Cooper's Hill
| Cooper's Hill | |||
| Gloucestershire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Cheese Rolling on Cooper’s Hill | |||
| Range: | Cotswolds | ||
| Summit: | 925 feet; SO891138 51°49’23"N, 2°9’32"W | ||
Cooper's Hill amongst the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire rises with steep sides to the south of Brockworth. It is a local landmark and the site of one of the most celebrated and eccentric of local sports – the Cooper's Hill cheese-rolling.
The hill climbs to 925 feet above sea level. Most of it is covered in woodland, with a cleared slope on its northern escarpment where the cheese-rolling takes place: the slope is 200 yards long with a slope of around 50% (26.6°).[1][2]
The annual cheese rolling contest has become world-famous. On the day, a large round cheese is rolled down the slope of the hill and is chased by a group of "runners", who in fact spend most of their brief descent to the bottom of the hill falling and tumbling. It has been expanded to five races, including a women's race. Two hundred years ago this was part of a larger mid-summer festival with other activities and competitions, but the event is now confined to the cheese-rolling and is held in May during the Spring Bank-holiday Monday.
- Location: SO892146
The contest was the subject of the BBC One programme The Great Cheese Chase broadcast in 2018.[3]
The Witcombe Festival was originally held at the bottom of Coopers Hill but since 2018 has been in Brockworth Road.[4]
References
- ↑ "Cheese Rolling on Cooper's Hill, Gloucester". 4 February 2010. https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/cotswold/22607631.cheese-rolling-coopers-hill-gloucester/.
- ↑ "'King of the Hill' Sets Lifetime Record in British Cheese-Rolling Competition". 12 June 2018. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/why-people-risk-their-lives-chasing-cheese.
- ↑ "The Great Cheese Chase - BBC One". https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bb6l40.
- ↑ Boobyer, Leigh (20 June 2018). "Bigger, better and even more cider: Witcombe Cider Festival is on the move". Gloucestershire Live. https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife/bigger-better-even-more-cider-1694932.