The historic Rest and Be Thankful hillclimb and rally stage could become the site of a unique and dramatic Scottish motorsport heritage centre – but only if the money can be raised.
It’s a tall order – it’s reckoned the plans will cost between £20 and £25 million to realise – not least because they involve tunnelling into the hillside near the classic hairpin at the top of the Rest and creating an underground centre to display cars and pay tribute to the Scottish motorsport heroes of the past – and present.
The project is the brainchild of Douglas Anderson, the man responsible for the return of the Monte Carlo Rally to Scotland in 2011. His vision is that the centre, set within the picturesque Argyll hillside, will breathe new life into the popular stopping place and bring tourism spend and jobs to local communities as well as acknowledge the Rest as one of the most important motorsport locations in Scotland.
“The location of the proposed building at Rest and Be Thankful, Argyll, has great significance in motorsport terms because of the famous hill climb races,” said Douglas.
“It was seen as the ultimate test for drivers in many ways because of the steepness and conditions and many greats like Jackie Stewart raced there. It is therefore the ideal place to celebrate Scotland’s impressive motorsport heritage.
“The idea is to mark that connection within a permanent exhibition space but the project itself is much more than that. The building will be a multi-use facility which could be used by the local community for film, business and cultural events and there will also be retail and a restaurant area.”
“There will be jobs in the construction phase and full and part-time local jobs when complete.”
The proposed building, nestling within the contours of the mountainside, has been designed by award-winning architects KennedyTwaddle Architectural Design to utilise the stunning vista at the summit of the glen – already a favourite stopping place.
Although the company is based in London, two of the four specialists are Scottish and three of them trained at Duncan of Jordanstone College in Dundee, where one of them is still based, working on among other projects, part of the V&A on the city’s riverfront.
The concept has already been given the backing of F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and multiple Touring Car Champion John Cleland and discussions with officials from Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, VisitScotland, Transport Scotland, MSP’s and local politicians have been positive, with tourism chiefs aware the attraction will bring something unique to the area.
Councillor Aileen Morton, Policy Lead for Tourism: “This is a really innovative idea; a visitor centre taking in the stunning scenery of the Rest and Be Thankful would surely be very popular. The council is supportive of anything which takes advantage of the area’s natural beauty. If Douglas
Anderson’s vision can be realised we would welcome the additional tourists the attraction would bring into the area.”
The glass-fronted building is designed to sit below the car parking and may also provide respite for diverted drivers if the A83 major road succumbs to further landslips.
Architects Chris Twaddle and Gary Kennedy believe the attraction is respectful of the natural beauty of the site.
“We wanted it to be sympathetic to its context but we also wanted to frame the view and accentuate the natural amphitheatre of the valley. It is subtly quiet but exciting, visually,” said Gary Kennedy who has been working on the plans for the past four years.
The biggest challenge now is to bolster support for the project and generate financial backing. If all goes well, the Rest could become an international attraction in five years’ time.
