Fresh Air and British Eccentrics - Things to Do On Boxing Day

I once went Beagling on Boxing Day, on an estate in Northern Ireland. The local hunt's pack of hounds was set loose to chase a dragged scent - or trail. Everyone else chased the hounds over hill and dale, fields and fences.

On foot.

There were a few frightfully keen chaps who raced by, apparently believing they could actually catch up with the dogs, but most of us were stragglers, a rag tag mob of muddy ramblers spread out over what felt like several counties. It was a good enough excuse for a hearty post-Christmas walk with the chance of a nice tea and a slice of Christmas Cake at the end of it. I lost my wellies while attempting to cross a plowed field diced into chunks the size of suitcases and had to be rescued.

Riding to the Hounds
Traditionally, Boxing Day is a time for set piece sports and outdoor activities - fox hunts (now under new rules), horse races and football matches. There are ten Premiership football (soccer) matches with all of the UK's top teams facing each other. And, despite the law restricting fox hunting since 2005, Boxing Day meets still take place. The rules are different but the spectacle, for non participants, looks much the same. The Masters of Foxhounds Association, Telephone: +44 (0)1285 831470, used to publish a list of list of Boxing Day meets all over the country. But more recently - since even hunts within the law are controversial and can be met by protesters, national listings of meets are harder to find. If you are keen to see this colorful event, search around the Countryside Alliance website for links to meet information

www.mfha.org.uk

The Sport of Kings
If you enjoy watching horses jump over hedges and ditches, a less controversial activity might be one of the many Boxing Day racing meets, most of which are steeplechase or jumping events. Racing meets, often with entertainment and even children's activities are scheduled for:

• Kempton Park near London
• Huntindon in Cambridgeshire
• Market Rasen in Lincolnshire
• Towcester in Northamptonshire
• Wetherby in Yorkshire
• Wincanton between Bristol and Bournemouth
• Wolverhampton near Birmingham

English Eccentrics
My favorites, though, are events - like that surreal day spent beagling - that bring out the totally daft in people. In Tenby, on the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales, hundreds of people dress up in funny costumes for the annual Tenby Boxing Day Swim at North Beach. It's been going on for 35 years and has raised thousands of pounds for charity. Last year, 583 swimmers braved the wintry waters. This year, the fancy dress theme is "Children's Favorites".
Telephone:+44 (0)1834 862109
www.tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk

But you'd have to go pretty far to beat the silliness of the annual Rubber Ducky Race run by the Lions Club in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. Punters pay £1 for a rubber duck and then cheer theirs along as it "swims" along Finham Brook from Kenilworth Castle Ford, across Abbey Fields to the finish. It all kicks off at noon on Boxing Day. The money goes to charities - last year £1,500 was raised - and there are cash prizes for the first few rubber duckies that win, place and show.
Kenilworth Lions Club website

What?! You Don't Know About Boxing Day - Read On _{Rubber Duckies by Angelo Cavalli/Getty Images}