One of my offspring is now 14 and fancies having a serious go at learning to drive (legally!).
When I was a youngster you could have a go in a supermarket carpark on a Sunday. They're all open 24/7 now though!
Any ideas of where I could take him in the Midlands? (Warwicks, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbys).
Ideally an unused airfield would be the place. Don't want one of those 'driving experiences' - £100 for 30mins behind the wheel!
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i know the very place near oakham in rutland, but i cant post it here as it will become overrun and the privilage will go. mail me if you want to know where it is.......ldarborcare@hotmail.com
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A driver's licence is I believe not required on private land, so try a local farmer. Insurance might be a problem.
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I taught both my youngsters before they were 17 on a quiet industrial estate after working hours in the Summer and on Sundays without any problems and pleased to say that both passed their tests first time.
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Just something to be aware of, I think it's illegal to drive on common land*. Not sure if an industrial estate would be classed as this but a well known beach sort of place called Fresh Fields in Southport is.
Of course - as to whether any trouble is going to be caused by a father teaching his son on a deserted industrial estate is deemed worthy of police time is another question. I suspect they'd chase your mini-motos and the like with more vigour.
*As you may have guessed, I'm no authority on this so couldn't give you any definition on what common land actually is. RF is hovering around tonight so in between insulting me and posting some useful topics, he might know ;-)
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Adam
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Driving on a car supermaket car park or an industrial estate is not legal and you and the driver could be charge under the road traffoc act. As you are the licence holder and 'instructing' you will be deemed responsible and will be charged. are you anywhere near Fradly Air field it's where Dunlops test track used to be many years ago. Regards Peter
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Private land to which the public does NOT have a right of access should be OK, with the owners' permission. (So NOT supernmarket car parks, green lanes or the M6 toll motorway!)
Cheers, SS
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Silverstone do courses last time I looked too.
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My Dad taught me to drive when underage on Forestry Commission "roads" - gravel surfaces. There were hundreds of miles of them in N.Yorks near where we lived. There was an old deserted army camp also with lots of proper roads. Not sure whether it was legal though. I took my kids to a small industrial estate built on an old airfield - again not sure how legal - Wymeswold, nr Loughborough - only small though, but deserted in the evenings.
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I learnt to drive as a kid in a Massey Ferguson 55 tractor on our friends farm. As I remember, the fields were smoother than my local roads are now!
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\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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There's a place at Daventry, with instruction.
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There's a place at Daventry, with instruction.
Do you any more details on this please (e.g. weblink etc.). Thanks.
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IMO the problem with one quite so young is that once they know what they are doing, the off-road experience will not be sufficiently challenging and they will be itching to get out onto the roads, brimful of confidence too. I've starting taking my 16yo (17 in April) to disused army barracks in the past couple of months and she's already thinking she knows it all...
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My father took me to our local cemetary which had a network of tarmac roadways laid through it (in better condtion than many of the local A roads) there was also a large carpark at the crematorium which always seemed to be empty.
Regarding legality I'm not sure - probably wasn't as the council own the cemetary.
We also used the gravel hockey pitches at my old high school to let me get a feel for how to handle the motor when it all started to get a bit sideways. Was great fun and in my opinion useful. I'm sure my school fees were sufficient to have the tractor re-rake the gravel when we were done! Although as above as tresspassers we were probably liable for prosecution if caught.
First lesson with a qualified instructor he took me through the city centre just as rush hour was getting underway, that put my off-road-rehearsed abilities into perspective and focussed my attention.
Definately think it is worth teaching your kids at a resaonable age if they are interested for the 'right' reasons. I have always held the view that instructors will teach you to drive but do not teach you how to handle a car - I think most will agree there is a difference.
Driving has been an interest since I was a kid, I recall borrowing a textbook from my local library which had something to do with police driver training. I was about 16 at the time but had the highway code learned inside out and wanted some additional reading.
Leon
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Unless you own the land, or you have permission from the person who does, and the land is *not* open to the general public (i.e not a supermarket car park), then you can assume that it is not legal.
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I think this outfit might fit the bill:
www.drivingambition.info/index.html
They're based at Turweston Aerodrome, between Banbury and Northampton, and seem to offer what you're after!
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I think this outfit might fit the bill: www.drivingambition.info/index.html They're based at Turweston Aerodrome, between Banbury and Northampton, and seem to offer what you're after!
Many thanks. That seems to be spot-on for us. I will get in touch with them.
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Interestingly, my wife's relatives who have some land, run a couple of quad bikes on it.
The two boys have the run of the land they own, plus with permission from the neigbouring landowner (depending on what is in his fields) they can use them there as well. They have about 2 achres immediately next to their house but the quad bikes are generally confined to a small field, about 0.3 of an acre.
They are not as big or as fast as cars, but they do I suppose build in awareness of driving or motorbiking to underage teenagers.
Personally I think it's a brilliant idea and would heartily recommend they got an MOT failed but safe to drive mini 4wd (it would have to be for the field, a car would get stuck). This would give them the real driving experience.
Hugo
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This company run several young driver schemes around the midlands including Donington park, Lutterworth and Worcester
I belive they charge around 35 an hour and use professional driving instructors.
Edited by Avant on 03/12/2013 at 00:15
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A rather better attempt at spam than in the other thread.
It's still spam.
(Yes - he's discovered the stop key. Link still deleted.)
Edited by Avant on 03/12/2013 at 00:16
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I know it's not in the right area for you, OP, but my brother took both his daughters here when they were well under 17.
drivecardrome.com/
Might be of interest to people who live a bit nearer.
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The OP was around eight years ago and from a member who (regretably given his extensive knowledge) stopped posting here.
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