Rest and Be Thankful

The Rest and Be Thankful - a memorable and familiar name, is the name for a section of the A83 beyond Arrochar on the road from Loch Lomond to Campbelltown on the Kintyre Peninsula.

Famous or perhaps infamous for the frequent road closures caused by the not infrequent dramatic landslides have blighted this vital road link for many years.

 

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On a good day, with the sun shining, this is a beautiful road. The best way to get to the Cowal Peninsula from Loch Lomond to explore the Argyll Forest section of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.

National Park Gateway Sign

The viewpoint has a car park, with a take-away food van. Nearby you can take the turning to visit Loch Goil; a little further up is the junction for Cowal. Close to the viewpoint is one of the Gateway Signs to the National Park.

Rest and Be Thankful Viewpoint

The Old Military Road

The road replaced the Old Military road that you can see below the new route. This continued to be used after World War Two for racing sports cars. There is a section of the exhibition at Glasgow Riverside Museum dedicated to history. See below the video to see an appeal that they launched for this in 2010.

Dealing with Landslides

Heading from Arrochar, you will see substantial metal nets before you get to the car park. Introduced to catch falling debris during landslides, they have been part of a long term building project to protect the roads. Sadly they have not been effective.

When this guide was first published (August 2020), the road had experienced further landslides, with closures introduced.

The road was first introduced in 1941 and is now used by around 4,000 vehicles each day. Work is underway now to install new barriers and a concrete retaining wall that will help protect the road.

Regular users of the road have been living with the winter risks of landslides, and subsequent closures, 1000 tonnes of debris closed the road in January 2020. However, the significant 6000-tonne landslide last August shows that the road is vulnerable throughout the year.

I am pleased to report that the road is open, and I have used it a few times with only short delays at the temporary lights. 

After road closures, a convoy vehicle system has previously accompanied cars along the Old Military Road whilst road debris is cleared from the main road. The alternative route is a 59-mile diversion through Crianlarich and Inveraray. A Western Ferries car ferry connects Gourock with Dunoon, an ideal way to access the Cowal Peninsula.

Western Ferries - Gourock to Dunoon

Using the Rest and Be Thankful

If you plan to use the Rest and Be Thankful, I highly recommend checking the Traffic Scotland website in advance. That has live traffic information and will display any notifications of closures or restrictions to this and other vital roads in Scotland.

This latest landslide has once again raised the question of a long-term solution to the problem. A tunnel, bridge or alternative road layout will be expensive. Still, it will help support the local tourism businesses and residents who rely on access along the Rest and Be Thankful.

Thanks for reading

Words and photography by Paul Saunders. Visit Paul’s Marketing and Photography websites for details of his services in Scotland.

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