Detour #178: The Jim Clark Trail, Scotland, UK
The Jim Clark Memorial clock in Chirnside - we hope it’s set to run fast
Jim Clark was the greatest Formula 1 driver of his generation and if you want to find out why then you’ll need to follow in his wheeltracks.
Fortunately the curators of the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum have devised a driving route which allows you to do just that. Not only does it provide a fascinating insight into Scotland’s first Formula 1 World Champion, it will also steer you through the narrow lanes that helped Clark hone his remarkable skills.
The museum is the official starting point, a chance to absorb Clark’s story and his passion for the Borders and the family farm which never left him, even as he lived the jet-set lifestyle that came with Grand Prix success.
Duns is the biggest town in the area, but the village of Churnside is where Clark grew up. The short drive along the A6105 passes through farmland and one can imagine Clark himself speeding down here in his Lotus Elan or Lotus Cortina before arriving in Churnside where his achievements are celebrated with a memorial clock in the village centre featuring a bronze portrait of Jimmy and a depiction of his famous Lotus 25.
Take a stroll through the churchyard of Chirnside Parish Church and you’ll find Clark’s resting place, still adorned with daily fresh flowers over 50 years since his untimely death. It’s here that Clark’s connection to his home is most clear, for the first word on his gravestone is “farmer” not “driver.”
It was at Edington Mains where Clark learned to drive: first tractors and then his father’s old Alvis. It’s still a working farm today, given over to grain and chickens, but current owner David Runciman welcomes Clark fans who find the turning off the main road to Berwick Upon Tweed.
When Clark finally got his driving licence he joined the Berwick and District Motor Club and took part in autotests and trials at the former RAF bases of Winfield and Charterhall.
So after a Detour to explore Berwick’s three stunning bridges and Elizabethan fortifications, it’s back on the trail, taking the B6461 along the England/Scotland border to Scotland’s first motor racing circuit. After World War II Winfield’s long runways and sharp corners were taken over by local petrolheads and the young Clark would watch in awe. Today it’s a farm, but there’s a public road that links it with the B6461 which goes right across the crumbling runway upon which Clark would land his private plane at the height of his success.
The final stop is Charterhall, and it’s perhaps the most significant, for on October 5 1957 Clark took his first win, snagging the Border Motor Racing Club Trophy and ultimately setting his course for two Formula One World Championships, two Tasman Series Championships, the British Touring Car Championship and victory at the Indy 500.
Clark was the consummate driver, able to turn his had to anything with a steering wheel, be that a tractor, a single-seater or a rally car. His was a natural talent, but the fabulous roads on which he spent his formative years must have helped.