Cheeserolling!

Next Monday is probably the most famous Gloucestershire event after the Gold Cup - and certainly the most insane. Yes, it's that time of year again... cheeserolling season is upon us.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this particular brand of British insanity eccentricity, I should explain.

There are two types of race at the cheeserolling:

• uphill - for the 'serious' athlete, usually won by someone very fit, and with minimal injuries
• downhill - for the nutters, usually won by the cheese, and with paramedics on constant standby

Both types have male, female, and childrens' events. The downhill race is the traditional cheese-roll, as in a large cheese actually is hurled down the hill, and people then run fall down after it. Somewhere back in the mists of time, they managed to pick a suitably steep hill so as to maximise the entertainment value for the spectators - and the formula works, so why change anything? It really is quite a sight to behold.

We went along to watch in 2006:




Yes, that is someone being carried off in a stretcher. The incredible thing? It wasn't a competitor - it was a spectator who was hit by falling cheese!