Lanwrtyd Wells, Powys, Wales, U.K.

When - August

Frequency - Annual Event

Special Interest - Wild, Wacky & Muddy

Go Bog Snorkelling in Waen Rhydd Peat Bog near Lanwrtyd Wells, Wales - Britain’s smallest town. In 1986, locals at the Llantryd Wells pub in Mid Wales, were tossing around fundraising ideas. And so the world was first introduced to Bog Snorkelling.

The World Bog Snorkelling Championships have grown to an annual event every August Bank Holiday, with visitors from all over the world.

Bog Snorkelling Rules
The Bog is actually a water filled trench cut through a peat bog. With zero visibility, competitors have to complete two consecutive lengths. One competitor at a time tries their luck against the clock, while spectators line the bank.

The catch is no swimming strokes are allowed. You need a snorkel, and can propel yourself with flippers. In the zany spirit of Bog Snorkelling, some competitors wear fancy dress. Most opt for wetsuits.

While some competitors practise, Bog Snorkelling is more about having a go, and joining in the madness. And if you’re motivated by prizes, the winner gets a year’s supply of icecream. Which flavor? Mudslide, of course. And your name will go into the Guiness Book of Records.

Competitors’ Bog Snorkelling Tales

Becky Jones, a local teen competitor, told the BBC

The worst thing about it is the cold. I can’t describe how cold it is - it’s bitter even though the competition is held in August. I don’t wear a wetsuit, just a costume, flippers and snorkel and go for it.Your legs seize up and you can’t see anything because it’s so murky. You lift your head up a few times to try and get your bearings but most of the time you know you’ve gone the wrong way when you bump into the bank. The smell is absolutely terrible and you just keep being pulled down into the peat bog.

In his book True Brits, J.R. Daeschner gives a zany account of wacky British festivals and events. Of the Bog Snorkelling Championships, he says

And then it hits me - I know how to swim, but I don’t know how to snorkel. And a bog probably isn’t the best place to learn. Nevertheless, I plunge in … and immediately sink. Frantic, I try to pull myself along the bottom, grabbing fistfuls of weeds and silty water, my flippers feeling five feet long as they dredge the bog, churning fitfully like paddlewheels stuck on a mud flat.

“He’s not moving,” someone observes. Technically, that isn’t true. I’m definitely moving my arms; I’m just not getting anywhere.

Other Bog Snorkelling Events

Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling
If Bog Snorkelling is too tame for you, try Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling.

The bike and competitor are weighted to stay down in the water. Competitors wear a scuba weight belt, plus a snorkel and mask. The bike frame is weighted with lead shot and water filled tires.

• Buy True Brits - by J.R. Daeschner……very funny anecdotes about his experiences at wacky British festivals, including Bog Snorkelling….Amazon U.S.

Bog Snorkelling Triathlon
If you want to go the whole hog, enter the Bog Snorkelling Triathlon. This involves a 12 mile run, some Bog Snorkelling and a mountain bike ride. The organisers promise “a gruelling mountain bike ride of approximately 25 miles, no doubt crossing the occasional bog, ford, river, stream etc. All in all, a challenging and unique event.”

Bog Snorkelling - An Olympic Event?
To cater for the growing interest, a second Bog Snorkelling trench has been dug. A few diehards are proposing Bog Snorkelling as a future Olympic event. More information