 in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, England. Thousands of spectators gathered to watch contestants from around the world tumbling down the 200m slope - which has a 1:1 gradient in parts - in a series of races, said to date back hundreds of years, with the winner of each receiving a cheese. Injuries such as broken arms and legs are commonplace (last year 30 people were treated), even forcing the cancellation of the event in the past. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

A highlight of the BBC’s Points West news every Spring Bank Holiday weekend is footage of the Cheese Rolling event in Gloucestershire. The race finds participants chase a Double Gloucester cheese down the 1:2 mound that is Cooper’s Hill near Brockworth, in what the Sydney Morning Herald has labelled as the ‘world’s most dangerous foot race’.

The origins of the tradition, said to be around 600 years old, are lost to the mists of time but, despite the hazards, enthusiasm shows no signs of waning.

By the way, the big cheese is never caught: it has a one-second headstart and can reach speeds of 80mph, so first past the finish line wins the prize. Watch the men’s, women’s and junior races on 25 May in 2026, and maybe bring the first aid kit.

Wife-carrying Championships in Dorking, Surrey

Man running carrying a women during the annual 'wife carrying championshios' — A global event, competitors take part in a wife-carrying championship during Viva Braslaw festival in the town of Braslaw/Credit Getty

Wife-carrying race? Yes, really. Wife-carrying in the UK, say the organisers of this Dorking event, began with the Vikings at Lindisfarne in 793AD, and they resurrected the tradition with the Wife Carrying Champs in 2008.

This is how the organisers describe the sport: 'Wife carrying can be a dangerous activity, which can lead to any one or more of the following injuries: slipped disk, broken legs and arms, limb dislocations, neck and spinal damage, facial injury, skull fracture, hernias, and other sundry injuries and illnesses, and potentially including death. But please don't let this put you off!' Lovely...

The rules stipulate that men or women must carry a ‘wife’ (it doesn’t need to be the carrier’s wife but must be ‘human, alive and over 18’) over hay bale hurdles and water hazards for 380m.

Prizes include a pound of sausages for whoever carries the heaviest ‘wife’.

Man V Horse in Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys

Man V Horse began, as all great events should, following a debate in a pub over the merits of humans and horses over mountainous terrain. Cue the first Man V Horse in 1980, which now sees athletes racing horses over a 22-mile course each June in Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys. The runners have a 15min advantage over the horses (and riders), but the equine contestants have long dominated the hoof-friendly podium, losing only three in the event’s history, with the run winner being Ricky Lightfoot in 2022.

Green Events also put on the Welsh Open Stone Skimming, the Bog Championships and a Walking Festival, among others.

The World Egg-Throwing Championships in Swaton, Lincolnshire

Ignoring the hog roast, the World Egg Throwing Champs is surely the highlight of the annual Swaton Vintage Day. After target practise at a moving object (a man named Joel Hicks) and Russian Egg Roulettes, the main World Champs decider finds teams of two (a catcher and a tosser) going for broke (or yoke) standing 10m apart and moving further away after each successful catch. If an egg is dropped or broken, then that pair’s championship dreams are cracked for another year.

World Stinging Nettle Eating Championships in Waytown, Dorset

Another event that started life in a pub is this annual stinging nettle-eating challenge. While nettle soup is a dark green bowl of warming joy, this event sees participants chewing their way through the leaves of as many two foot-long raw nettle stalks as possible, which can cause the tongue to swell and blacken. Since 2022 it has taken place at the Dorset Nectar Cider Farm.

World Bog Snorkelling Championships in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales

Held at the Waen Rhydd bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells every summer, the World Bog Snorkelling Champs finds athletes snorkelling to complete the bog in the swiftest time, with Neil Rutter the current course champion in a time of 1:18mins. There’s also a bog swimming triathlon on the same weekend.

Amazingly this event attracts people from all over the world. In In 2022 there were competitors from from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Eire, Finland, Poland, South Africa and USA.

World Stone Skimming Championships on Easdale Island, near Oban, Scotland

Without wanting to sound too Alan Partridge, we’re sure you’ll agree that there are few things more satisfying in life than a well-executed stone skim. The World Stone Skimming Championships have been drawing participants to beautiful Easdale Island on Scotland’s western coast since 1983. Each stone must be from naturally-formed Easdale slate and no more than three inches in diameter, and must bounce on the water more than twice to be a valid skim.

More outdoor adventures and extreme sports in the UK