LateRooms.com - Head to the Cotswolds for Tetbury woolsack races

April 29, 2010 (PRLEAP.COM) Travel News
LateRooms.com can reveal that people using hotels in the Cotswolds may like to spend their May bank holiday enjoying one of the region's most eccentric annual events.

The Tetbury woolsack races have been taking place in the small Gloucestershire town for over 30 years and continue to attract visitors from all over the country.

On Monday May 31st, a series of races will see participants running up and down a hill in the centre of Tetbury carrying large sacks of wool on their backs.

The course is 240 yards long and the slope has a gradient of one in four, meaning the race can be a gruelling experience for those who arrive unprepared.

As Tetbury was a thriving centre for wool production and trading during the middle ages, it is thought the tradition of the races originates from the 17th century, when young drovers would run up the hill with woolsacks in an attempt to impress local women.

Nowadays, the event is a popular and entertaining day out for local people and those holidaying in the Cotswolds.

As well as the races, visitors to Tetbury on May 31st will find an all-day street market, a charity auction, street performers and marching bands.

The woolsack races have attracted celebrity participants in recent years, including Holby City star Tina Hobley and former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies.

Editors Notes:

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