Rest and Be Thankful Hill Climb is a disused
hillclimbing
Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the firs ...
course in
Glen Croe
Glen Croe () is a glen in the heart of the Arrochar Alps in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The glen is surrounded by large and rugged mountains characterised by huge boulders. The Croe Water flows through the glen and into Loch Long.
Geography
...
, on the
Cowal Peninsula, in
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...
, west of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The first known use of the road for a hillclimb was in 1906. The event used to count towards the
British Hill Climb Championship
The British Hillclimb Championship (BHC) is the most prestigious hillclimbing championship in Great Britain. The British Hill Climb Championship was held every year from 1947 to 2019, and resumed in 2021. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the ...
. It is named for the Rest and be thankful, a steep incline, on a section of the old military road in Glen Croe, leading to the pass into
Glen Kinglas
Glen Kinglas is a glen located on the Cowal, Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. The glen is one of the main glens in the Arrochar Alps, the A83 road from Arrochar, Argyll, Arrochar and Loch Lomond passes through the glen. At ...
.
Descriptions
In 1952 ''Motor Sport'' described the course: "The three danger spots on this course which is long, and rises over , are Stone Bridge, Cobblers Corner and the hairpin bend at the finish and of course there is always the occasional sheep that has to be driven off the road."
On 1 July 1961
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young "Jackie" Stewart (born 11 June 1939) is a British former racing driver, sports broadcasting, broadcaster and motorsport executive from Scotland, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Flying Scottish people, Scot" ...
drove a Ford 105E-engined
Marcos
Marcos may refer to:
People with the given name ''Marcos''
*Marcos (given name)
* Marcos family
Sports
;Surnamed
* Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century)
* Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer
* Né ...
at an event here. He said: "it's a special place for me, the cradle of my life in motor racing."
In 1970 ''Motor'' wrote:
"The Rest, the famous Scottish Rest and Be Thankful Hill climb, will be used for the last time this year. Like many long established venues, time has overtaken it from the safety angle. A lot of money needs to be spent on barriers and banks and the Royal Scottish Automobile Club who run the National Open Hill Climb there say it will cost far too much; so this year it will only be used by clubs for restricted events and then no more."[''Motor'', 20 June 1970, Page 58.]
The venue has also been used for rally special stages and classic car events. The "Friends of the Rest" are working to revive the course (2009).
In September 2018 a project to establish a Scottish Motorsport Heritage Centre at the Rest and Be Thankful was granted official charitable status.
Rest and Be Thankful Hill Climb past winners
Key: R = Course Record.
See also
*
Bo'ness Hill Climb
*
Doune Hillclimb
*
Fintray Hillclimb
*
Forrestburn Hillclimb
Footnotes
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Hillclimbs
Motorsport in Scotland
1906 establishments in Scotland
Recurring sporting events established in 1906
Sport in Argyll and Bute
Defunct motorsport venues in Scotland
Defunct sports competitions
category:Cowal