As I hope this issue once again shows, we are spoiled for choice living in the British Isles. There are so many wonderful destinations to visit, whether on a staycation or visiting from overseas, and I hope our magazine will inspire you to extend your holiday - or book another! Highlights this issue include a wonderful 48 hours in Alderney, an epic journey through the heart of Scotland, from Edinburgh to the Caledonian Forest, and finding utter bliss at the new idyllic riverside luxury estate, Monkey Island, near Bray.
T H E M I N D B O G G L
T H E M I N D B O G G L E S T O S I N K ( T H I N K ) O R S W I M Diving Chess World Championship 6 The Diving Chess World Championship is a quirky, aquatic twist on the regular game in that the board is submerged in a swimming pool. And instead of a chess clock, players ponder their next move for as long as they can hold their breath underwater. msoworld.com World Bog Snorkelling Championships 9 Every August Bank Holiday Sunday, the small Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells turns daft revelry into an art form. Hardy swimmers, many in wetsuits, masks and fins compete to see who can swim the quickest through a 133-metre weedinfested and muddy peat bog on the outskirts of town. Not surprisingly, there’s never a great rush to congratulate the winner! visitwales.com First ever Jenga championship The newest of our wacky 8 championships launches this September at Stratford’s sky-high venue, Roof East. Competitors compete in three different challenges; building the tallest Jenga tower; a super speedy skyscraper – and the ultimate test – ‘fat glove Jenga’, where contestants will need to remove bricks from their tower whilst wearing a pair of ski gloves! With a grand prize of £500 being awarded to one lucky team of two. Price is £10 per team. sfgclub.com A S A C K F U L L Woolsack Racing 7 Late May bank holiday sees contestants carry wool-filled sacks up and down the steepest hill in the Gloucestershire market town of Tetbury. The fun and frolics pay homage to a 17th century tradition when young drovers tried to impress local maidens. tetburywoolsack.co.uk N E W K I D O N T H E B L O C K T O E M U C H T O W A T C H World Toe Wrestling Championship 10 Watch an amazing annual feat of strength, similar to arm wrestling, only with toes, which sees contestants lie on the floor opposite each other and lock bare feet with toes and try to pin the other's foot down. The game was invented by four drinkers in Ye Olde Royal Oak Inn in Wetton, Staffordshire in 1974, who were bemoaning the fact that the UK struggled to produce any world champions. Logically, if a new sport was invented that no one else knew about, the country could boast a champion at last. Having tried "ear wrestling" and "push of war" (with a scaffolding pole), Pete Cheetham, Eddie Stansfield, Pete Dean and Mick Dawson created toe wrestling. A rule board was produced by the sign writers at the Yorkshire Evening Post (Mick's girlfriend, Angie Edward, had a father who was the editor) and even a small trophy was made and engraved. royaloakwetton.co.uk 24 BritishTravelJournal.com
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