Take A Gravel Shower!

What could be more exciting and thrilling than to be given the opportunity to drive a rally car round circuits of tarmac and loose gravel type surfaces? Nothing, as far as I’m concerned!

This rally driving experience provides the most ardent thrill junkie with some expert training and some real hands on experience. The usual form filling completed it was time to join others in the briefing room to go through some safety information, car handling techniques and some pretty simple dos and don’t s.

I got kitted up and ready to be given a taste of ultimate driving by an experienced instructor, he gunned the throttle and took the car speeding off round the circuit, awesome, he really knew how to handle the car and left it right to the very last minute before braking and taking the corners almost sideways, before taking the car back through the gears. He was a very cool guy, knew what the car could do and took it to the limits. My pulse rate had doubled by the time we flashed past the start line and headed towards the loose surface track, gravel spraying up and the back of the car side winding, it was amazing! I grabbed hold of the side grip as we hurtled towards the beds and corners, drove into them and accelerated away.

My turn, but before they let you lose on the circuits I had to prove that I could handle one these powerful cars, once that was over I waited my turn to climb into the car, this time as the driver. It was fun watching the others putting the cars through their paces, one person seemed to crawl by while others tried very hard to emulate the instructors.

Once I was strapped into the harness, my crash helmet firmly in place, I listened as the instructor quickly went over the tactics and techniques again. I was nervous, sweating and could hear my heart pounding in my ears, the whole anticipation of waiting for the ‘off’ got the adrenaline pumping, it was now or never! I took off, my nerves got the better of me and I made a real hash of things to begin with, the guy was fine about it, he just kept telling me to stay cool and not to try too hard, easy for him to say, this is his job, lucky devil!

This rally driving experience is an absolute must for anyone who loves testing their skills and nerves to the max. Adrenaline and speed junkies should give it ago, I was speechless and exhausted when my circuits had been completed, I would have liked to keep going, especially on the loose surface track, that experience was awesome. The instructor did his utmost to make me test my nerve by telling not to brake to the last minute, which made the car skid through the gravel sideways, kicking up a shower of gravel, the car twitched and snaked but that’s what made it so much fun.

A Dream Fulfilled

One of my life ambitions is to gain a pilots license, so bearing that foremost in my mind I decided to take full advantage of the flying lesson experience day I received and hastily booked my lesson.
I have no fear of heights, therefore to be given the opportunity to take a lesson which enables you to actually take over the controls and count towards a private pilot’s licence was like a dream come true.

On arrival I was directed to an informal seating area and introduced to my instructor, the great advantage is that with this experience I was given one-to-one training and the instructor’s undivided attention throughout. After signing the papers and answering some straightforward questions, the guy talked me through the details and explained some fundamentals of flying. This was my first time at this, I was itching to get going and get in the air.

Once in the plane he showed me the instrument panel and carried on explaining bits and pieces before putting on my headset, this enabled me to listen to him and the control tower as we taxied down the run way, my heart beat increased and my nerves tingled, very quickly we were in the sir and flying!
This was brilliant, the instrument panel showed the altitude we were climbing too and the level of the plane, I’ve seen all of these before on the television and looked at photographs etc. but to see them first hand and working was fantastic. It wasn’t long before I took the controls, following all advice and instruction began to thoroughly enjoy myself, this flying lesson experience certainly lived up and surpassed my expectations. I was astounded that the instructor let me take the controls so quickly, I knew it was dual control so any wrong doings were soon rectified, this guy was extremely patient, it was little wonder that he was an instructor, he was so calm and explained everything in easy to understand language, no technical jargon to try and confuse me!

We flew to a set course and although I was concentrating on the flying aspect there was plenty of opportunity to look outside, somehow the sky seemed much bluer and the clouds whiter than they look from the ground. The feeling of flying a plane is awesome, you check the dials and manoeuvre the plane, taking into consideration the wind speed and the odd air pocket which makes the plane appear to drop a bit, I was in my element.

Sadly the flight was nearly over and the instructor resumed control, I listened to the conversations with the tower, as we began our descent I gazed out feeling pretty pleased with myself, this experience has most definitely confirmed my thoughts and notions of taking up flying and getting my own pilots licence. The enthusiasm of the instructor was catching, my flying lesson experience over we touched down onto the runway and taxied back to the hang area. A dream fulfilled!

Graceful Soaring

Arriving at the airfield the first thing I had to do was get booked in and sign the paperwork, I was then introduced to my instructor gave me a quick chat on what was going to happen before, during and after the flight.

