You might think the London Marathon is dangerous, but what’s a few lost toenails compared to broken bones? It might be 1/200 the length, but Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling is one of the most brie-utal races in the world – where contestants chase a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down a steep, uneven hill.
Held every Spring Bank Holiday in Gloucestershire (who else would be mad enough to do this but farmers?), the event is an old tradition to the people of Brockworth. These days, people from all over the world now gather at the top of the 180m-long Cooper’s Hill every year. But local lad Chris Anderson is still the record holder, winning 23 (!) times.
Injuries are common. Broken bones, dislocated shoulders, that sort of thing. A woman even won the ladies’ race in 2023, despite being knocked unconscious (now that’s pure dedication from Delaney Irving or simply plain luck). Of course, the reward makes it worth it. You get to keep the cheese itself.
How did the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake begin?
The first evidence of the cheese rolling is almost 200 years old, mentioned in a message to the Gloucester town crier in 1826. It was old even then, however, dating back to the mid-1700s, or even earlier than that still. Back then, cheese rolling was only part of the Cooper’s Hill wake, with other events – according to an old BBC article at least – including ‘wrestling for a belt’, ‘grinning (through a horse’s collar) for a cake’ and ‘shin-kicking’.
Its origins have been linked to Phoenicians, ancient Britons and Romans. Others say it’s a pagan custom connected to fertility rites or encouraging healthy harvests. It may just as likely have been a rite of passage for locals, or a way of maintaining grazing rights on the common land. Personally, I like to think some friends decided to do it as a lark one day and it just caught on.
Nevertheless, it remained a very local tradition until only recently. Only in the mid-20th century did they start keeping a record of winners. While students from the University of Bristol brought wider attention to this odd-ball race in 1982, when they filmed it in slow motion. Over the years, Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling has appeared in songs, paintings, Netflix documentaries, and on Royal Mail stamps. Post-modernist, American author Thomas Pynchon even mentions it in his tome, Mason & Dixon.
How can I take part in the cheese rolling?
Seriously!? Before you decide to head on to Cooper’s Hill this May, be warned that there’s no official medical team onsite. St John Ambulance used to provide first aid, but that stopped in 2012. Even if you just want to spectate you might be in danger – the 9lb Double Gloucester cheese wheel can reach speeds of 70mph, as hundreds chase after it. That’ll easily knock anyone out standing at the bottom.
Okay, so now that we’ve got all the warnings out of the way, the next Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake will take place on Monday, May 27, 2024. The first race starts at 12pm, with a further four races taking place across the day – including a women’s race, plus a children’s race going uphill.
Here’s hoping we see some records broken too. At last year’s free event, the American-born Cooper Cummings set a fastest-ever race time of 13 seconds. There’s one record we won’t want to see broken. We’ve got to go back to 1997 when Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling resulted in 33 injuries. See you at the starting line… then again, maybe not!