Alternative sports are growing in popularity in the UK. Some of the most popular are:

Water sports

Popular water sports in the UK include surfing, windsurfing and water polo - a team game which is played at many UK universities.

Surfing in the UK mainly takes place in the west of England, off the North Cornwall and Devon coasts, although there are also some waves worth catching in Scotland.

Find out more on the British Surfing Association website, while the Scottish Surfing Federation website contains information about surfing in Scotland.

Windsurfing clubs can be found in all parts of the UK, both at sea and on inland lakes and reservoirs. You can find information about these on the UK Windsurfing Association website.

The British Waterpolo website includes useful information about water polo in the UK.

Winter sports

Skiing is hugely popular in the UK, despite the fact that most Brits have to go abroad to take part. Snowboarding has grown substantially inthe UK over the past few years with a large number of youngsters attracted to the lifestyle associated with it. Find out more about both sports on the Snowsport GB website.

Although UK weather usually doesn't get cold enough - except sometimes in Scotland - for serious outdoor skiing and snowboarding, artificial slopes around the country cater for both sports.

Ice skating and ice hockey take place on indoor rinks in the UK. Over Christmas, you can also go skating on a number of outdoor ice rinks, which are set up over the festive period every year in cities all over the UK.

The British have mixed fortunes in international ice-skating competition,although we went through something of a golden age in the 1970s and 1980s when skaters such as John Curry, Robin Cousins, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean were well-known around the world. Find out more on the National Ice Skating Association and Scottish Ice Skating Association websites.

The bmibaby Elite Ice Hockey League is highly successful, with teams in towns and cities as far apart as Edinburgh in Scotland, and Basingstoke in the south of England. You can also find out more on the Ice Hockey UK website.

Olympic sports

The Olympic programme has expanded over the years and now includes sports like synchronised swimming and baseball. Have a look at the official Olympic list for recognised sports, past and present.

Here are of some current Olympic sports with links to their official UK websites:

• UK Athletics
• Amateur Boxing Association of England
• Scottish Boxing
• British Cycling
• British Equestrian Federation
• UK Gymnastics
• Scottish Gymnastics
• England Hockey
• Scottish Hockey
• Amateur Rowing Association of England
• Scottish Rowing
• UK Royal Yachting Association
• British Swimming

Martial arts

Martial arts - such as judo, karate and taekwondo - have grown in popularity in the UK over the past few years, with 1000s of clubs all over the country. The Martial Arts Register and Martial Arts Clubs UK will help you find one.

Judo and taekwondo are both Olympic sports. Visit the official websites to learn more:

• British Judo Association
• Judo Scotland
• British Taekwondo Control Board
• TAGB Scotland: Scottish Taekwondo

Extreme sports

The phrase extreme sport is used to describe activities that involve high-risk dangerous stunts. Many sports fall into this category including: rock climbing, paragliding and bungee jumping.

You can find many more examples on the UK extreme sports website.

Pub sports

A wide range of games are played in British pubs, including pool and darts. Shove-ha'penny, dominoes and cribbage have also been popular over the years. Find out more in the online guide to traditional pub games.

And for something slightly different ...

A number of weird and wonderful sports take place in the UK every year, including:

Swamp football, which is played in bogs or swamps. Visit the UK Swamp Soccer website for more information and for an entertaining gallery of the competitors' best efforts.

Cheese-rolling is a very English sport which takes place principally in Gloucestershire in the west of England. Visit the official cheese-rolling website for more information including many photographs of last year's race where, miraculously, nobody was hurt.

The Bognor Birdman is held each summer in Bognor Regis in Sussex, on the south coast of England. Visit the Bognor Birdman website for more details and a look at the gallery of pictures which shows some of the amazing designs and competitors in full flight.