9 wonderfully British days you’ve probably never celebrated

While the British calendar is dotted with familiar fixtures like royal anniversaries and village fetes, it’s also home to a parallel world of peculiar traditions and eccentric gatherings. From shin-kicking contests in the Cotswolds to snorkelling through bogs in rural Wales, these lesser-known events reveal a nation with a deep affection for the absurd.Whichever you decide to attend, don’t forget to pack a proper snack alongside your sunhat, raincoat and an open mind – Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums or Jelly Babies will do nicely. Whether you’re hurling wheels of cheese down a hill, or splashing about in a vat full of gravy, a classic British sweet is the perfect companion to keep the spirits high.Here, we round up nine of the most delightfully unconventional days that celebrate Britain at its most brilliantly bizarre.Jack-in-the-Green, Mayopen image in gallery(Alamy Stock Photo)This charming English tradition emerged in the 18th Century as a way of celebrating May Day. The custom involves someone dressing up in a pyramidical wicker frame decorated with foliage so they look like a walking Christmas tree. Jack-in-the-Green parades take place all over the country with one of the biggest in Hastings where Morris dancers congregate in huge numbers and the Jack is ‘slain’ at the end of the parade to release the spirit of summer. Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, MayEvery year a 7lb round of Double Gloucester is sent rolling down Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, followed a second later by dozens of participants who run 200 yards down the precipitously steep slope attempting to catch it. The cheese has never been caught (it reaches up to 80 mph), but the first person to cross the line after it, wins the round. Dating back to at least 1826, but possibly much older, it is now firmly established as one of Britain’s canonical days out.Brixham Pirate Festival, Mayopen image in gallery(Alamy Stock Photo)Every May bank holiday the pretty Devonian port town of Brixham plays host to one of the biggest buccaneer gatherings in the world. With a replica of Francis Drake’s Tudor galleon the Golden Hind permanently moored in the harbour, the port area makes the perfect backdrop for a pirate parade, which involves swashbuckling skirmishes, firepower displays and lively reenactments. Shin kicking at the Cotswold Olimpick Games, MayThe Cotswold Olimpicks were first held back in 1612, with shin kicking, then, as now, one of the main draw of the games, which take place annually on Dover’s Hill near Chipping Campden. Things have been made a little safer since the 17th Century – steel toe caps have been banned – but today’s contestants still try to kick each other in the shins in bouts overseen by specialist referees known as Sticklers.World Bog Snorkelling Championship, Augustopen image in gallery(Alamy Stock Photo)Every year, competitors from all over the world gather at the Waen Rydd bog on the outskirts of Llanwrtyd Wells in Wales to see who can snorkel fastest through 120 yards of murky bog water. Contestants, some of them in fancy dress, are only allowed to doggy paddle with their arms below water and the whole thing is delightfully silly.World Gravy Wrestling, AugustThey normally get through more than 2000 litres of proper Lancashire gravy at the annual World Gravy Wrestling championship, which is held every year at the Rose ‘n’ Bowl pub in Stacksteads. Contestants are required to grapple in the gravy for two minutes with points scored for comedy effect rather than actual aggression. The local fire brigade is on hand to wash down sauce-soaked wrestlers between bouts. World Gurning Championships, SeptemberCumbria’s Egremont Crab Fair can trace its roots back to 1267 and although it features a charming parade that sees an apple-laden cart make its way through town dispensing fruit, it’s highlight will always be the World Gurning Championships, which sees contestants pull astonishingly daft faces in an attempt to be crowned that year’s winner. In the men’s category that would mean unseating gurning hall-of-famer Tommy Mattinson, who has won the contest nineteen times.World Stone Skimming Championships, Septemberopen image in gallery(Alamy Stock Photo)This year’s World Stone Skimming Championships will take place on September 6 on Easdale Island, near Oban in Scotland. For a skim to be deemed valid the stone must bounce at least twice on the surface of the water, and all stones must be naturally formed Easdale slate, measuring no more than three inches at the widest point. Entrants compete in a series of age categories with a pair of “Old Tosser” walking sticks awarded to the winner of the over-60s competition.World Conker ChampionshipsSince 1965, the Ashton Conker Club have been hosting the world championships in Southwick, a charming village in Northamptonshire. Competitors draw their conkers (the hard brown seed of the horse chestnut tree) blind from a bag and are not permitted to tamper with the laces. They then take turns trying to smash one another’s nuts. Now you’re in the know, don’t forget to set the juice loose with Maynards Bassetts – grab a bag today!



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