“A schoolboy has been snapped crossing Lake Buttermere – on a bike. But 16-year-old Matt Whitehurst refuses to reveal how he made it across the 75ft-deep lake. He carried out the miraculous stunt in the heart of the Lake District to raise money for victims of the 2009 floods in the area. Matt, from Papcastle, Cumbria, is adamant that the feat was not faked, though he won’t let on the secret of his achievement. ‘I can’t and won’t say how I did it, but plenty of people saw me and they’ll confirm it wasn’t a camera trick,’ he said. ‘The photos are real.” w/ photos

“Retired window cleaner Ron Broomfield has turned his cottage into a shrine for gnomes – after collecting a whopping 1,600 of them. The 77-year-old became obsessed with the model dwarves 50 years ago when he bought a small group for his garden. He has since amassed a remarkable collection that fills his garden and every room of his cottage. It is thought to be worth over $56,600. The charity worker has developed such a passion for gnomes that he even dresses up as one twice a week to do his grocery shopping. He also collects money for the the NSPCC while in character. He said: ‘Some people laugh and point at me when I go out in my costume but I don’t care. I’m in my own little fantasy land and raise money for a great charity.’ He keeps a log-book detailing every one he owns and has turned his spare bedroom into a miniature workshop, where he repairs and paints them. His living room, kitchen and bathroom are also lined with shelves, which he put up to display his cherished collection.” w/ photos

“Fifty-eight people are being held in Mexico after soldiers discovered the largest marijuana plantation in the country’s history, hidden under black cloth in the middle of the desert. Two men were caught in the camp and 56 others were rounded up in the area around the 300-acre plantation, which is four times larger than the previous record discovery by authorities. The towering pot plants sheltered under black screen-cloth in a huge square on the floor of the Baja California desert, more than 150 miles south of Tijuana, across the border from San Diego. Army officers said the vast farm just one and a half miles from the main federal highway in Baja California state appeared to be the work of the Sinaloa cartel. The same gang was tied to Mexico’s largest bust of marijuana packaged for sale last fall and sophisticated underground border tunnels discovered in November, both also in Baja California. No one has been charged in the raid on the huge pot farm. The suspected workers are still being questioned.” w/ photos

“Animal lovers, look away now! These pictures show the misfortune of some of the world’s best known creatures ranging from lame leopards to pitiful polar bears! The pictures were all posted up a Facebook page aptly named Badly Stuffed Animals and has a current following of 2,707. One user failed to see the comic value of the amateur taxidermists who make a mockery of many dead beasts, that are butchered and left looking incredibly deranged. He said  ‘There is something very creepy when taxidermy is done badly.’ There were also more familiar sights with dogs, gorillas and wild hogs amongst the stuffed corpses that have been preserved in a sloppy state.” w/ photos

“Shrouded in ivy, this 15th century cottage looks like it could play the part of a sinister house in Hollywood’s next horror blockbuster. But the ivy that has created this scowling face on this building in North Wales has chosen a much more innocent target. It is in fact the Tu Hwnt I’r Bont (‘Beyond the bridge’) tea rooms, near the picturesque market town of Llanrwst. The unique cottage on the banks of the River Conwy has been covered in the Virginia Creeper variety of ivy for years. In the winter months, the horror theme continues as the leaves of the home change from this hue of green to shades of burgundy red. The choice of Virginia Creeper on the house does have some practical purposes. The vine actually sticks to the masonry using disks, rather than roots meaning it does not damage the brickwork. However at the same time it also keeps the insides of the building cooler by shading the walls during the summer months when there are hundreds of visitors.” w/ photos

“The tourists had paid for a close-up view of crocodiles – and when this beast burst from the water they certainly got their money’s worth. For when it comes to crocs, they don’t come much bigger than Brutus. Lured by a tour guide dangling kangaroo meat from a pole, the 18ft, two-ton monster was, er, snapped by photographer Katrina Bridgeford, who was on the Adelaide River cruise with her family. ‘It got the adrenaline going,’ Australian Mrs Bridgeford said. ‘It was so close you could almost touch it.’ She recalled that when her son Dylan, 11, saw the massive creature rise out of the water he had only two words to utter – ‘Holy crap!’ Brutus is missing his front leg following what is believed to have been a confrontation with a shark in the river’s estuary – leaving many people to wonder just how big the shark was.” w/ photo

“Most people choose tattoos that give others some idea of their character. But this man wanted to leave nothing to chance with this less than subtle tattoo. Patrick Brooks had the words ‘F**K YOU’ tattooed in the centre of his forehead in large thick black block capital letters. The 21-year-old from California was arrested yesterday for burglary, forgery and receiving stolen property. He had also violated the terms of his parole from a previous conviction. His police mugshot shows him glum-faced showing off his vulgar tattoo.” w/ photos

“An owl was left in a flap after crashing into a window, leaving a near perfect print of himself on the glass. Sally Arnold returned home to Kendal, Cumbria, and found the huge imprint complete with eyes, beak and feathers on her bedroom window. She said: “Our first concern was for the welfare of what we suspected was an owl and we opened up the window to check if it was still around. “Fortunately, there was no sign of the bird and we can only assume that it had flown away probably suffering from a headache.” The silhouette was left by the bird’s “powder down” – a substance protecting growing feathers. Experts from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) confirmed the bird was most likely a tawny owl because of its size and shape and the fact that they appear in gardens more regularly than others.” w/ photos

“Bulging at the seams, the Icelandic Phallological Museum boasts an impressive package, hosting the largest collection of penises in the world – and now it’s adding a human penis to the collection. Coming in all shapes and sizes, over 200 specimens are preserved in test tubes and glass vessels, while others are displayed like hunting trophies on the walls. No matter how big or small the Icelandic Phallological Museum in the northern fishing town of Húsavík wants to show it all.” w/ photos

“Visitors to this concert might well have thought something fishy was going on when they saw the musicians put on their wet suits and take their instruments into the ocean. However, this was no ordinary gig. More than 500 divers and snorkellers descended on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary for the 27th Underwater Music Festival. Donning marine-themed fancy dress and adopting stage names such as Eel-vis Presley, Bob Marlin and Joss Stone Crab, the would-be musicians submerged themselves under water to perform in the symphony under the sea. Armed with fishy instruments such as ‘clambourines’, guitars in the shape of a starfish and a bass masquerading as a ray, they belted out tunes, creating good vibrations for the surrounding marine life. The wacky event is staged to celebrate the colourful diversity of marine life that characterises north America’s only living coral barrier reef – and also promotes preservation. Bill Becker, festival director, told CBS: ‘We have a lot of fun, we dress up in costumes, but there’s a serious side. Coral reef conservation is the message.” w/ photos + video