Or for something more adrenaline-filled, the long-standing weekly Zoobombing meet up, held every Sunday evening, is where die-hard speed demons take part in high-speed, downhill bike races.

BBC: Portland's urban adventures

Despite the fact that Britons were far more likely to die from murder (let alone cholera) than from rabies, tales of fatal cases filled the newspapers during the 1830s.

WSJ: Rabies: The Plague Behind Zombies and Vampires

We are staring at a wall of handsome, hand-tooled saddles: English, Western, and, for the die-hards, a version of a buttero saddle in rich, leather-trimmed suede, filled with jute, horsehair, and hay over a heavy wooden yoke.

FORBES: The Other Tuscany