Cheese-Rolling in Gloucestershire


Book Description

Coopers Hill's long lived tradition




Trivial Pursuits


Book Description

It was the UK's decision to leave the EU that made Londonborn photographer Orlando Gili question (and then capture) who the English really are. In a nation full of such contradiction and complexity, Gili found some answers in how people choose to spend their leisure time. From horse racing to wartime reanactments, carnivals to clubs, from ancient and quintessential rituals (medieval village bottle-kicking competitions) to the more modern (Santa pub crawls) this book reveals that which unites a divided nation: the relentless desire for organised fun.




The English Year


Book Description

This enthralling book will take you, month-by-month, day-by-day, through all the festivities of English life. From national celebrations such as New Year’s Eve to regional customs such as the Padstow Hobby Horse procession, cheese rolling in Gloucestershire and Easter Monday bottle kicking in Leeds, it explains how they originated, what they mean and when they occur. A fascinating guide to the richness of our heritage and the sometimes eccentric nature of life in England, The English Year offers a unique chronological view of our social customs and attitudes




The Great British Bucket List


Book Description

If you want to ski off a cliff or swim with sharks, stop reading now. This book is about achievable adventures that celebrate the best of Britain and Britishness. The 60 mini adventures included are graded in difficulty from comically easy to mildly challenging, making them suitable for a wide range of ages and abilities. They include the most beautiful place to go for a stroll, the easiest place for a wild swim and, more importantly, the most spectacular place to have a cup of tea. Not to mention flying in a Spitfire and finding delicious food among the hedgerows. So what's on this Great British Bucket List? Well, a host of alternative UK adventures to get you out of the house. From fossil hunting on the Jurassic coast to forest bathing in Standish Woods, family-friendly music festivals to spectacular walks and lazy picnic hotspots, this essential guide is packed with must-do experiences. Discover the world of luxury eco-glamping in Devon and Suffolk. Book your tickets for the Minack, Cornwall's world famous open-air theatre. Follow in the footsteps of the Kinder Scout mass trespass in Dark Peak, or go canoeing down the Wye Valley in Wales. Besides old favourites, such as Stonehenge and Westminster Abbey, readers will find a bucket list bursting with suggestions for pleasant days out at some of the National Trust's historic houses. Whether you're luxuriating in Sissinghurst's famous gardens or moseying around Fountains Abbey, you're sure to have a uniquely British adventure.




Curious Observations: A Country Miscellany


Book Description

'Not a cosy series of reminiscences but a slice of bygone reality. This delightful collection of country curiosities shows rural life in the raw a hundred or more years ago. Hugely enjoyable, a real eye-opener and surprisingly useful!' Alan Titchmarsh A perfectly formed and beautifully presented collection of titbits from the ever-surprising pages of Country Life. Flitting from observations on cheese rolling in Gloucestershire to smuggling silk in Sussex, from Shakespeare's Avon to the vanishing sign language of country tramps ... and all by way of a charming rumination on the origins of the simnel cake. Within these lovely pages there will indeed be something for everyone. Classic writing on the idyllic British countryside, Wodehousian ruminations on fishing and golf, and moving accounts of beloved (and unusual) pets. With a highly entertaining blend of expert views and humorous asides, Curious Observationsis a perfect Christmas gift.




I Never Knew That About the English


Book Description

This wonderful book takes an affectionate, entertaining and perceptive look at the English people. Here are their traditions, foibles, quirks, customs, humour and achievements, triumphs and failures, peccadilloes and passions. Travel through England from coast to coast and learn how every county contributes in unique and different ways to the distinct English personality. Marvel at crooked black and white halls in Cheshire and soft golden stone cottages in Midland villages. Go cheese rolling in Gloucestershire, discover the origins of cricket in Hampshire, savour a hot pot in Lancashire and a pudding in Yorkshire. Gasp at the glories of stately homes and the families that create them, upstairs and down, enjoy a pint. Listen to the memories and tales of ordinary folk from every walk of life and find out from them what it means to be English. This irresistible book is packed with fascinating trivia and amusing stories that will entertain and inform for hours on end.




Weird Sports and Wacky Games around the World


Book Description

With hundreds of books dedicated to conventional sports and activities, this encyclopedia on the weirdest and wackiest games offers a fresh and entertaining read for any audience. Weird Sports and Wacky Games around the World: From Buzkashi to Zorbing focuses on what many would consider abnormal activities from across the globe. Spanning subjects that include individual games, team sports, games for men and women, and contests involving animal competitors, there is something for every reader. Whether researching a particular country or region's traditions or wanting an interesting read for pleasure, this book offers an array of uses and benefits. Though the book focuses on games and sporting activities, the examination of these topics gives readers insight into unfamiliar places and peoples through their recreation—an essential part of the human experience that occurs in all cultures. Such activities are not only embedded in everyday life but also indelibly interconnected with social customs, war, politics, commerce, education, and national identity, making the whimsical topic of the book an appealing gateway to insightful, highly relevant information.




Weird Sports


Book Description

Sport impacts on society, identity, passions and, for better or worse, even wardrobes. Sport allows people to express where they are from, what matters to them and how they have fun and photographing the weird side of sport is what Sol Neelman loves. Over the past five years, he has travelled the world seeking out the weird and wacky in sport where imagination has no boundaries. Whether it's urban golf, cardboard tube fighting, Godzilla wrestling, lingerie football, Segway polo or drag queen softball, this body of work documents events that are very weird!




Cotswold Way


Book Description

All-in-one hiking route guide, maps and accommodations for the Cotswold Way, a 102-mile National Trail that runs from Chipping Campden to Bath, following the beautiful Cotswold escarpment for most of its course. Includes 44 large-scale maps (3 1/8 inches to 1 mile); 9 town plans and 8 overview maps. Full details of all accommodations and campsites, restaurants and pubs; plus full public transport information. Includes day-walks.




Best Place to be Today


Book Description

Find the best thing to do every day of the year, from one-day events like India's Holi festival or the cheese-rolling race at Cooper's Hill in England, to seasonal events like Alaska's caribou migration and weather-dependent adventures like completing the Tour de Mont Blanc. This vibrant, practical and addictive book covers the 365 best festivals, sporting events, adventures and natural phenomena. For anyone looking for inspiration for where to go when, Best Place to be Today offers a wealth of ideas, inspiring photos, and dates galore. About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2012 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.