In the 1970's I loved taking part in car motor sports; mainly night rally’s and hill climbing. Well today I went to look at a very rugged, steep hill that was part of the Cotswold Clouds Rally.
This involved driving a car around the Cotswold Hills until you reached a certain place where you went off road to try and climb a hill. You got less points the higher you got up it, post marked the points, and then no points if you made it to the top. The winner of the rally was the car that got the least points through the day
Large crowds stood on the side of these hills to egg you on, or to help you reverse down if you stopped. I used to take part in a Ford Escort RS2000 Mk 1, and it was very powerful.
This place is known as The Ladder, not far from my home village, it was very steep with big rocks and steps, but for two years running I made it to the top. Fortunately I have a few trophies in my cabinet.
Before you all think what a clever lady, I have a confession to make. I wasn't driving, I was the navigator and my job was to guide us around the Cotswolds to find the start of these hill climbs using a map, no satnavs in those days. I then had to climb into the back seat of the escort before we started the climb. My job then was to jump up and down to help with the tyre grip.
As you could imagine, with my shape and size I was a very popular lump to jump up and down on the back seat of a car.
Loved these events in my youth , but only as a spectator !! A great shot of the track ! But Ooh !! I would have loved to see your action in the back seat to encourage the car to grip the road ! ha - sorry I am still smiling ! ha !!
Lovely shot here. And the narrative, a delight, as usual.