Gloucester Cheese-Rolling Guide | What to Expect

Last week we visited Coopers Hill to watch the famous cheese-rolling. A sport that could only happen in England, where a large wheel of cheese is thrown down a steep hill to chase it. The winner is the person who gets to the bottom of the hill. There is a catch though; the ‘hill’ in question is more like a cliff and is tremendously steep. Over the years people have seriously hurt themselves over the craze, but that doesn’t stop a flock of people ascending to the hill each year. This is my Gloucester Cheese-Rolling Guide so you can skip the queues and enjoy your visit.

Location and Parking | Cheese-Rolling Guide

Coopers Hill is just outside of the city of Gloucester. The drive from the city takes just under 20 minutes and the event can be found on the A46. Because of the remoteness of the hill, you are unable to park nearby. Instead, a car park will be fashioned in the grounds of the local Toby Cavery. In 2024, parking cost £10.00 for the day and this needed to be in cash (they did not accept card).

The first race starts at midday and events run for the following hour. Given the growing popularity of the event, make sure that you get there early. We arrived at 10:00 and, even then, it was busy. We couldn’t even get a seat at the Toby Carvery! I would recommend getting there for 09:00, grabbing a breakfast and then setting off as early as possible.

Walking Up to Coopers Hill | Cheese-Rolling Guide

The walk up to the event location is a steep one. There are two distinct routes; the tourist one and the local one. We climbed the former in 2024 and were met with long queues, mud and lots of people falling over into nettles as they tried to think outside the box… This route is picturesque in some places and you get gorgeous views. However, there are also kissing-gates which means that bottlenecks occur often. We probably spent an hour queuing in the mud and rain as we walked up the hill, and we left early. Plenty of people missed the event going this way!

Another route is going along the Painswick Road (which should be closed on the day), and then heading up Coopers Hill. The road is still steep, but it is paved. It also has the advantage of being unknown as the event route signs go up through the woods. There are also no gates, which means less queuing! I would totally recommend this way to avoid the chaos! This route is outlined on the Google Map above!

Watching the Cheese-Rolling | Cheese-Rolling Guide

The best seats in the house are, of course, along the main hill. You will need to get here especially early for these coveted seats… These seats are close to the action and you can really see it all unfold. However, given that the hill is so steep and the cheese and people move so fast, you probably won’t see much!

If you are not sure of what to make of it, but just want to be part of the action, then the base of the track (in a separate field) gives you a good view too. The participants do look small, but you can see the entire race unfolding. Plus, you get a much better view if you do rock up slightly later. I really liked standing here and felt that I could enjoy the atmosphere. Be ready to chant “cheese, cheese, cheese!” regularly though.

What to Bring | Cheese-Rolling Guide

No matter which track you take, make sure you bring some wellies. We didn’t (amateur mistake), which meant that we got muddy… And quickly! Also bring some water and food with you as there are few stands, plus a raincoat / suncream. If you also aren’t prepared to wake up especially early, bring a large lens too to take pictures with. My 150mm on my Canon R7 just about picked up the race, but I should have brought my zoom lens.

Final Thoughts

The cheese-rolling on Coopers Hill is a historic and memorable occasion. It is quintessentially English and is something that everyone should experience at least once. If you are going in the future, I hope that my cheese-rolling guide has helped you. I’ll be sure to update it each year to help you all out!