Morris Minor Owners Club

You can't drive anywhere that has 'public access' - so that rules out factory land UNLESS you have the owner's permission, AND the gates are closed over to keep the 'public' out. Only hope is farm land - again - a farm road is no use unless a gate is closed behind you - to keep the 'public' out. Many driving skools now have access to closed areas where they take 16 year old learners - phone round and ask them . Our locals use the (horse) racecourse carpark - BUT the gates are closed to keep it private. Unless you know a farmer - it's going to be difficult.

I remember learning in an industrial estate on summer evenings. Twas fine for two or three occasions to learn about the way the car responded to my 'instructions' but beyond that the ONLY way to learn was to get out on the road - simply because, the real skill is safely interracting with other road users and learning to read, anticipate and plan whats going on arround you.

I'm having the same difficulty finding somewhere I can take my daughter to teach her the basics. I'm too tight to stump up over £1000 to insure her and driving lessons are so expensive I'm not very keen to fund those either! When I was a lad, my Dad taught me in car parks after hours but in those days the shops closed at 5.30pm and the car parks were empty. These days they are open late and when they do close, they bar the gates to prevent travellers (not the Morris sort) taking up residence. What we need Andrew is a local disused airfield like they use on Top Gear!

we should start our own campain group stuart k
ive sent a few emails to gaydon motor centre but no reply just yet.
so annoying not being able to find somewhere with permision. ive tryed everywhere
anymore places anyone knows of??????

Ask Haynes museum if you can rent out the track for a few hours - and have all your mates round!
I'll be surprised if someone like 'On Board Training' doesn't have arrangements for off-road driving.

Why noy go upto the shopping mall on Tachbrook Park either early mornings or Sunday afternoons - I guess there will be a quiet area you can find there

nope , anything but quiet - and you'll find a bunch of chav wagons there most weeks too

Clutch control doesn't take long to master in an old car - as you can hear the engine speed and feel when the clutch torque start, you soon pick it up.
I have access to 400m of 'off road' lane, but that's about 6 miles away.

Actually at Gaydon Museum they have sessions where they take you out in a dual control Freelander to learn the basics. May be worth it? Can't find it now but they did sessions for 17s and under in the May bank holiday. Worth ringing and asking.

What about this?

http://www.drivingskool.net/page5.htm

tachbrook park is to risky as the police pratrol for chav mobiles night and day
haynes museum to far, so thats of the list.
all in all no luck
ill keep trying though never give up

Sounds ideal Louise - have you checked it out Andrew ?

How about a beach

Pendine Sands, just think of the history of Parry Thomas' record breaking bid.

Blaketon to elucidate

sounds great, the only problem with some is that you have to share a car between 3 people and you have to pay nearly £100 each. hence i wont to drive me moggy. all thats holding me back is
.finding land thats not to far away
.getting permission with the land owner
.and having to nag and perswade my dad that nothing will go wrong. (me crashing the car)

The benefit of having organised lessons is that you will be taught in a way that will match driving test standards, will be supervised at all times, and are less likely to have an accident. If you did, at least you wouldn't be damaging your own car and your insurance premiums wouldn't go through the roof. This should help to put your dad's mind at rest.

Warwickshire council also ran a week long course for young drivers where you could use your own car but this was in October so you've missed it. What about contacting them to see if they are running any more courses next year?

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/corporat ... 2b0037a329?

When I was ~ 16 - my mate and I accompanied my Dad in our Rover 105S on a long journey to a farm where he was doing the audit. Farm had a nice long private road - and I 'borrowed' the keys ! We roared up and down that unmade drive at crazy speeds - neither of us having really driven more than a few yards before! No harm was done - thankfully.

the problem is it would just be my luck to get court doing it

It was a private road. But as I remember - we were doing ~ 80 mph - on a poorly surfaced single track road!

millerman wrote:How about a beach

Pendine Sands, just think of the history of Parry Thomas' record breaking bid.

Blaketon to elucidate

I have actually driven at reasonable speed on Pendine. At about 55 - 60, the car seems to go through a kind of oscillation (I expect it kicks in at various speeds depending on the car and conditions) and once you get up to 70 or 80, it seems to disappear.

The beach was closed for some record runs involving some pre war MGs, driven by Barry Foster and Mike Hawke. Believe it or not those two old MGs did set some international records that day in September 1992.

I was marshalling and someone spotted a piece of ordinance, from the local firing range, in the sand. When the bomb disposal man arrived, it was my job to drive him out to the said item, which meant driving along the course. I can’t remember what it turned out to be but suffice to say, we were soon underway again.


I like the sound of bmcecosse senior's Rover 105; I rather like the P4 - it's like a gentleman's club on wheels; maybe the easiest car to get in and out of that I've ever been inside.

Blaketon, thanks

How about a beach

I think you should note that he's in Kenilworth. Having been born & bred in Warwickshire, it's a bit short on beaches - unless global warming is really hotting up down there!

Having been born and bred in Solihull - Warwickshire - before they changed the boundaries and called it "west midlands" I'd second that.

Andrew - just remember that even if you do find somewhere quiet to do a bit of "off road driving" and you haven't got insurance if you have an accident (God forbid) and are injured you will not be covered in any way.

This would also affect any insurance cover you took out in the future when you were legally entitled to drive on the road.

We took our 3 to Minor rallies, and waited until the end when all the cars had left. They then did a few circuits of the field with us in the car with them - but always insured!!!!!