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Five Unusual Events in East Anglia

Local traditions continue to thrive across the world, and East Anglia is no exception. The counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have more than their fair share of unusual events, including two world championships.   

If you are thinking of moving to East Anglia, here are five of the quirkiest, courtesy of Hamiltons Removals. We have been helping people with commercial and domestic removals for more than a quarter of a century and are based on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, in the heart of the region.

The World Snail Racing Championship, Norfolk

Congham, near King’s Lynn, hosts an annual world championship in the unusual sport of snail racing. The event has formed part of this north-west Norfolk village’s annual fete for around half a century, after founder Tom Elwes first witnessed a race in France.

To help the competitors on their way, the course is only 13 inches in length and the going is officially ‘moist’. as the race is held on a damp tablecloth. The champion receives a tankard stuffed with lettuce.

The World Pier Crabbing Championships, Norfolk

The North Norfolk coastline is one of the best places in the world to catch crabs, and the Cromer variety is a famous delicacy. The resort’s association with this crustacean is celebrated with another annual world championship, held every August. Competitors try to catch as many as they can, or the biggest one, and you can enter either as a team or an individual.

Maldon Mud Race, Essex

This race is held over the bed of the River Blackwater every year – originally in winter, but the date has now been moved to spring. It all started in 1973 when a regular at a local pub was challenged to serve a meal on the riverbank dressed in a dinner jacket. This evolved into a race across the river’s thick mud to a barrel of beer on the other side, at which point you were supposed to drink a pint of it and race back.

The beer has disappeared, but the race remains, with hundreds of people being happy to get stuck in, raising thousands of pounds for charity in the process.

The Race of the Boggmen, Suffolk

This started out as an annual contest between the farmworkers of Great Finborough and Haughley. In the late 19th century, a landowner had to choose between two teams drawn from each of these Mid Suffolk villages and decided the best way to settle it was with a race. The first person to make it from Boyton Hall to the Chestnut Horse pub in Great Finborough was declared the winner.

These days the race is still held between teams drawn from the two villages, but local charities and good causes are the real winners.

Somerleyton Bun and Penny Day, Suffolk

On February 14, the younger residents of this north Suffolk village are just as likely to be thinking of buns as Valentine’s cards. This is because every year on this date – or on the school day nearest to it – the pupils at Somerleyton Primary School visit the village’s impressive Hall.

Once there, they are welcomed by the Lord and Lady of the Manor and are expected to sing traditional songs such as sea shanties, often with their own musical accompaniment. As a reward, they each receive an iced bun and money – which these days means a 50p piece.

The tradition is thought to have started in the 1840s, when Sir Morton Peto owned the Hall. No one is sure about the reasons behind it, although one theory is that he wanted to thank all the children who had worked in the fields over the summer.

Moving to East Anglia with Hamiltons Removals

Hamiltons Removals can help you if you are thinking of moving to East Anglia, whether it is for commercial or domestic reasons. We offer a comprehensive service which can include packing your belongings, specialist removals and insurance.

If you need to store some items during the course of your removals to Suffolk, Norfolk or Essex – perhaps because you are downsizing and haven’t decided which items to get rid of – then we can assist you there as well. We have two self-storage units, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, at Harleston and Aldeby. Here you can keep large and small items in complete safety, as both sites are covered by CCTV cameras.

If you would like to get in touch or learn more about any of our services, you can either follow this link and fill in the online form, or call us on (01379) 855203. You can also email us.


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