Isle of Man 1970s - Mad Sunday

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Graham Smith

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Stolen from another website:

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Old Bill

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Graham, that is definitely the course leading down to the creg na baa, l used to marshall there in the seventies and eighties but cant remember it ever being that jammed. Judging by the number of full face helmets l would guess late seventies or early eighties or even later? As ray says probably not mad sunday, perhaps thursday afternoon practise, hence all the tin boxes? Lovely piece of nostalgia mind, cheers.............
 

BigEd

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When we were regular TT attendees we usually kept off the circuit on Mad Sunday and went somewhere quiet and much safer. There were mostly people who were just enjoying the course, one way only from Ramsey to the Creg and unfortunately a few nutters who thought they were Duke/Bob Mac/Hailwood/Agostini/ Dunlop, etc! (Delete names to match your era.)

I also think that the photograph is probably after Thursday afternoon practice, just after the roads have opened. The traffic was sometimes held on the drop-down from Kate's Cottage to let people out of the Creg Ny Baa backroad that joined the course from the left.
(A bit of trivia. The pub at the Creg has Creg Ny Baa in big letters on the wall. When I first went to the TT it said Keppel Hotel. I don't know when it was changed.)
 

Chris Launders

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What time would afternoon practise end, judging by the shadows from the left banking the sun was very high in the sky, maybe after a morning race ? Of the three bikes where the headlamps are clearly visible two are square/oblong in bikini fairings, so 80s ?
 
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Old Bill

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Eddy, you are bang on, pub had the sign Keppel Gate Hotel on the side up to the late seventies. When l was a visitor in those days my official marshall post was the 26th milestone, now known as joeys, but if we were late for early morning practise we would nip up the creg ny baa back road and marshall at the pub. We later switched to Sarah's Cottage for marshall duties, never late there as we were residents! One way traffic down from the bungalow was common if unofficial paracise in those days and roads were closed from 2pm to 5.30pm from memory. Chris l also noticed those headlights which made me wonder about the eighties or later, l suppose it could also have been a memorial lap, been so many cant remember them all. Good talking point this, cheers Graham......
 

oexing

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But I would not think this photo was from the downhill straight from Kate´s cottage to Creg. On the right side there is some kind of brick gate, left a telephone post or some such. Also the road looks very low deeper than the greenland at the right, not what remember from this place. My guess somewhere else but not Kate-Creg - but then it is many decades since was there last time.
On Google Earth you can switch to Street View, looks not like in the old photo.

Vic
 

Old Bill

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Vic, that is definitely kates cottage to the creg, l have walked it many times, l should also point out that over the last fifty years there have been many changes to the landscape and road/track in that particular sector. Grandstands have come and gone, banks re sculptured and road side furniture added and removed, trust me that's the A18 Keppel Gate to Creg ny baa road looking in a north westerly direction. Believe me if you have stood at Kates cottage at early morning practise with the wind howling between Sileau Ree and Silieau Meayl as often as l did in my youth you would not forget it! Oh and by the by that telephone kiosk is the flag marshalls hut since moved further south. Quocunque Jeceris Stabit.
 
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