Safe place to teach our daughter to drive

[tim1830]

hu guys,

my daughter is just 17(sorry no pics), and we've just started driving.

I live near Ely, Cambridgeshire, and looking for that perfect place to teach her.

There is a factory estate in Witchford, perfect long 30mph roads, T junctions, big loop, but gated, and not 100% sure if it's private.
they do have a sec guard and little hut(i'm thinking if i just drive on, they don't stop you, just keep out of the way it might be ok, worst case they ask us to stop)
The gates were open as i drove round for a look, but worried if i ask for permission they will just say no.


Any one in the CB7 area, know a good place for the 1st lessons. Just want to keep her off the main roads for a few more practices

thanks
Tim

[Dave Hedgehog]

tim1830 said:

my daughter is just 17(sorry no pics),

lol, you know the interent so well

[Fishlegs]

I learned on farm roads. If you're near anywhere rural, find a friendly local farmer with roads that go nowhere except through their farm estate, and give him a bottle of something nice and promise you won't get in the way of tractors and things.

[tim1830]

Dave Hedgehog said:

lol, you know the interent so well

although i'm a new poster, i have been reading Piston heads for a few years lol

[tim1830]

Fishlegs said:

I learned on farm roads. If you're near anywhere rural, find a friendly local farmer with roads that go nowhere except through their farm estate, and give him a bottle of something nice and promise you won't get in the way of tractors and things.

thanks, and we have a lot of rural roads and farms.

Ideally i'm looking for the unicorn of factory estates, loops, t junctions, car parks and little traffic.

We've been out twice, she can pull away, change up gear, stop well, but just needs a little more practice before she meets the public

[Krikkit]

I'd just head to your local big business park or similar after 6pm - most of them are pretty much deserted by then, and as long as you have L-plates nice and clear they shouldn't cause you any trouble.

[tim1830]

Krikkit said:

I'd just head to your local big business park or similar after 6pm - most of them are pretty much deserted by then, and as long as you have L-plates nice and clear they shouldn't cause you any trouble.

that's what i'm thinking, unfortunately, we are a little in the sticks.

I had a look at Cambridgr, theres a perfect set up in Cambridge Science park, but for a 3rd drive, might be a little to busy, but then again with light nights we could go late, and still be able to get an hour or so in

[MDMA .]

tim1830 said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

lol, you know the interent so well

although i'm a new poster, i have been reading Piston heads for a few years lol

Well you should know that everyone learned to drive in the grounds of their country pad. Peasant

[tim1830]

MDMA . said:

Well you should know that everyone learned to drive in the grounds of their country pad. Peasant

Sorry, i should have mentiond that staff aren't allowed to talk to us, it's just not the done thing, and the drive to the estate is being cleaned, i do like a clean marble drive.

I was going to get her a Lambo to learn in, but i've heard the 335d mapped is far superior?

[Pixelpeep Z4]

tim1830 said:

hu guys,

my daughter is just 17(sorry no pics), and we've just started driving.

I live near Ely, Cambridgeshire, and looking for that perfect place to teach her.

There is a factory estate in Witchford, perfect long 30mph roads, T junctions, big loop, but gated, and not 100% sure if it's private.
they do have a sec guard and little hut(i'm thinking if i just drive on, they don't stop you, just keep out of the way it might be ok, worst case they ask us to stop)
The gates were open as i drove round for a look, but worried if i ask for permission they will just say no.


Any one in the CB7 area, know a good place for the 1st lessons. Just want to keep her off the main roads for a few more practices

thanks
Tim

Not sure i'm gonna be much help, but i also live in CB7 and the other half wanted some time in the Z4 as she'd only been used to her electric e-niro.

We started off at the shade school (soham) on a quiet Sunday, there's a little cut out there where we swapped over and she practiced driving up to the M&S roundabout and back again, a few times, to get used to the controls, width etc.. then we ventured to Ely along the A142 towards Ely, over the new flyover, round the roundabout and back the same way, ending up in the little cut out by the shade again.

the M&S there has a nice hot food counter so as a 'debrief' after a few journeys it makes a nice restbyte.

not sure that'd be quiet enough for a complete novice, but we found it great.

[tim1830]

Pixelpeep Z4 said:

Not sure i'm gonna be much help, but i also live in CB7 and the other half wanted some time in the Z4 as she'd only been used to her electric e-niro.

We started off at the shade school (soham) on a quiet Sunday, there's a little cut out there where we swapped over and she practiced driving up to the M&S roundabout and back again, a few times, to get used to the controls, width etc.. then we ventured to Ely along the A142 towards Ely, over the new flyover, round the roundabout and back the same way, ending up in the little cut out by the shade again.

the M&S there has a nice hot food counter so as a 'debrief' after a few journeys it makes a nice restbyte.

not sure that'd be quiet enough for a complete novice, but we found it great.

thanks pixelpeep, I'm in Fordham, so know the road well.

my daughter is a few lessons away from that, but that would be the routes i would use later.

We used the Ely factory estate, by tescos, which was a great start, but it's just a little to small now.

[Pixelpeep Z4]

tim1830 said:

Pixelpeep Z4 said:

Not sure i'm gonna be much help, but i also live in CB7 and the other half wanted some time in the Z4 as she'd only been used to her electric e-niro.

