101 places to go – World’s Biggest Liar competition 2012

At cottages4you we’re proud to champion those local events that offer a little something different, so it didn’t take us long to choose the annual World’s Biggest Liar Competition in the Lakes as our new recommended destination.

Every November a group of liars (we think we can say that) get together at The Bridge Inn at Santon Bridge in the Lakes to share tall tales and decide which teller is sufficiently far-fetched to earn the dubious merit of ‘World’s Biggest Liar’.

The event was started in remembrance of landlord and local celebrity Will Ritson who entertained his patrons with many a story. For example, Will once claimed that the turnips in Wasdale were so big that they could be used as sheds for the Herdwick sheep on the fells. Since then there have been hundreds of dubious tales recanted at The Bridge each year. This year’s event takes place on 15 November. Find more info on The Bridge Inn website.

Here are a few of our favourite facts about the world’s most openly dishonest competition.

• Last year’s winner, Glen Boylan told a tall tale about losing a snail race following advice from Prince Charles. The Prince suggested he take his snail’s shell off to make him more aerodynamic. Upon losing, the future King of England was good enough to take pity on Mr Boyland and share his peanut butter sandwiches with him.

• A Bishop of Carlisle was once alleged to have won the title after the event’s shortest speech. He simply said ‘I have never told a lie in my life’.

• Seven time winner John ‘Johnny Liar’ Graham has had more success evading the truth than any other competitor. Winning the event a grand total of seven times,  John’s tales have involved voyaging to the depths of the ocean in a wheelie-bin, flying on the back of a giant snake and tales of German World War II submarines surfacing on UK shores to steal digital TV decoders.

• While the competition is open to almost everyone, politicians and lawyers are barred from entering as their skills at evading the truth are supposedly too finely honed. To put it bluntly: they’re just too good at lying!