We were caught by surprise when watching the snail race at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (Fleet Street, London). We hadn’t expected it to be fascinating.
Snails were heading out in all directions, slowly of course, from the starting circle at the center of the racecourse (a circular tablecloth) to the finish line, a circle around the outer edge.
Ian Haynes — snail master at the annual Snail Racing World Championships held every July in Cobham, Norfolk — came down to London with 20 garden snails and a racecourse in his backpack. He produced an amazing event. Thanks much Ian.
The racecourse
To bait the snails, Ian rubbed the essence of cucumber all around the 360 degrees of the finish line
Snails in snail trailer, the equivalent of a horse trailer. They are lettuce loading, the equivalent of carb loading for runners. They are eager to get out and race.
The start
Viewers in the grandstand watching the start
Race underway
Winner
Photo finish for 2nd place
Official cap for snail masters
Organizers: Tim Webb, Ian Haynes, Grover Click
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub and chop house is a destination in and of itself
It did not survive the Great Fire of 1966 but was rebuilt the following year. Charred beams are visible in the lower ground rooms.
Notable patrons included Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, P.G. Wodehouse, and Mark Twain. More literary associations and other information can be found in Wikipedia.
