Thursday 22 October 2015
Explore
Here’s five of the most weird and wonderful sporting events you are likely to encounter anywhere – and they’re all based right here in the Cotswolds!
Football in the River
The nearby Cotswold town of Bourton-on-the-Water has a genteel reputation, but the peace is well and truly shattered every August bank holiday Monday, when two teams of players from Bourton Rovers Football Club take to the River Windrush for a football match.
Hundreds turn out to line the banks and watch the 100-year-old spectacle, in which the rules of football as we know it go right out the window.
If you fancy getting close to the action, waterproofs are a must as spectators are guaranteed a soaking!
Comedian Griff Rhys Jones became an honorary member of the club this year, playing half the game for Bourton Rovers 1st XI for a new TV show due to air next year.
Distance from The Old Stocks: 4 miles
Cheese Rolling
Probably the best-known of Gloucestershire’s madcap sporting events, cheese rolling attracts people from all over the world, who are willing to risk life and limb in pursuit of a cheese rolling down a one-in-three hill.
Taking place every Spring Bank Holiday, on the last Monday of May, at Cooper’s Hill, near Brockworth, the aim is simple – follow the 9lb Double Gloucester cheese down the hill and be the first person to get to the bottom.
There are five races – three men’s races, a women’s race and an uphill event for children. If you want to give it a go, just tell the organisers at the event and they’ll get you ready to roll.
Cheese rolling at Cooper’s Hill attracts thousands of spectators every year thanks to its light-hearted fun. This is probably not an event for anyone with pushchairs or mobility problems – spectators need to climb the steep hill themselves and parking is a fair walk away. But if you can cope with the climb, you will be rewarded with one of the world’s craziest sporting spectacles.
www.cheese-rolling.co.uk
Distance from The Old Stocks: 25 miles
Alternative Olympics
The Cotswold Olimpicks, or Robert Dover’s Games as it is sometimes known, is an annual event (unlike its better known cousin, the Olympics), which has been running on and off for over 400 years near Chipping Campden.
If you’ve ever fancied the idea of watching men stuff their socks with straw then try to kick each other as hard as possible on the shins, the Cotswold Olimpicks is for you! Taking place on the Friday after Spring Bank Holiday, events have included tug-o’-war, shin-kicking, piano smashing and morris dancing.
Crazy as it may seem, the influence of the Cotswold Olimpicks on the British Olympics movement was recognised in the bid for the London 2012 Olympics, with almost half of the events in the modern Olympics having their origin in rural sports. Somehow we don’t expect to see shin-kicking making an appearance in Rio 2016, though!
www.olimpickgames.com
Distance from The Old Stocks: 11 miles
Aunt Sally World Championships
The Aunt Sally World Championships, in which players throw sticks at a model of a woman’s head, takes place at the Charlbury Beer Festival every year.
Aunt Sally is a traditional pub and fairground game, which is still played in pubs around Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and forty-eight of the world’s best players compete in the knock-out competition to crown the world champion.
The Charlbury Beer Festival takes place on the last Saturday in June at Charlbury Cricket Club in Oxfordshire. If you want to get involved in the Aunt Sally championships, you can do so by sending an email to the organisers.
http://charlburybeerfestival.org/aunt_sally.htm
Distance from The Old Stocks: 16 miles
Tetbury Woolsack Race
In the 16th century, Tetbury in Gloucestershire had one of the best-known wool markets in the country. And in the 17th century, young men used to show off to local women by running up a hill carrying a woolsack. And so the origins of the Tetbury Woolsack Race were laid.
Competitors carrying a 60lb sack of wool (for men) or 35lb (for women) compete over a 240-yard course up a one-in-four hill. There are men’s and women’s individual races, as well as team events and even a children’s race.
Tetbury Woolsack Race takes place every year on Spring Bank Holiday Monday in May. It’s a great family day out, which has raised lots of money for local charities. It’s easy to give it a try – you just need to register online if you want to take part.
www.tetburywoolsack.co.uk
Distance from The Old Stocks: 31 miles
Feeling inspired? If you’re not lucky enough to stay with us over one of these crazy sporting weekends, or we haven’t offered you exactly what you’re looking for, talk to our troupe for more great ideas of things to do. And why not share your Cotswold sporting adventures with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, using our hashtag #oldstocksinn