Do we still remember the legend of Istok Hani who lived in the swamps of Hansack in the 18th century? Medical descriptions of the boy have also been preserved, so there may be some basis for the Hungarian legend of Mowgli, which is that a stocky-body human with long ears (and possibly webbed toes) lived in the swamp, then came to Kabovar Castle, where they tried to civilize him, but he brought him back to the swamp . But if we don’t want to go that far, the contemporary American novel is Where crayfish sing He also talks about the strange and attractive swamp world. And we’re talking about this because the bog environment has also launched a swimming competition in Wales.
British creativity again
And if we now think that this competition could be the funniest and strangest competition in the world – which, of course, was invented by the inhabitants of the British Isles with their insane sense of humor – then we are very mistaken, because there duckling So is competition (yes, how many times does a stone bounce off the surface of the water) and mount man and horse race also. But who’s to blame the Brits/Scots/Irish for that, since the weather is so unpleasant, they spend their days in solitude and they’ve already gone through many major artistic and scientific revolutions (just think of Shakespeare, Monty Python, Stephen Hawking or the Beatles), so they had to search About innovation for something else.
A love of nature has always been important to them, so they went out and invented weirder and weirder contests. Llanwrtyd Wells was once the smallest town in Wales and even the UK. Here is the Wine Red Bog, which is home to aquatic salmon, frogs, various plants and special otters, and has been splashing here by bog enthusiasts since 1976. The idea came from the brain of two local entrepreneurs in a pub, and with attractive competition already In its strangeness, the little place entered the public consciousness, and its image was even adorned with a stamp.
Competitors from all over the world come to the Láp World Championships, which have been held since 1986, to dive into the swamp and swim as hard as they can. The champion is Neil Rutter, Britain’s Hani Eastock, who has been winning the competition for five consecutive years. Competitors arrive with fins, masks and breathing tubes, and the £20 entry fee will go to charity in their pockets.
One of the contestants, Julia Galvin, literally saved her life by diving into the swamp, when she saw that she was very ill and almost completely paralyzed, and decided to participate in it, she participated BBC-with. Since then, this passion has fueled him, although as he put it:
It’s a very strange experience, everything is dark and cold below, and you can’t even swim the traditional way in the waters full of animals and plants.
The trench is 1 meter deep and 1 meter wide, so the chance of it sinking is very small. The initial immersion in the swamp is complemented by swamp running and cross-country cycling, so the festival is already stretching for two days, after which the turnover of detergents increases significantly.
Celebrity and green belt
Many British celebrities joined the special event, including actor and presenter Paddy McGuinness, comedian Rory McGrath, rugby player Gareth Thomas, champion runner Donovan Bailey and popular BBC meteorologist Derek Brockway. The latter, although he walks, runs and plays squash regularly, said diving into the swamp was the hardest thing he had ever done.
Julia has already dived all over the world and believes that bog diving is to Wales what tennis is to Wimbledon. However, the plunge not only makes the participants happy, but also helps the small town survive, as many local businesses have survived thanks to it. Currently, a quarter of the city’s population volunteers at the various events that attract many people throughout the year, but tourists also fill the local cafes, shops, guesthouses and hotels.
The bog diving championship was not intentional, but it also draws attention to one of the most effective weapons in the fight against climate change, peat, which is a natural absorbent of carbon dioxide.
A bog is a wetland with soft, spongy soil, which consists mainly of partly dead plant matter called peat, and in Europe alone absorbs about five times as much carbon as forests.
Peatlands cover 10% of the UK’s land area, more than 11,000 square miles, and 4% of Wales, but according to Natural Resources Wales, they contain 30% of terrestrial carbon dioxide. However, the affected peatlands emit greenhouse gases and unfortunately 90 per cent of the peatlands in Wales are damaged, prompting the Welsh Government to triple restoration targets.
