The quirky English village that’s becoming very famous for ‘throwing knobs’
BRITAIN has some pretty odd pastimes – cheese rolling, bog snorkelling and conker championships.
But none of them are both equally wholesome and rude-sounding as Dorset’s knob-throwing contest… which has gone surprisingly under-the-radar given its catchy name.
The tradition began in 2008, when the competition started at a local festival in the Dorset village of Cattistock.
Inspired by a Yorkshire pudding game on the television, locals competed to see who could throw a ‘Dorset knob’ furthest.
A Dorset knob being a crumbly sweet biscuit that’s as hard as stale bread – named after the ‘Dorset knob button,’ which were buttons made out of yarn in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
Participants decorate their knobs with pen, to make them easily recognisable, and then lob them as far as they can – with the current world record at 31.9 metres.
Those who are particularly keen to carry on competing can also take part in the knob and spoon race, pin the knob, knob darts and ‘guess the weight of the knob.’
There was a break in the contest for the past few years, but it made its big return at the Cattistock Country Show last July.
Understandably, the tradition has drawn quite a number of visitors since it first started sixteen years ago.
But Cattistock itself is a ‘classic English village’ according to the community website in the heart of Thomas Hardy country (Thomas Hardy was apparently a big fan of Dorset knobs).
It’s quintessentially village quaint, with thatched roofs and a village green that hosts everything from cricket to bowls.
First mentioned in the Domesday Book, it only had 509 residents in the 2011 census – that’s nine more than it had 100 years previously.
It’s also home to the Fox And Hound pub, a 17th Century inn with roaring log fire and even its own skittle alley.
There’s plenty to do in the surrounding area too, including paying a visit to the nearby Cerne Giant – the mysterious naked figure carved into a chalk hillside.
For the adrenline-seekers, there’s the Clay Pigeon Raceway go-kart track and the Jurassic safari is also nearby for nature-lovers.
Meanwhile, Weymouth and all its traditional seaside attractions, and the stunning West Dorset Heritage Coast are just a 30-minute drive away.
Weymouth regularly tops the lists of the UK’s best beaches, including last year by both TripAdvisor and The Times and Sunday Times, with it coming in for praise for its “Weymouth’s litter-free sands, first-class facilities and great chippies.”
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