Every last Monday in May, a small hill near Gloucester becomes the scene of one of Britain's strangest traditions: a seven-pound wheel of Double Gloucester, ribbons tied round it, hurled down a near-vertical slope with a pack of runners tumbling after it. The cheese has been clocked at up to 70mph. Nobody has ever caught it — it's a race to the bottom, not a chase, and the winner simply takes the cheese home along with considerable bragging rights.
The event dates back at least a few centuries and possibly to pagan summer celebrations, but here's the odd part: it's technically unofficial. Because broken bones are common — in 2025 the response included multiple land ambulances and an air ambulance — no organisation will put its name to it, which means there's no formal safety plan, just warnings that you take part at your own risk. Spectators included.
The format: four downhill races (three men's, one women's), where competitors slip, somersault and often get hauled to their feet only to fall again, plus safer uphill races for kids and mixed adults. Local rugby players catch racers at the finish line before they plough into the crowd. The 2026 edition saw German YouTuber Tom Kopke win his third straight men's race, edging out Chris Anderson, the Guinness World Record holder with 23 wins, who came out of retirement for it. Alix Heugas of France took the women's race. The Netflix series We Are The Champions featured the event in its first episode, and attendance has grown accordingly.
Getting there takes a bit of planning. Cooper's Hill sits in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, between Gloucester and Cheltenham. Drive and you can park behind the Toby Carvery for £10 a day — street parking is banned. Or take the 10 or 166 buses from Cheltenham. Crucially, ignore Google Maps' default route up Green Street (steep, narrow, unpleasant) and use the Cooper's Hill Footpath instead, which starts to the right of the Shell station and takes about 30 minutes uphill. Arrive by 10am at the latest; the writer got there at 9:45 and made the hill by 10:20, cutting it closer than ideal. The path is steep and muddy after rain, with no shade and no accessibility for wheelchair users or those with mobility difficulties.
Once there, stake out a spot on the lower half of the hill — the view is better than from the top — and be warned that climbing the slope's loose, leaf-covered dirt to reach it is genuinely hard work. Vendors sell water, ice cream and merch, and someone usually hands out free Double Gloucester samples. The maypole and dancers kick off at around 10:40, and racing starts at noon sharp, each race over in seconds but wildly fun to watch as the crowd chants "Cheese! Cheese! Cheese!" If you're photographing it, you'll need a shutter speed of 1/1000 or faster — it's a notoriously tough event to shoot well.
It's a gloriously daft morning out for anyone who loves odd British traditions and doesn't mind a muddy climb — just leave the nice sunglasses at home.
