Gloucester Cheese Rolling

Around 2 km from my house stands Coopers Hill, which is the site of one of Englands more eccentric events. On the spring public holiday at the end of May, participants throw themselves down a terrifyingly steep 27 degree slope in pursuit of a 3-4 kg wheel of Double Gloucester cheese.

The person who catches the cheese, or at least is first to the bottom of the hill, wins it as a prize. Most people fail to stay on their feet and there are frequent injuries and broken bones. A couple of local rugby teams line up across the bottom of the hill to catch anyone unable to stop by themselves.

Local man Chris Anderson hold the record of 23 wins, suffering a broken ankle, concussion, a torn calf muscle and bruised kidneys over the years. Notably, he is not a fan of cheese; only eating cheddar, so has given away his winnings each year. This year's men's race was won by a competitor from Germany - I hope he's able to get the cheese back home through customs!

The photo is from today's event - I didn't fancy getting caught up in the crowds so shot this from a long way off, through a lot of haze.

[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper%27s_Hill_Cheese-Rolling_and_Wake]