Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake

A strange festival taking place in Brockworth, England

You may have already thought that the most dangerous thing on cheese was mold... In this case, you have probably never been at the top of the Cooper’s Hill (colline) on this crazy Monday. The last Monday of May , is indeed a rather unusual event. The principle is simple: a cheese Double Gloucester made house of 3.2 kg is released and then dews the hill while a good number of participants hunt it. The first at the bottom of the hill (or that catches cheese) wins, and keeps the cheese (simply). You are not told about mud, slippery grass, steep slope and number of injuries...

Flickr – ninjawil

A tradition of 200 years (even if a wooden cheese was used during the ration after World War II), which is without complex a ringard event but attracts about 5,000 spectators each year and an international casting of competitors, with in the first positions the Australians and the New Zealanders who manage pretty well.

Flickr – brizzle born and bred

The “field” of the event is a bunch of grass cut through the forest on Cooper’s hill. The slope is sometimes vertical and at times the degree of inclination is 50% ! You can run after the cheese, but it will lead to drops, barrels, and derringolades on the hill, and even if you catch up with the cheese, it’s a whole new deal to grab it.

Here is a video of the 2013 Festival:

Each year, the competitors were injured (entorses, scarves, fractures, etc.) with a balance of 33 injured in 1997 (the police then cancelled the event in 1998 in response). And yet, the riders come back, year after year. The competition offering a very special style of cheese race is actually addictive. The first cheese is launched at noon and there is in all five races in the day, spaced 20 minutes apart. After counting up to “3”, the cheese is launched and the riders start to “4” (one second after the cheese). Cheese can reach up to 100 km/h.

Here is a video of the 2012 Festival:

If you were unable to participate in one of the races, you can do one or two at the end, but informally. Everyone does this to have fun at their own risk.

Here is a video of the Festival 2011:

For compete on Cooper’s Hill , you must be at least 18 years old (there are races for young people but only uphill). You may also need health insurance.

For more information on the event: www.cheese-rolling.co.uk