Bog snorkelling - have you heard of it?
Those of you who have not may associate snorkelling with warm seas and coral reefs, but one particular Welsh custom turns this assumption on its goggle-clad head. Bog snorkelling is exactly what it claims to be. Slip into your flippers, pull on your goggles and leap head-first into a specially selected stretch of bog for a leisurely 60-yard dip. Leisurely, that is, if rainwater and silt are your thing.
This whacky event takes place in the small town of Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid-Wales. And, it is one of the wettest, murkiest things to do on the August bank holiday weekend… In our National Wonders mission to celebrate the quirkiest events in the UK calendar, we travelled to Llanwrtyd Wells to see what bog snorkelling is all about.
What are the World Alternative Games? The Story of Bog-Snorkelling
The World Alternative Games is made up of various activities that tend not to come up in general conversation. You are likely to encounter: husband dragging, man vs horse, mountain bike-chariot racing and hay bale tossing. But bog snorkelling is Llanwrtyd wells’ centrepiece, the big name, the jewel in the crown.
It all started in The Neuadd Arms. Over beers and under lashing rainfall, the idea of bog snorkelling was passed between friends. 33 years later, it is an international attraction, a champion of quirky activities and takes pride of place as one of National Express’ National Wonders.
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