We walked out onto the airfield and up to the glider, which was far bigger than I has envisaged. The glider lent over to one side and was resting on the ground by one of the wings, the instructor told me there were small wheels on the underneath and once the wind got under the wings the glider would automatically straighten itself.

I was a little nervous but more than ready for the challenge. I climbed into the craft and was strapped into my harness by the instructor. Much to my surprise I was sitting in the front of the glider, the instructor climbed in behind me and we closed the canopy. The guy was in radio contact with the tug plane so he said and few things, I wasn’t really listening to what they were saying, far too busy looking at the controls and trying to steady my nerves.

The tug plane started and pulled the glider along the field, the wings levelled and within seconds the glider was in the air, climbing steadily. The glider had dual controls and although I was enjoying looking out I was keeping one eye on the joy stick, watching it move. My glider lesson had begun!

Once we had reached a reasonable height the instructor told the tug plane to release us, after an initial small drop the instructor informed me that we were now gliding and looking for warm air currents to lift us, we would be gliding the warm air thermals, I didn’t know until now that the pilots actually have to search for them.

The only sound was the wind rushing by, the sky was blue and clear, but not very warm so the instructor was having a bit of trouble finding these warm air thermals. This was absolutely brilliant, I could see for miles and was somewhat horrified when the guy told me to look at the change in colour of the sky, he informed me the distinct line of colour change was the pollution from the towns below. This pollution ‘line’ spread itself across the sky in a kind of haze, it certainly made we think of the planet.

We gently and gracefully soared through the air, it was very calming but somewhat apprehensive as the natural air pressures below and above the wings was the only thing keeping us in the air, however, I trusted the instructor, he had years of experience flying gliders so I was in very safe hands. The thrill factor increased when he told me I could take over the joystick and be in control, that was amazing, he talked me through exactly what to do and when, before resuming control, apologising profusely as we had to head back to the airfield that he was unable to find any suitable air currents to enable us to remain airborne any longer.

The landing was a little bumpy however, the glider soon came to a halt and tilted over to rest on its wing. We unlocked and lifted the canopy, I climbed out, with legs a little wobbly I stepped onto the grass and followed the guy back into the airfield’s coffee lounge, we spent a while chatting while he completed the flying logs. I have all intentions of returning for another glider lesson, this one wonderful experience has me hooked!

What A Feeling!

Flying through the sky with the wind rushing past and onto my face, experiencing the most incredible views of the towns and countryside way down below, everything looked so small, the cars reminded me of toys and I was truly astounded by the amount of open land, fields and woodland, the winding snakes of the tarmac roads all joined and intertwined, resembling a huge patchwork.

The microlight lesson began with a briefing from a qualified instructor, he was friendly and not phased by the questions I asked, such as ‘will I wear a parachute?’ I was stunned when said ‘no’, apparently the whole microlight is attached to a parachute, so the entire craft comes down so there is no need to wear a chute. Well that is clever, but what happens if the engine fails? I admit I was a bit nervous but I’m the kind of guy who likes to all the facts before I try anything and I also needed the reassurance that all would be well! In answer to my question, the instructor told me that it was highly unlikely that the engine would fail but should the unexpected happen the microlight becomes a glider and will be landed in the nearest safe place and be picked up by the ground crew.

Okay, I was happy and listened intently to the instructor’s briefing about the controls before putting on a safety helmet and climbing into the microlight, fastening myself securely in place I was ready for take off. The engine started and the craft began moving down the field, it was a bit bumpy but it was only a matter of seconds before we were in the air and climbing. It was breezy and the microlight was buffeted around slightly, but I was too busy looking at the ground below and spotting the landmarks to be bothered by it. We continued to climb to cruising height which was about 1,000 feet, this experience was utterly amazing, the fresh air, cool air and so much to look at! The microlights engine hummed away, it wasn’t that loud nor was it irritating, the tone and pitched varied slightly on take off and landing and that’s about it.

The ultimate part of the lesson for me was when the instructor passed the controls over to me and I took control of the craft. I found the controls easy to operate and loved turning the microlight gently round before he resumed the controls and we started the descent. The landing was also a bit bumpy but I was feeling so elated it was no big deal.

A microlight lesson is fun, providing the opportunity to experience flying in a truly remarkable and memorable way. I highly recommend that anyone who is able to give it a go, its a great experience which although not an extreme sport, is most definitely a brilliant thrill and a fantastic feeling, just remember to wear something warm, it’s surprising how nippy it is when cruising 1,000 feet up in the sky at speeds of about 40 miles per hour.

