What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

On a thread while back, one of things I said I missed most about the UK, was our great sense of 'eccentricity'. I'm wondering what crazy things you are/were involved with in you area. I guess for me it was being involved in this:

http://www.scuk.co.uk/

It was the perfect foil for the very serious world of motorbike racing. We had a real laugh and raised money for charity. It is a quintessential part of winter life in Somerset (and I think Devon nowadays?).

Things like the Cheese Rolling Race, Bog Snorkling, Tough Guy Race, and Bed Racing spring to mind. I love the fact that you put so much effort into doing something so daft with like minded people and yet at the same time seems 'normal. I think these activities and others like them, create a sense of community that otherwise may not have existed.

So, lets see your nutter list:D

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

Aww I sooo missed doing the Tough guy this year, my friends sent me there photos and there all just gearing up for the winter one.

3.5 hours drive and gawd knows how much cash spent to run, swim and crawl in horse $hit, and the prize at the end, a great big ass heavy medal a greasy burger and not to mention the communial showers (well communial trickle of cold water)....:)

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

You have just bought back some extremely funny memories.

Our village used to do an annual fancy dress wheelbarrow race where the participants had to visit every pub and drink a pint outside each one.
Being young and stupid, i was 7mths preggers and decided to take part :eek:
My friends brother was my "driver" and becaus eof my delicate condition instead of me drinking the required 1 pint of lager at each pub, my driver had to do it :rofl::rofl: Needless to say we never finished. :lol:

Funniest thing though. I remember a friends dad in fron of us dressed as a milkmaid with false boobies etc. When he stopped outside one pub in front of us his skirt and pants fell down revealing a tattoo of a fox hunt running down his back and the fox disappearing up his bum!!! :rofl::rofl: I laughed so much it hurt

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

I've not been involved in anything truly eccentric when I lived in Britain, but I always love watching footage of that big ball of cheese being rolled down the hill with loads of people running and falling over as they chase after it.
Only in Britain......:)

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

I used to be a Morris Dancer :rofl: nuff said!

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

Well I used to be in the Sealed Knot, I think that qualifies.... then there's Somerset again! I remember being in the Taunton Hospital Radio team which came second in our class in the Tone Tug - a raft race which today would be sooo not allowed by the Elf'n'Safety brigade...;)

Just remembered - best of all: when in the SK, a small gaggle of us actually managed to dupe everyone into playing a completely made up, fictitious, over the top game in a pub car park somewhere, hitting a ball of rolled up something with a walking stick or something while standing on a chair..... point being, without England & its eccentricities, everyone would have laughed us out of court. But no-one knew because it was entirely possible it was a real 'sport'. Gave it a name, too, but that's gone in the mists of time (my memory).

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

:rofl:You poor thing...Still, we still love you...

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

Real Ale festivals are so beautifully and quinntessentially English. Halls filled with portly men with mutton chop sideburns spending the day drinking huge quantities of real ale and eating pork pies.

Magic..

Had a great day, even at the Earls Court one which was so big it lacked the charm of the ones held at country pubs..

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

Our village has a long running joke that they want to be an independent country. What started off as a joke in amongst my family and friends has reached the point where lots of villagers now say that they come from The People's Republic Of Pangbourne. We have a President and a Department of Defense. We have petitioned Downing Street for indepence and now that the new playground at the rec is complete, we are working on our olympic bid.:thumbsup:

We know that indepence is only a matter of time now as we have heard BBC Radio Berkshire presenters refer to our village as The People's Republic of Pangbourne.:eek:

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

:rofl: Priceless, that's so brilliant:thumbup: I take it the DoD have seen this?

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

Oh how I wish I had something eccentric to recount but there really wasnt anything that I did that could really be thought eccentric. Some absolutely normal activities like village fetes, whist drives, parish magazines, bell ringing are all things that I love.

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

C'mon, think, I'm pretty sure there will be something lurking in Quoll archives:D

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

...now BEETLE drives...there's something quintessentially daft & British but such fun...

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

I'll tell you something that sums up a lot of it for me is the programme 'Scrapheap Challenge' and the associated roadshows. Brilliant :thumbup:

Re: What's the 'eccentricity factor' for you?
 

Heavens no, I am quintessentially boring! Or maybe that I have been away so long! I did do the Swim Through Cambridge in my youth - they have banned it now as being too dangerous. From one side of Cambridge to the other in the Cam 1 mile - I think they worry about what you might catch in the Cam. Also the 2.25 mile swim from Grantchester to Cambrige - they dont do that either. Is that eccentric? Not quite up there with bog snorkelling but close I suppose.