public tracks

[Craig.]

hey guys, just wondering if anyone knows of any good sites that list some public test tracks or abandoned airfields in the UK i have looked everywhere and cant seem to find anything on this. i would like to get some decent driving practise in as here its nothing but stop start stop start avoiding cars parked on the side of the road.
cheers guys

[Fozzer]

Hi Craig... ...!
You are obviously more into airfield drag-racing than sensible driving instruction and observing the Highway Code, like a good citizen should.... ...!

Brmmmm....Brmmmm.... ...!

LOL...LOL...LOL...!

Cheers me 'ol mate... ...!
Paul.
(England).

[Hagar]

Craig. There must be plenty of disused ex-RAF/FAA airfields in your area. I would think you could find all the information you need on a local Ordnance Survey map. Either purchase one or the local library should have something.

All driving instructors will have selected quieter roads where you can practice things like parking & 3-point turns. Unless you're going in for off-road driving or racing it might be best to learn to cope with everyday traffic. This is what driving is like these days. Things ain't going to get any better.

[Craig.]

thanks guys:) seriously though even the basics of driving are almost impossible where i live you cant move more than 10 feet forward before having to pull in to let others by and its like that everywhere, i am looking for the airfields to just get used to the whole forward motion of driving changing gears properly that sort of thing.
thanks again guys:)

[ozzy72]

Hi Craig, well like Hagar said OS maps are a good start, also try contacting any local motor clubs, they're bound to know of some , look in the Yellow Pages or phone directory.
I have to say I spent most weekends (with my dad in his big bad Renault) while I was learning to drive up at an old airfield near us and I found it really helped me to learn smooth gear changes, and accurately predicting corners, and my emergency stops were spot on I also lost my worries about speed and once I hit the roads with a driving instructor I made much more rapid progress and quickly passed my test. Still had a lot to learn though, some of it the hard way

Good luck
Mark

[Hagar]

I learned to drive on the perimeter track at Shoreham Airport. Some kind flying club members even let me loose on their Jags.
The peri track was classed as a private road & I didn't need a licence or L-plates. Not sure if this is the case now or what would happen about insurance if I had hit someone.

[Fozzer]

I have generally found that every square inch of land in England is private, and owned by some-one or other,
and if found "tresassing" on it, especially with a vehicle,

[Craig.]

cheers again guys:) the only car i can get insurance on right now is my dads, and since i only see he him once a week its rather less practise than i need, my mums probe which is what i want to get my hands on, nobody will insure me on untill i have my license. which we both were surprised at, would have payed whatever cost upto

[Hagar]

got my eye on a 2004 dodge intrepid but they are only automatics so i would have to pay out and have the transmission changed over to manual

I've heard of people paying extra for automatic transmission but never the reverse. Learn how to drive a manual by all means before changing over. My auto takes all the stress out of driving, especially in the stop-go traffic conditions you were talking about. I would never go back to a manual gearbox.

[Craig.]

def learning on a manual cant afford to learn in automatic, i just like the added flexibility a manual gives you, although auto is def better in the stop start world these days. me and my dad went out for a test drive in an automatic rover and it just didnt have any power to it.