Let it Rain!

For once I was really pleased that the weather has been pretty lousy this summer, because this made quad biking even muddier and challenging! An extreme sport or just sheer fun, call it what you like but for me the challenge, and yes quad biking is challenging, was to go and spend a couple of hours riding through the woods, taking the quad through muddy puddles and jumping it over hill ridges.

What was really cool was that the instructors made sure you could handle the quad safely before letting you go off and have some real fun. There were some rules that had to be followed, like keeping to the tracks and not trying to do daft things like trying to do jumps that were potentially dangerous, but apart from that they let you go off and drive as fast or as slow as you felt comfortable with. The whole training part provided some very useful tips and hints on how to get the very most out of the quad biking experience.

The track was pretty slippery in places, but with a little caution and some common sense it merely added to the thrills. I was amazed at just how fast the quads can go, they are tough and sturdy machines which for the most part gripped the track really well, I could feel the traction and the slips just enough to keep me concentrating to make sure that I wasn’t going to take this quad or my driving skills lightly. Quads are quite heavy as well, so I had no intention of flipping the thing or falling off!

I loved getting splattered with mud, it added to the excitement especially when going downhill and I could see the puddle at the bottom ready to cover me and the concentration of giving sufficient revs to get the bike hurtling up and over the other side added to the awesome day.

The quads are four-wheeled machines so no worries about getting stuck they could handle all of the different terrains with ease. I belted across a field and although that sounds quite boring I actually liked the cold wind rushing past and being able to take it easy for a bit before driving back into the woods to tackle the rest of the course.

The course had been well thought out, the more comfortable you began to feel in driving and handling the quad the harder the course became, in no way was the course boring or unexciting, there was a new challenge ready every bend and over the brow of every hill.

I can see why quad biking is so addictive, it gets the oxygen and adrenaline pumping through the body, provides testing challenges and in my opinion is down right good fun which can be experienced by guys and girls of virtually any age.

The next time I feel a little bored and what something exciting to do I’m going to come back with a mate and have another quad biking experience, its awesome!

An Extreme Experience Which Has To Be Tried

One scale of one to ten for excitement and exhilaration zorbing has to reach at the very least a ten! Also referred to sphereing the large plastic ball, according to the guy who did the safety briefing, consists of two balls, one inside the other with an air layer in-between to cushion the bumps on the way down the hill.

When my partner and I arrived we were given the chance to watch other people hurtle down the hill inside the sphere at some incredible speeds, they all emerged with silly grins on their faces, so they must have had fun!

This looked like a brilliant ride which does far more the simply roll down a hill very fast! The different weights of the folk inside makes the sphere jump and leave the ground slightly before bumping back on the ground and following the track downhill.

A very comprehensive safety brief was given making sure that we were medically fit and able to ride inside, which also included tips on how to ride the sphere to get the most out of the experience. It all sounded pretty simple, lots of fun and definitely mad! It is described as while one of us does forward rolls the other is doing backward rolls, over and over again.

We were strapped into our harnesses, which were pretty tight fitting but not to uncomfortable, and taken to the top of the hill to wait our turn. The waiting was quite nerve racking and certainly got the adrenaline pumping and my heart racing, no backing out now, to get inside the sphere we had to crawl through a weird tunnel which reminded me of one of those stoppers you find on an air bed but obviously incredibly larger. Once inside the sphere the size of the thing became even more apparent, we were fastened in opposite each other and told to have a great time and enjoy our zorbing experience!

The time seemed to go in slow motion as we waited for the sphere to begin to roll, but once we were away the sphere rolled and bumped its way down the hill, the stories of feeling like you are inside a tumble dryer were definitely true and I was mighty glad we were both securely fastened to the sides of the sphere and I understood why they were so thorough about medical conditions and safety, this ride is definitely not for the faint hearted, those who suffer from claustrophobia or high blood pressure.
The whole experience was over very fast, it took about thirty seconds to get down the hill and although it felt a little disorientating the whole trip was awesome and great fun, we too emerged with silly grins on our faces and somewhat wobbly legs!

A zorbing is well worth trying, it’s exhilaration factor is brilliant and it’s an experience which can be had by people of all ages, just as long they are in reasonable health. Zorbing is one of the new extreme experiences which definitely has to be tried!

