Ever felt that there’s something missing in your life? I think I may have found the answer…Every year, Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, England plays host to the Cheese Rolling Contest during the Spring bank Holiday.

Ok, so it mightn’t fill that void in your life, but witnessing the spectacle of men and women running down a steep hill chasing after a wheel of cheese is an event that fills the heart with an unexpected joy. The precise history is something of a mystery with some historians believing it to pre-date Roman times and others to believe it is a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring.

For such a clearly odd sport, it is fantastically thrilling. This may be due to some sort of guilty pleasure found in participants falling and sometimes hurting themselves (ambulances are usually required at the event) but I think it’s just that everyone comes to have a laugh and do something a bit different for the day leading to you forgetting all the other rubbish in your life for a bit and just enjoy yourself.

P.S. The winner takes home a cheese: a 7-8lb Double Glouchester, but not the same one they chase down the hill.

Written by  John Johnston.

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