South-east supercar owners, how do you use your car?

[RSbandit]

There are noise limits and my car is too loud at full chat so you have to short shift near the sensors, I know where they are so not a massive inconvenience.

[Cheib]

TurboSHerts said:

Cheib said:

I feel your pain OP, used to live in NW3 for the best part of 20 years so very familiar with the travails of owning “something nice” in London. I gave up trying to own a sports car about 7 or 8 years before we moved out in 2015. had kids etc by then so it was also difficult finding the time for trips to sue cars.

Now live in Bucks about 10 miles outside the M25 and grew up in Essex just outside the M25. There are decent roads around and whilst you may not say be able to drive for an hour continuously on epic roads there are plenty of decent driving roads in the countryside with good lines of sight and changes in elevation etc. I think I know the roads you’re talking about to the North/West of Bedford...they’re used by Evo and others for road testing cars....I’ve actually done some instruction on them with an ARDS instructor combined with a half day at Milbrook.

I am on the Herts/Bucks border and still searching for the best routes for an early morning drive ... can you share a few of the favourites ... i have committed to using my car more over the next 12m - track days, morning drives and just using it and not protecting it too much !

Thanks

We must be relatively close then. As the previous posted said the roads around Kimbolton are great but they’re about an hour away. There are some decent roads if you stay East of Aylesbury and West of MK in the area around Mentmore/Wing/Cublinton...even in the Chiilterns despite it being busier there’s roads like Aston Hill which is an old hill climb track....made famous by Mr Martin winning races on it and naming his car company after his success There’s also some decent roads in the countryside around Thame and Princes Risborough.

[Cheib]

px1980 said:

I did a course very similar to the other poster, possibly even with the same instructor. Some time at Millbrook and some on roads north of Bedford. B660 between Kimbolton and Glatton is good.

Nick Arnold ? I’ve got another day booked up with him.

[px1980]

Cheib said:

Nick Arnold ? I’ve got another day booked up with him.

No, mine was https://www.total-car-control.co.uk/ actually

[TurboSHerts]

Cheib said:

We must be relatively close then. As the previous posted said the roads around Kimbolton are great but they’re about an hour away. There are some decent roads if you stay East of Aylesbury and West of MK in the area around Mentmore/Wing/Cublinton...even in the Chiilterns despite it being busier there’s roads like Aston Hill which is an old hill climb track....made famous by Mr Martin winning races on it and naming his car company after his success There’s also some decent roads in the countryside around Thame and Princes Risborough.

Perfect thanks - I will get exploring - I may get you to send me a few specifIc routes ... I spend a lot of time in the Chilterns on my cycle so know that relatively well ... I am in Chorleywood.

Currently have an AM DBSS so Aston Hill will be a must before I change it !

[Cheib]

TurboSHerts said:

Cheib said:

We must be relatively close then. As the previous posted said the roads around Kimbolton are great but they’re about an hour away. There are some decent roads if you stay East of Aylesbury and West of MK in the area around Mentmore/Wing/Cublinton...even in the Chiilterns despite it being busier there’s roads like Aston Hill which is an old hill climb track....made famous by Mr Martin winning races on it and naming his car company after his success There’s also some decent roads in the countryside around Thame and Princes Risborough.

Perfect thanks - I will get exploring - I may get you to send me a few specifIc routes ... I spend a lot of time in the Chilterns on my cycle so know that relatively well ... I am in Chorleywood.

Currently have an AM DBSS so Aston Hill will be a must before I change it !

Ha definitely will be then ! There’s a Mounttan Bike park at the top of the hill on the left....in the field next to it there’s a stone plinth with something about Mr Martin’s exploits on it. I live in one fo the villages just north of Amersham so not far away at all.

[Raven Flyer]

I live is Essex. There are plenty of roads/routes where you can have an absolute blast in a supercar... but I'll be damned if I'm posting them up on a public forum.

Then there is Wales. I was there in August, in my supercar and it was magical... but life for me is in Essex and work is in London.

[px1980]

Bispal said:

I Have 2 supercars and an MX5 and live in South London.