You are Never Too Old

Racing a Mini Cooper S has been a dream for quite some considerable years and keeping up with the latest trend of making a list for things you’ d like to do before you die, racing a Mini has at the top of my list. I’m not that old, but old enough to have been the proud owner of a Mini Cooper for quite some years, the old style that is!

Mini Cooper racing has been around for many years but until relatively recently only for the privilege few that had the money to book some track time. However, that has all changed an a Mini Cooper racing experience is now available for anyone who holds a driving licence, can drive a manual transmission and doesn’t have a hearing problem, the reason you need hearing is that this particular event is given by verbal instruction.

I took my beautifully restored Mini and arrived at the racing circuit just before my allocated time slot, just to have a look around and watch others on the track to steady the nerves. The driving instructor was a friendly guy who took me and some others through a safety briefing, as well as giving us an overview of the session and giving us overalls and a crash helmet.

To begin I had a couple of demonstration laps to help to get a feel and layout of the track in a Subaru WRX. This was pretty scary stuff, the guy hammered the car down the straights and left it right to the last minute before braking hard and taking the bends, he certainly knew all the right moves to get the adrenaline flowing and the heart pounding. I tried hard to look relaxed but just couldn’t help letting out the odd shout now and again, I could see him grinning inside his crash helmet, I’m sure he thought I was a stuffy old man, wait until I get in that Mini I’ll show him a thing or two! He explained throughout what he was doing and why, the best racing lines and how to approach and exit each corner.

Then the real fun began as I climbed into the driving seat of a Mini Cooper S, did all the necessary seat and mirror adjustments, old habits die hard! before pulling off on to the track. It was a good job the guy talked to me and reminded me what to do, the Mini handles beautifully and I was really surprised just how fast it cornered. I must admit it felt a bit strange with the guy sitting next to me but he gave me lots of encouragement to go faster and congratulated continually me on my driving skill, this session was a real ‘feel good’ moment in more ways than one.

The four laps soon sped by and reluctantly I climbed out of the car, I then stood and watched other people race around the track before we all got back together in the briefing room to be offered congratulations and handed our Mini driving certificate.

The whole Mini Cooper racing experience was truly wonderful, an experience I will never forget and the first achievement ticked off my ‘to do’ list.

A Whole New Look

Fed up with my hair and really stuck in the doldrums with my make-up colours a day out to freshen both look and to indulge in some pampering, I embarked upon a truly memorable experience and headed off to my pre-booked morning which would hopefully transfer me into the ‘belle of the ball’, not that I was going to ball or any other function, I just felted I deserved some time for ‘me’.

I thought this makeover experience day would just be like going to the hairdressers with the inclusion of having someone do my make-up as well. It was much better than that by far, right from the moment I stepped into the building the staff made me feel very special.

I was introduced to my consultant who explained what was going to happen and the order in which things took place, she was very friendly, full of pleasant chatter, asked lots of questions about my hair, and the type of make-up I usually wore etc. I had the choice of a hair cut or colour and decided that as I liked the style of my hair a colour would give it some lift and bring some life back into it, without wanting to look to ‘changed’ I opted for a subtle mahogany red.

The normal dying techniques, washing, shampooing and conditioning began in earnest and as is normal filter coffee was served while waiting for the dye, what was surprising was that they had a variety of herbal drinks on offer as well which added a nice touch. The hand beauty treatment was similar to a mini manicure without the nail polish, but it was very relaxing and left my hands feeling beautifully soft. With the hair treatment completed I already looked refreshed and left much younger!

The next step was the make-up, this began with a skin refresh and removal of any traces of make-up before applying a moisturising cream and giving a few minutes for it to sink into my skin. The make-up artist was really funny and certainly knew her stuff, no good lying to her she could tell what I did and much to her disdain what I didn’t do to my skin before applying make-up, still I was here to learn and ready to listen to her tips and tricks of the trade, including the all important choosing colours which suited my skin natural skin tone. She expertly applied make-up and chatted throughout, telling me what she was doing and how I could use the same techniques myself at home.

I looked and felt stunning by the time she had finished, afterwards it was time for a photo shoot, this was included in the makeover experience day package. The photographer was a really trendy guy who had me laying on the floor with my head resting on my arms and began clicking away, telling me to look this way and that and to smile not grin! I was pretty nervous, but he knew he’s stuff and with a little coaxing and encouragement he was finally happy with the shots.

The photographs were truly amazing and I could hardly believe that it was really me, I looked like a model! It was difficult deciding which one to have, although they do give you the opportunity to buy the others, they weren’t pushy about it in any way.

