I

f you’re at a loose end this weekend, why not strap yourself inside a giant inflatable ball and hurtle down the side of a hill?

Yes we know it sounds bonkers, but 100,000 people can’t all be wrong – and that’s how many have tried it with the guys at Zorbing South in Dorset.

This off-the-wall activity was only invented in 1994, with the first purpose-built course appearing in New Zealand. However, it’s even younger in the UK, having arrived on these shores just over 10 years ago. After a full safety briefing you’ve got a serious decision to make: to harness or not to harness?

Go for the latter and you and a couple of mates could climb inside the same sphere for the 200-metre run down the grassy course – or strap yourself in solo if you feel safer.

However, if you think that’s a tad too tame, then why not try hydro-zorbing, where water is added to the inside of the ball, making it extra slippery in there.

When you reach the bottom (and dry off), you can relax in the sun with a bite to eat in the farmhouse restaurant on site.