It requires a bit of dedication, I get up on a Sunday at 5am from May-September, meet some like minded mates and we usually set off around 6am for a 2 hour drive ending up at Goodwood or somewhere interesting (Fuel / C&M) for breakfast. The roads are deserted and its massive fun. Even on a Sunday by 8am the roads are starting to get busy. If you are really dedicated 5am in the summer midweek is just as quiet and so much fun, need to be finished by 7am though.

Raven Flyer said:

I live is Essex. There are plenty of roads/routes where you can have an absolute blast in a supercar... but I'll be damned if I'm posting them up on a public forum.

Then there is Wales. I was there in August, in my supercar and it was magical... but life for me is in Essex and work is in London.

I've driven on a number of roads in Essex and found them quite busy. I think the "secret" might be in the timings - I'm not exactly a morning person, and I typically go out for a drive around 10:00 or so. A very busy time, obviously. So I guess my choices are, live closer to Wales, or get used to early wake-ups;)

[Bispal]

px1980 said:

Bispal said:

I Have 2 supercars and an MX5 and live in South London.

It requires a bit of dedication, I get up on a Sunday at 5am from May-September, meet some like minded mates and we usually set off around 6am for a 2 hour drive ending up at Goodwood or somewhere interesting (Fuel / C&M) for breakfast. The roads are deserted and its massive fun. Even on a Sunday by 8am the roads are starting to get busy. If you are really dedicated 5am in the summer midweek is just as quiet and so much fun, need to be finished by 7am though.

Raven Flyer said:

I live is Essex. There are plenty of roads/routes where you can have an absolute blast in a supercar... but I'll be damned if I'm posting them up on a public forum.

Then there is Wales. I was there in August, in my supercar and it was magical... but life for me is in Essex and work is in London.

I've driven on a number of roads in Essex and found them quite busy. I think the "secret" might be in the timings - I'm not exactly a morning person, and I typically go out for a drive around 10:00 or so. A very busy time, obviously. So I guess my choices are, live closer to Wales, or get used to early wake-ups;)

I have mates that leave London at 3am on a Sunday to get to Wales for 6am to get 3 hours in and than back home for lunch! If you want to drive a super car / sports car and enjoy it to its near full potential on quiet and safe roads there is no choice. Even if you live in Wales / Yorkshire Dales / Nothumberland / Highlands you have to be up early to beat the caravaners and cyclists! And the cyclists are starting to get up early to for better roads. You only get out of life what you put into it. Driving mid morning anywhere near civilisation you will be very lucky not to get stuck in traffic.

[px1980]

Bispal said:

I have mates that leave London at 3am on a Sunday to get to Wales for 6am to get 3 hours in and than back home for lunch! If you want to drive a super car / sports car and enjoy it to its near full potential on quiet and safe roads there is no choice. Even if you live in Wales / Yorkshire Dales / Nothumberland / Highlands you have to be up early to beat the caravaners and cyclists! And the cyclists are starting to get up early to for better roads. You only get out of life what you put into it. Driving mid morning anywhere near civilisation you will be very lucky not to get stuck in traffic.

In my 20's I used to do a fair amount of alpinism/mountaineering. I loved it but was always put off by the super-early 3am wake-ups. I naively assumed that driving fast cars is a hobby more suited to middle-aged, lie-in-on-Sunday lifestyle;)

[Bispal]

px1980 said:

Bispal said:

I have mates that leave London at 3am on a Sunday to get to Wales for 6am to get 3 hours in and than back home for lunch! If you want to drive a super car / sports car and enjoy it to its near full potential on quiet and safe roads there is no choice. Even if you live in Wales / Yorkshire Dales / Nothumberland / Highlands you have to be up early to beat the caravaners and cyclists! And the cyclists are starting to get up early to for better roads. You only get out of life what you put into it. Driving mid morning anywhere near civilisation you will be very lucky not to get stuck in traffic.

In my 20's I used to do a fair amount of alpinism/mountaineering. I loved it but was always put off by the super-early 3am wake-ups. I naively assumed that driving fast cars is a hobby more suited to middle-aged, lie-in-on-Sunday lifestyle;)

Depends If you want to be seen arriving at Cliveden House for Sunday lunch in your supercar or Goodwood control tower at 8am for a bacon butty after a 2 hour drive. There are definitely 2 types of supercar owner, those who want to be seen and those who want to drive......Not saying one is right and the other is wrong but one requires some will power to go to bed early on a saturday night with no boozing and the other requires no will power but you won't be getting to give your car a good thrashing even if you do get a great Yorkshire pudding.....