I made my selection, was given a beauty tip booklet and a mind full of tips on how to keep the ‘new me’ look. The makeover experience day is an absolute must for anyone who needs to be given a treat and a new lease in life!

Don’t Hold Your Breath!

As I love snorkelling it seemed logical that the next step was to try scuba diving. Being the cautious sort I decided that to give me taste of what was involved and more importantly whether I would actually like it, was to try it out in the safe environment of a swimming pool with a scuba diving experience day.

All I had to take along was my trunks, towel etc. the same gear you take for swimming and a medical certificate, which I easily got from my GP saying that I had no medical conditions which would make scuba diving unsafe, for me to do, all the scuba gear was included and provided by the instructors.

I joined a group of six other guys and girls who were also taking part in this scuba diving experience, like me this was their first time at scuba diving as well, they were just as apprehensive as I was, I wasn’t particularly scared, just a bit unsure of what to expect. They made us all welcome with the usual casual banter before we were gathered together in a room, which reminded me a bit of a school classroom to begin the safety briefing and watching a video. The video was a great way of showing different aspects of scuba diving and the safety involved, for me as it’s useful to actually see what they are talking about to make sure its clear.

Then we headed off to the changing rooms and got into our swimwear before going to get the scuba gear, normal swimming pool type arrangements, with lockers to store your clothes and things. They then issued the gear and once all kitted up and checked over we went to the side of the pool.

The instructor was an okay guy, in fact he was pretty cool and extremely patient with everyone. Once in the water we grouped round to practice mask clearing, that’s how to get rid of water should it get inside the mask and regulator clearing, in simple terms that was getting used to taking the regulator out of your mouth and putting in back in again correctly and like most things the more times I did it the easier it became.

It was really thrilling diving and swimming underwater, relatively easy once I had stopped trying to hold my breath and breathe properly! This was the bit that I personally found most difficult, my brain took a while to register that I did have air and that you don’t have to breathe fast! This was serious stuff but very enjoyable. The instructors tell you what to do and check that you are okay all the time, in fact they watch you very closely all the time.

At the end of the session we all changed and headed back to the classroom to be given our certificates, apparently these can be used towards a PADI Open Water Diver Certificate if anyone one wanted to continue with the scuba training, which I thought was really useful and certainly made a great way to ending the scuba diving experience.

Get in and Have a Go!

Indoor skydiving experience began with a full and fun briefing and instruction session by a great instructor who made everyone feel really welcome, kept the content light and gave some really cool tips and tricks to use. He showed us all some body techniques which he suggested we use when in the tunnel, this included free-fall techniques which are like those used when actually jumping from a plane and free-falling through the sky. The only difference here is that you are not in a plane nor are you free-falling through the sky.

The guy told us some pretty interesting facts about the actual tunnel and how its works, but to be honest I was too busy looking around and watching people in the tunnel, the noise the tunnel produces is incredibly loud and keeping focused on what the guy was saying was difficult, I just wanted to get in there and have a go!

The tunnel is a really powerful wind tunnel which is said to provide a true representation of skydiving. The people I was watching, who were also on an indoor skydiving experience day, certainly appeared to be having a great time, some were quite good and could flip about as well as hoover, what was encouraging was the fact they they all came out smiling.

I was kitted up with all the safety gear and accompanied to the tunnel by the instructor. He stayed inside the tunnel throughout the ‘flights’ to ensure safety, as well as giving hand signals to offer help and suggestions what to do. The noise inside was quite deafening, but I was far too busy trying to remember on what he’d said about free-falling and floating to take any real notice of it. Indoor skydiving it actually much harder than it looks and the minute flights go very quickly, I was exhausted at the end of the first flight.

The instructor then went inside the tunnel on his own and did a bit of ’show boating’, he whizzed about and kept shooting up so high it was difficult to see him before he came flying back down and hoovered effortlessly, I must admit if I was able to do that I’d show everyone as well, it would be great to have the experience to copy him!

The second flight was far better than the first, for one thing I wasn’t nearly as nervous or anxious. I did manage to float about and even managed to to shoot upwards a couple of times.

The actual flying time on this indoor skydiving experience is two flights which last for a minute each, this apparently equates to a total of three actual skydives and although the time did flash by pretty quickly they present you with a DVD of your flight which enables you to re-live your indoor skydiving experience over again, as well as showing mates just what you got up to! This sport is truly addictive, I left trying desperately to work out when and how I could get back to have another go!