Bizarre Britain
our very odd traditions
No group of people on earth have perfected
“eccentric” like the British. Poet Edith Sitwell
once said, “Eccentricity exists particularly in the
English” and the reason is because Britain has
long accepted, encouraged and even treasured
it. In other words, we love an oddball and the
more unusual someone is, the better.
Looking at these strange traditions which are
just a tiny example of our traditions, it is not hard
to see why we Brits have a reputation for being a
bit eccentric. We’re strangely proud of our quirks
though, and we’re sure you’ll agree that they’ll
make our students’ time here that little bit more
interesting.
Gurning
Possibly the oldest and strangest of British
traditions are gurning competitions.
Gurning is the act of grotesquely
contorting one’s face through a horse
collar and attracts up to 100 competitors
a year. It features in the Guinness World
Records thanks to Brit, Tommy Mattinson,
who has won the championship title 11
times. Those with the greatest gurns are
often those with no teeth; in some cases,
the elderly or toothless can be capable of
gurns covering the entire nose.
Cheese Rolling
Possibly the most dangerous tradition
on our list takes place on Cooper’s Hill in
Gloucestershire. A crowd of competitors
must chase a 9lb wheel of Double
Gloucester Cheese down a hill so steep
that very few contenders manage to even
stay on their feet. Whoever catches the
cheese is given the wheel as a prize.
Bog Snorkelling
A trench filled with slimy water, an
agonising 120-yard dash and the endless
bleating of sheep. Is bog snorkelling the
oddest sport on earth? Not only is the
water cold and murky, the participants
must also wear large flippers and swim in
the most unusual way they can think of as
conventional methods are not allowed.
19