Don’t be fooled by the UK’s reputation for stiff upper lips and afternoon tea parties. Just underneath the surface we have a long and enduring fascination with the weird and wonderful. On your next holiday, why not set yourself up in a Staycation bolthole and take part in (or stand and stare at) one of these unusual Cotswolds events?

Take a look at the video evidence and stick the dates in your diary …shin kicking, anyone?

1 Cheese-Rolling

Where: Cooper’s Hill, near Gloucester.
When: May 30, 2016.
Details: This oddball event has been held for at least 200 years at Cooper’s Hill, although its origins are somewhat murky! It has become a popular spectator sport, with more than 15,000 people turning up one year. Hundreds of contestants fling themselves down a precipitous hill after an eighteen-pound wheel of Double Gloucester, which can gather furious speeds of up to 70mph. The first one to reach it wins – and no prizes for guessing what. You can now even take part on your iPhone – a cheese-rolling app has been developed.

2 Water football

Where: Bourton-on-the-Water.
When: August 29, 2016.
Details: For sheer entertainment and crowd interaction, this rather wet five-a-side football game on the bed of the river Windrush cannot be beaten. Goalposts are set up in the river and players attempt to score as many goals as possible, whilst getting all spectators as wet as they can in the process. This event has been taking place for over a hundred years and attracts a lot of spectators. Be warned, take your waterproofs as there’s a fair bit of splashing! It takes place alongside the local fete which begins at 11am and the football kicks off at 4pm.

3 World Pooh Sticks Championships

Where: Langel Common, Witney.
When: June 5, 2016.
Details: A.A.Milne’s whimsical invention is celebrated near Cogges Manor Farm in Witney, Oxfordshire. The rules are simple – everyone drops their stick in the river on one side of the bridge and the winner is the owner of the stick that emerges from the opposite side first. Great fun and a wonderful family day out.

4 Woolsack Race

Where: Tetbury.
When: May 30, 2016; 10am.
Details: Tetbury thrived from the wool trade until its decline in the early 19th Century, leaving brewing as the important local industry. Woolsack day maintains this link! Regulars of the Crown and Royal Oak pubs compete by running up Gumstool Hill with a 60lb sack of wool on their backs. The race events are complemented by a street fair featuring varied stalls, a funfair, musical entertainments and roving entertainers.

5 Cotswold Olimpick Games

Where: Dover’s Hill, above Chipping Campden.
When: June 3, 2016; 7.30pm.
Details: Robert Dover’s Cotswold ‘Olimpick’ Games are celebrated every year, on the Friday after Spring Bank Holiday. Bands march, cannon fire, rustic activities and wrestling take place, and the evening is brought to a close with fireworks and a torchlight procession into Chipping Campden followed by dancing in the square. An annual highlight is the Shin Kicking Championship. A band of white-smock-clad competitors stuff straw down their trousers and grasp each other by the shoulders to land well-timed blows to their opponent’s shins.

Need a place to stay?

If these unusual Cotswolds events have inspired you, take a look at our full selection of Cotswolds holiday cottages and see which one takes your fancy. Get browsing today and treat yourself to a very unusual break.