[px1980]

Bispal said:

Depends If you want to be seen arriving at Cliveden House for Sunday lunch in your supercar or Goodwood control tower at 8am for a bacon butty after a 2 hour drive. There are definitely 2 types of supercar owner, those who want to be seen and those who want to drive......Not saying one is right and the other is wrong but one requires some will power to go to bed early on a saturday night with no boozing and the other requires no will power but you won't be getting to give your car a good thrashing even if you do get a great Yorkshire pudding.....

TBH I couldn’t care less what car I’m seen in. It’s all about the enjoyment of driving for me.
Sounds like I just need to get used to earlier wakeups...

[Mattjevans]

Cheib said:

We must be relatively close then. As the previous posted said the roads around Kimbolton are great but they’re about an hour away. There are some decent roads if you stay East of Aylesbury and West of MK in the area around Mentmore/Wing/Cublinton...even in the Chiilterns despite it being busier there’s roads like Aston Hill which is an old hill climb track....made famous by Mr Martin winning races on it and naming his car company after his success There’s also some decent roads in the countryside around Thame and Princes Risborough.

I’m just outside Tring - mate of mine has a farm at Dancers End which I think has the old hill climb track. I keep telling him to get an event going again.

[Cheib]

Mattjevans said:

Cheib said:

We must be relatively close then. As the previous posted said the roads around Kimbolton are great but they’re about an hour away. There are some decent roads if you stay East of Aylesbury and West of MK in the area around Mentmore/Wing/Cublinton...even in the Chiilterns despite it being busier there’s roads like Aston Hill which is an old hill climb track....made famous by Mr Martin winning races on it and naming his car company after his success There’s also some decent roads in the countryside around Thame and Princes Risborough.

I’m just outside Tring - mate of mine has a farm at Dancers End which I think has the old hill climb track. I keep telling him to get an event going again.

There must have been quite a few in the area. There’s Kop Hill Climb the other side of Great Missenden which still runs every year. My kids go to a school called Westbrook Hay which is near Berkhamsted/Hemel which has a long driveway which used to be a hillclimb in the 50’s and 60’s. Outside school run times Quite enjoy driving up it sometimes

https://youtu.be/Vbfa-0zWSA8

[Mattjevans]

Cheib said:

There must have been quite a few in the area. There’s Kop Hill Climb the other side of Great Missenden which still runs every year. My kids go to a school called Westbrook Hay which is near Berkhamsted/Hemel which has a long driveway which used to be a hillclimb in the 50’s and 60’s. Outside school run times Quite enjoy driving up it sometimes

https://youtu.be/Vbfa-0zWSA8

I know the school well, I used to live in Berko and my kids went to Lockers Park

[Bispal]

px1980 said:

Bispal said:

Depends If you want to be seen arriving at Cliveden House for Sunday lunch in your supercar or Goodwood control tower at 8am for a bacon butty after a 2 hour drive. There are definitely 2 types of supercar owner, those who want to be seen and those who want to drive......Not saying one is right and the other is wrong but one requires some will power to go to bed early on a saturday night with no boozing and the other requires no will power but you won't be getting to give your car a good thrashing even if you do get a great Yorkshire pudding.....

TBH I couldn’t care less what car I’m seen in. It’s all about the enjoyment of driving for me.
Sounds like I just need to get used to earlier wakeups...

Good man :-) Look forward to crossing paths at 6am one sunny sunday in the future

[priley]

I'm lucky enough to be in Essex and regularly use the roads around North Essex that the OP mentions. In my experience the best time is weekday mornings, post rush 'hour' and school run times (summer evenings tend to be pretty special too). On several occasions I've encountered literally no other cars going in my direction and the whole drive turns into a kind of surreal personal playstation type experience. Bliss!

[petjam]

Same here, north Essex and out to Burnham is my favourite run.

As you say quite often i'm the only car. I tend to do weekends leaving at around 7:30.

[Northernboy]

I've a home in the North East, and am wondering whether to stick my fast car up there, where therye are better and emptier roads on the dorstep than we have here.

The downside is that I'll not get to use it as much, and it'll make European trips far less likely, although with little children, they are hardly going to be a common occurrence anyway.