For next Olympics? These are the UK’s weirdest sporting events

With the Paris Olympics in full swing, audiences are being treated to dazzling displays of swimming, sprinting and shooting. 

Many of the sports at the games are age-old, but what about some of the other traditional events that haven’t made it to the international competition? 

The UK has a spectacular range of baffling sports events, from throwing Wellington boots to charming worms. 

South Western Railway has compiled some of the most bizarre – and if the Olympics has inspired you to get more active, many of these odd sports can be practised in your backyard or local park. 

The Great Knaresborough Bed Race

Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

The Knaresborough Bed Race, an annual event in a bucolic countryside town, involves teams in fancy dress pushing decorated beds along a 2.4-mile (3.8 km) course through North Yorkshire, culminating in a 20-metre river crossing. 

Supported by Harrogate Borough Council and the local community, the event raises substantial funds for local charities and community projects. 

Welly Wanging

Upperthong Village, West Yorkshire

Originating in the West Country during the 1970s, this event involves throwing rubber Wellington boots as far as possible. 

The sport has grown beyond a quirky village pastime, with organisations such as the International Boot Throwing Association and the World Welly Wanging Association now overseeing its rules, regulations and records. 

The UK’s Wife Carrying Championships

Dorking, Surrey

Wife-carrying, which originated in Finland and dates back to around 790 AD, was reintroduced to the UK in 2008. Participants don’t need to be married but must pair up, with one carrying the other, to race across a 380-metre course. Winners receive a coveted Wife Carrying Championship medal and a barrel of ale. 

Bog Snorkelling

Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid Wales 

During the August Bank Holiday weekend, competitors from around the world gather in Llanwrtyd Wells for bog snorkelling. 

Equipped with a snorkel and often dressed in fancy dress, participants can either tackle the demanding Bog Triathlon – which includes an 12.8 km run, a 19.3 km mountain bike ride, and a swim along a 0.05 km bog trench – or opt for a shorter version suited for less experienced competitors. 

Cooper Hill Cheese Rolling

Brockworth, nr.Gloucestershire   

Each year, international cheese enthusiasts gather on Cooper’s Hill for the now iconic cheese rolling event. 

Believed to be over 600 years old, this tradition occurs on the spring Bank Holiday, the last Monday in May. The event sees participants race down a 200-yard (0.18km) hill, chasing a wheel of double Gloucester cheese. 

Worm Charming

Across the South West

Worm charming is a popular sporting event in the South West, including Devon and Falmouth, and gives participants 30 minutes to use vibrations to coax worms to the surface of a 3m-by-3m plot of land. 

Awards are presented for the most worms charmed, the most inventive worm charming technique, and the longest worm. 

World Nettle Eating Championships

Bridport, Dorset 

Founded in the 1980s, the World Nettle Eating Championships are held annually in Dorset with participants competing to consume the most stinging nettle leaves within an hour. 

At the end of the hour, the total length of nettle stalks is measured. The title of King or Queen of Nettles goes to the competitor who eats the longest length of nettles. 

Knob Throwing

Dorchester, Dorset 

A ‘knob’ is a hard, dry, savoury biscuit with the texture of stale bread. For over 150 years, the Moores family has been making these biscuits in Dorset, and now they celebrate annually with the Knob Throwing Games. 

Participants compete to throw the knob as far as possible across a field, underarm. The person who throws it the furthest wins. 

The Tar Barrels of Ottery St. Mary

Ottery St. Mary, East Devon 

Every 5 November, spectators line the street of the village of Ottery St. Mary to witness villagers racing blazing barrels of tar. The Tar Barrels of Ottery St. Mary are a centuries-old tradition, believed to have begun following the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, though its exact origins remain uncertain. 

The Tar Barrell carnival also includes a Guy Fawkes bonfire, a small fairground, and stalls selling festive food and warming drinks.