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A contest to select the biggest liar! It would seem, well, a lie. But in Cumbria in England’s Lake District, this contest does happen every November. At the Santon Bridge Inn in the Wasdale Valley on the feast day of St Pinnochius. The popularity of the event has been growing with the years since 1974 when it first began and today some 50,000 people gather in the pub to listen to the tall stories, reports Ranjita Biswas.
To be crowned the best ‘tall-storyteller’ in this World’s Biggest Liar Competition, contestants ome not only from within England but from abroad too, such is the reputation of this quirky contest. Anybody can enter the pit, except, you guessed it, politicians and lawyers !
The stories told over five to ten minutes can stretch imagination to the limit. For example, one past contestant told the yarn that the beautiful Lake District, home of many poets and artists in English literature, was not formed by ice age or volcanic action – but by large moles and eels.
The event is held in memory of Will Kitson, a 19th century Cumbrian with a gift of the gab. He used to live in the beautiful Wasdale Valley and apparently enlivened the evenings for people of this remote area with stories of the folk heritage of this charming countryside. Legends abound that Kitson claimed that the turnips in Wasdale were so big that after the dalesfolk had "quarried" into them for their Sunday lunch, they could be used as sheds for the local sheep!
But there is no need for tall stories to describe Wasden Valley’s charms. It is famed for having England's deepest lake (Wastwater), the highest mountain (Scafell Pike), the smallest Church (Wasdale Head Church). Recently, Wastwater has also been awarded the ‘Britain’s Favourite View’ award in an travel show on television.
Cumbria, in fact, the whole of the Lake District is enticingly beautiful. No wonder poets like William Wordsworth found “joy forever” in the daffodil fields in the valley. Majestic mountains, sparkling lakes, soothing landscape- all have made this district the destination of travellers and for those wanting to escape the urban chaos for a while. The area also offers some of the best walking and climbing routes in England as the five highest peaks are located here
Nearby is the newly opened historical path along the Hadrian’s Wall, a world heritage site and important monuments built by the Romans in Britain. From cosy village B &B t accommodation to opulent country house hotels with superb lake views, you’ll be thoroughly spoilt for choice.
As for food, the Lake District is renowned for its gourmet local produce like succulent Cumberland sausage, Kendal Mint Cake and Grasmere Gingerbread to name but a few.
So it makes sense to enjoy the tall stories with tongue firmly in cheek and then set forth to discover Wordworth’s valley with a song on the lips. |
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