Winspit Quarry sci-fi water pistol fight!

Description:

Sci-Fi Water Pistol Fight.

One of Dorset's lesser known events and certainly one of its quirkiest takes place in a disused quarry every summer.

With its variety of landsacapes, Dorset is regularly chosen by TV and film crews looking for locations and after several sci-fi shows used Winspit Quarry, it became home for what must be Dorset's most unusual event - an annual sci-fi themed water pistol fight.

Every August dedicated fans of  Hitchhiker's Guide2 the Galaxy square up to devotees of Blake's 7 in a day long water pistol fight held in Winspit Quarry near Worth Matravers.

Sci-fi fan Bob Fischer spent a year following the country's sci-fi fan convention circuit and when he heard about the Dorset water pistol fight he just had to be there.

He said: "It was just the insanity of the whole event. I love oddness and eccentricity, and when I heard about there was an annual water pistol fight I really couldn't resist. It was in the middle of the year when science fiction conventions had completely taken over my life, and I read about the lunatic venture by chance on the website of ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, the Hitchhiker's appreciation society."

He went on to say: "This year's event is on August 15 and I'm hoping to make a glorious return to action. Failing that, I'll just do what I did before - fall over a lot and get wet."

Winspit Quarry was chosen as the venue for the water pistol fight because it's been featured as a location in sci-fi programmes such as Doctor Who and Blake's 7. The 1979 Tom Baker story "Destiny of the Daleks" used the quarry to represent the Daleks home planet of Skaro and Blake's 7 shot an episode at the quarry called "Games in 1981."