We started off at the shade school (soham) on a quiet Sunday, there's a little cut out there where we swapped over and she practiced driving up to the M&S roundabout and back again, a few times, to get used to the controls, width etc.. then we ventured to Ely along the A142 towards Ely, over the new flyover, round the roundabout and back the same way, ending up in the little cut out by the shade again.

the M&S there has a nice hot food counter so as a 'debrief' after a few journeys it makes a nice restbyte.

not sure that'd be quiet enough for a complete novice, but we found it great.

thanks pixelpeep, I'm in Fordham, so know the road well.

my daughter is a few lessons away from that, but that would be the routes i would use later.

We used the Ely factory estate, by tescos, which was a great start, but it's just a little to small now.

Good luck, and if you ever need someone to scream past her on a single lane carriageway to scare her into not wanting to drive ever again just yell

[MDMA .]

tim1830 said:

MDMA . said:

Well you should know that everyone learned to drive in the grounds of their country pad. Peasant

Sorry, i should have mentiond that staff aren't allowed to talk to us, it's just not the done thing, and the drive to the estate is being cleaned, i do like a clean marble drive.

I was going to get her a Lambo to learn in, but i've heard the 335d mapped is far superior?

Sorry, I didn't realise you only had the one place. Bless.

[tim1830]

MDMA . said:

Sorry, I didn't realise you only had the one place. Bless.

Lol, my goaty is short, and i'm not nearly powerful enough to dominate 2x sets of stairs

is that a bit council?

Edited by tim1830 on Friday 2nd July 11:56

[andrew]

tim1830 said:

thanks, and we have a lot of rural roads and farms.

Ideally i'm looking for the unicorn of factory estates, loops, t junctions, car parks and little traffic.

We've been out twice, she can pull away, change up gear, stop well, but just needs a little more practice before she meets the public

try the m25
she sounds better qualified than most on there

[tim1830]

andrew said:

try the m25
she sounds better qualified than most on there

My family are from brighton, so we head that way, our daughter has already learnt the basics of motorway driving

her favourite is "why are they sitting in lane 3?"

as we drive past in the clear lane 1, with nothing in lane 2 either

[sociopath]

May be a radical thought for PH, but wouldn't it be better for her to go out with a qualified instructor at the start, with dual controls etc, then she can do extra practice with you afterwards and she will then hopefully ignore your bad habits?

[tim1830]

sociopath said:

May be a radical thought for PH, but wouldn't it be better for her to go out with a qualified instructor at the start, with dual controls etc, then she can do extra practice with you afterwards and she will then hopefully ignore your bad habits?

it's a good idea, but with covid the local instructers are booking months in advance.

I have explained to her that this is just practice, and the instrustor may well teach her something new, but clutch control and just basic driving and road awarness we can help with.

but going back to your point, where do instructors go? 1st lesson, new student, no idea if they can actually pull away or stop, they must go somewhere quiet ? Somewhere they think is safe, that's what i'm looking for!

Edited by tim1830 on Monday 5th July 11:26

[Mr Dendrite]

tim1830 said:

sociopath said:

May be a radical thought for PH, but wouldn't it be better for her to go out with a qualified instructor at the start, with dual controls etc, then she can do extra practice with you afterwards and she will then hopefully ignore your bad habits?

it's a good idea, but with covid the local instructers are booking months in advance.

I have explained to her that this is just practice, and the instrustor may well teach her something new, but clutch control and just basic driving and road awarness we can help with.

but going back to your point, where do instructors go? 1st lesson, new student, no idea if they can actually pull away or stop, they must go somewhere quiet ? Somewhere they think is safe, that's what i'm looking for!

Edited by tim1830 on Monday 5th July 11:26

Hi, for the north side of Cambridge etc the default start point for driving instructors and willing parents is definitely the Science park. Weekends and evenings it’s L plate city. Very good for practicing the basics. Then it seems to be out on to the local roads and away. From Ely I’d be looking at any of the surrounding villages but avoid the horrible fen race tracks initially. Contact a few instructors and get on their list, ours managed to start earlier than we’d expected. Another tip, get the theory test done, the. You can book the driving test. You’re looking November or December already, but once they are in the system you start looking for earlier slots if they are ready. Good luck

[tim1830]

Mr Dendrite said:

Hi, for the north side of Cambridge etc the default start point for driving instructors and willing parents is definitely the Science park. Weekends and evenings it’s L plate city. Very good for practicing the basics. Then it seems to be out on to the local roads and away. From Ely I’d be looking at any of the surrounding villages but avoid the horrible fen race tracks initially. Contact a few instructors and get on their list, ours managed to start earlier than we’d expected. Another tip, get the theory test done, the. You can book the driving test. You’re looking November or December already, but once they are in the system you start looking for earlier slots if they are ready. Good luck

thanks Mr Dendrite, i had seen the science park on google maps, looks like a big ring, so perfect.

her theory is tomorrow, so fingers crossed.

She had her 1st lesson on Monday 12th, and did really well, i think she drove in a few local villages, so feel like our practice at least helped with basic moving a car safely.

Although the instructor did say not to practice with us, which without talking to us, the paying customer, was a bit rude.
Can't imagine why he wouldn't want us helping, maybe it's the £35hr?
Can completely understand bad habbits from us driving gods, but he could easily say to us, teach her left turns this week, this is how i want it done, so we don't hinder her.