Bedstead Corner and The Nook, Isle of Man

TT Superbike rider at Bedstead Corner in 2013

Bedstead Corner is a left-hand bend in the direction of the TT course[1][2] located between Signpost Corner and The Nook.

Pedestrian overbridge at Bedstead with Hailwood Avenue junction to right

Situated on the A18 Bemahague Road in the parish of Onchan, Isle of Man, Bedstead Corner follows-on from Signpost Corner in continuing a gentle descent from Snaefell mountain and countryside into the outskirts of Douglas town. Heavily developed with housing and infrastructure in recent years, the area was provided with a footbridge over the TT course in 2011 to safely link St Ninian's school with the nearby Governor's Hill housing area at Hailwood Avenue, a residential side-street named after famous motorcycle rider Mike Hailwood.[3]

The Nook (Middle English: a corner or recess) is situated just off the primary Bemahague Road following Bedstead, at the 37th Milestone road-side marker on the Snaefell Mountain Course. When used during racing, a small side-road junction to the right at The Nook links to a section of old road dubbed Old Bemahague Road connecting with the hairpin bend at Governor's Bridge with Governor's Dip,[4] the course then continuing along the primary A2 Glencrutchery Road to the finish line at the TT Grandstand.

James Hillier entering The Nook side-junction in 2009

The Nook along with the following Governor's Bridge area and road junction with hairpin bends are part of the Snaefell Mountain Course used since 1920 for the Isle of Man TT and from 1923 for the Manx Grand Prix Races. The Nook was part of the Clypse Course for the Isle of Man TT races between 1954 and 1959. It is also part of the Willaston Circuit used for cycle racing, classic car racing and used as part of timed special stage for the Rally Isle of Man.

For the 1954 Isle of Man TT races, the approach to Governor's Bridge bend including The Nook corner on the A18 Bemahauge Road was widened to accommodate the re-introduced Sidecar TT on the Clypse Course.[5]

TT rider in 2009 at The Nook left-hander after the slight-right turn at the 'new' road junction

The Department of Transport announced a proposal to build a new section of road for the Mountain Course with a link road from The Nook to Governor's Bridge using parts of the pre-existing A18 Bemahague Road. This road widening scheme occurred between February and April 2008[6] with the removal of trees on the Bemahague Estate which includes Government House, the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man TT Races and Manx Grand Prix continued to use part of the original A18, which then became known as Old Bemahauge Road used for racing-only, being closed to traffic at all other times, running parallel to the new link road from The Nook to the Governor's Dip area.[4]

Sources

  1. ↑ Motor Cycle 15 June 1967 p.811 Course Map based on the Ordnance Survey, Crown Copyright reserved Accessed 25 June 2015
  2. ↑ Motor Cycle 1 September 1966 pp.90-91 Course Map and aerial views based on the Ordnance Survey, Crown Copyright reserved. "Mountain lap from the air, by staff photogapher Bill Banks Accessed 26 June 2015
  3. ↑ Work starts on new link bridge BBC News, 10 October 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2015
  4. 1 2 Governor's Bridge road scheme gets under way IoM Today, 4 February 2008, Retrieved 11 July 2015
  5. ↑ Isle of Man Examiner page 7 dated 23 June 1954
  6. ↑ Isle of Man Examiner page 5 Isle of Man Newspapers Ltd (2008) Johnson Press Publishing dated 5 February 2008

External links

Coordinates: 54°10′28″N 4°28′07″W / 54.17444°N 4.46861°W / 54.17444; -4.46861


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