Driving up what looks like an almost vertical wall of mud and then across a forty five degree scree slope, slipping sideways all the time, is the kind of thing that gets your heart beating and the adrenalin flowing. It might sound like something out of a spy novel or a thriller movie, but it’s just one of a number of driving experiences you can have in the UK.
Mud, scree, crazy inclines and rutted roads are par for the course if you take a LandRover for an off-road experience. An instructor will talk you through how to get the best out of the vehicle, and apart from the obvious thrills, you’ll get a real sense of achievement from learning how to handle the machine.
Play Bob the Builder and learn to drive a digger or go dumper racing – an experience that’s billed as the ultimate bumper cars race. It’s not as easy as it looks, but never mind – the mistakes are half the fun. Or you could learn how to handle a massive Komatsu excavator, a dump truck or a bulldozer, digging dirt for real!
If you have a burning need for speed you’ll find plenty of tracks that offer you the opportunity to try out supercars. Take a Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari or Lamborghini round a bendy track at speed, and you’ll see why these cars are wasted on the office commute.
You’ll need all your wits about you to clock a good time while not sliding off the track. (You can also race a vintage Mini if you fancy yourself as one of the stars of The Italian Job.)
Get down and dirty with a quad bike experience for something a bit edgier. Woodland courses with flooded lanes, mud everywhere, tight bends and rough slopes will challenge your driving skills as the bike slides and the wheels spin. Remember to take a change of clothes for the way home!
If you’ve ever looked at a huge truck and wondered what it’s like to drive one, you can find out with a truck driving experience. Learn how to handle the big beast with its twelve plus gears and massive horsepower, and how to reverse a 55 foot monster into its parking bay. All truck driving experiences are offered at off-road centres, so there’s no need to upgrade your driving licence.
You can even drive a Chieftain tank on your way to conquer the universe. Weighing in at 55 tons it might not go all that fast but you can’t get the same sense of sheer power anywhere else. As well as tanks, you’ll get the opportunity to drive other vintage battle vehicles.
There’s only one problem with these driving experiences. Whether you go for half an hour in a tank or spend all day bombing down the green lanes on a quad bike, your Ford Mondeo is never going to look quite the same!