__NOTOC__ The 11th Milestone, Isle of Man (''Drinkwater's Bend'') is situated adjacent to the 13th Milestone on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road which forms the boundary between the parishes of Kirk German and

Kirk Michael Michael () is one of the six sheadings of the Isle of Man. It is located on the west of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) and consists of the three historic parishes of Ballaugh, Jurby and Michael. Historic pa ...

in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

History

The area is dominated by the Ballamenagh and Shoughlaige-e-Caine farmland. During the 1830s, the primary A3 Road Castletown to

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Companies *Ramsey (retailer), Turkish clothing retailer People * Ramsey (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Ramsey (surname), including a list of people with the surname * Baron de Ramsey, a title i ...

was re-profiled between and

Handley's Corner Handley's Corner (formerly ''Ballamenagh Corner'') is situated just before the 12th Milestone road-side marker, measured from the startline at the TT Grandstand, on the Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT races on the primary A3 ...

by the local parochial highway surveyor under the former Isle of Man parish board system. This was to avoid marshland and steep inclines creating the distinctive elongated S-bend. The original stone 11th milestone on the A3 road was sited at the corner café at Glen Helen. An iron milestone from the 1860s during the period of James Garrow as Isle of Man Surveyor-General is now situated at the northerly end of the former 'Drinkwater's Bend' as the 13th Milestone on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road. The current site of the 11th marker post or ''11th Milestone'' road marker for the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course has been placed at Cronk Bane Farmhouse on the Cronk-y-Voddy straight.

Motor-sport heritage

The distinctive elongated S-bend corner of the 11th Milestone section of the A3 Castletown to Ramsey road became part of the 37.50 Mile

Four Inch Course The Four Inch Course was a road racing, road-racing circuit first used for the 1908 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (automobiles), 1908 Tourist Trophy Race for cars, held on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald (the parliament of the I ...

for the RAC Tourist Trophy automobile races held in the Isle of Man between 1908 and 1922. In

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

, the Four Inch Course for automobiles was first used by the Auto-Cycling Union for the

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May and June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907 Isle of Man TT, 1907. The event begins on the UK Spring Bank Holiday at the e ...

motor-cycle races. This included the 11th Milestone and the course later became known as the 37.73 mile (60.70 km)

Isle of Man TT Mountain Course The Isle of Man TT Mountain Course or ''TT Course'' or ''Snaefell Mountain Course'' or ''Elmo’s Mountain Course'' is a street and public rural road circuit located in the Isle of Man, used for motorcycle racing. The motorcycle ''TT Course'' i ...

which has been used since 1911 for the

Races and from 1923 for the

Manx Grand Prix The Manx Grand Prix motorcycle races are held on the Isle of Man TT Course (or ' Mountain Circuit') annually, usually at the end of August and early September. Traditionally the event has been staged over a two week period but this was reduce ...

races.

Drinkwater's Bend

During the

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

350 cc

Junior TT The Junior TT is a motorcycle road race that takes place during the Isle of Man TT festival; an annual event at the end of May and beginning of June. Between 1949 and 1976 this race was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Engine ...

race the popular amateur racer Ben Drinkwater crashed fatally at this point and the corner became known as ''Drinkwater's Bend,'' although subsequently the name became partly disused. On the 5th lap of the 1961 Senior TT Races, Ralph Rensen crashed at the 11th Milestone and later died from his injuries.''Daily Express'' page 9 Saturday 17 June 1961

Road improvements

The corner was subjected to road surface repair work and re-profiling during the winter of 2005/2006 by the

Department of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

References

{{Isle of Man Racing Circuits Roads in the Isle of Man Corners of the Isle of Man TT