The Kop Hill Climb

Yesterday I was at the Kop Hill Climb all day. And I'll be there all day today as well. It's a vintage car and motorcycle event that attracts between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors every year. It consists of a large paddock with displays, stalls, live music and hundreds of cars and bikes. And then there's Kop Hill itself. 

Kop Hill is a steep public road near Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire. It starts at the bottom with a 1:6 gradient, which then becomes 1:5 and ends with a short 1:4 at its steepest near the top. The Climb began life in 1910 as a competitive event but, due to an accident involving a spectator, the speed racing element was dropped in 1925 and the RAC then banned all motorsport on public roads. However, the Kop Hill Climb was repurposed as a charity event where the only goal now is to reach the top (something of a challenge for the older cars) and it was allowed, once again to use a public road. It's now the only event of its kind held on a public highways in the UK - although the road is closed to normal traffic for two days. 

I'm one of the main safety marshals for the event and my job is to keep the hill safe. If vehicles break down (and some of the very old vehicles sometimes do) I have to get them off the road ASAP or suspend any other cars coming up the hill until it's safe to do so. Otherwise, my main role is pedestrian and spectator control.

I'm not a petrol head at all but I love seeing all of the really old cars and bikes. What really fascinates me is talking to their owners and hearing how passionate they are about their vehicles. I'm always in awe of people who can make things and mend things. And, with most of the older vehicles, making parts is the only option as you can't just pop into Halfords for spares.

That last photo is of Allen Millyard, who you may know as one of the restorers on the Ch4 show Find it, Fix it, Flog it. The man is a genius of an engineer and that ridiculous stretched bike - The Flying Millyard - is just one example of the sort of thing he can make. The engine is massive.

   

In the years I've been doing the event, I've seen some extraordinary vehicles including a cavalcade of e-type Jaguars, a steam-powered car, and Genevieve - the actual 1904 Darracq12-HP used in the wonderful 1953 British comedy film of the same name.

   

This year featured cavalcades to celebrate anniversaries of the Austin 7 and the Lotus brand.

We raise a lot of money at the event for local Buckinghamshire charities - we're getting close to the million mark - and, in 2021, we were given the Queens Award for Voluntary Service - it's the equivalent of an OBE for an organisation. All of the marshals got a nice pin as the result.

The British love their vintage cars and motorcycles and that passion permeates the event.

I look forward to it every year.

Here's a video of last year's event and another about some of the more powerful vintage racers.