One of Gloucestershire's wackiest traditions is featured in the new Guinness World Records book launching this September 2026.
Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling, which takes place annually on the spring bank holiday at Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, is being recognised as the longest-running cheese-rolling race.
The daring event is world-famous, with participants from all over the globe coming to chase the cheese down the 180-metre, 1:2 gradient hill.
The wheel of Double Gloucester cheese can reach speeds of up to 80 miles per hour as it descends, and most participants end up tumbling down the hill after it as they attempt to be the first to make it to the bottom and claim the cheese for themselves.
Written historical evidence of the race dates back to 1826 from a message to the Gloucester town crier, but the event was believed to be incredibly old even then. While the actual origin of the Cheese Rolling tradition is unclear, sources believe that the race is at least 600 years old, with some theories speculating that it dates as far back as the Iron Age and possible pagan rituals conducted on the hillside.
Nowadays, the event is symbolic of common grazing rights for locals, with the cheese being rolled even when the race is cancelled, such as during the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event gets official recognition in the Guinness World Records 2027 book, which is available to order from Thursday 10 September 2026.
To find out more about Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling see Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 2027: Everything you need to know on SoGlos.
