Driving & Riding
Despite being a popular area the open road is still open (unlike the Lake District for instance). Perhaps this is why the likes of TopGear and Classic & Sportscar favour our roads as a location for film and magazine shoots. Whether toottling in your Traveller or pirouetting your Porker, our roads are quite literally the DBs. Be it two wheels or four we have the roads and a reasonable local hospital, all you need now is the right equipment. Either bring your own or hire one of ours.
We can organise treasure hunts and navigational scatter events directly from the hotel.
We can cater for car clubs and motor tours. Tailor-made packages include secure off-street parking, and a night watchman is available at a small extra charge.
We can also arrange a day's driving for you at the North's Premier racing circuit, Croft Circuit at Darlington (tel: 01325 721815). Prices, including qualified instruction, start at £99 with a minimum 45 minutes of guaranteed track time. Alternatively we can arrange Go Karting for you at Tockwith Airfield (01423 359399), which is just outside York and is an outdoor track. It caters for individuals or groups from £25. Or why not try some indoor karting at F1 Racing which is also near York (0194 673555).
If you prefer to hire a car, we have links with several specialist companies who offer the best in modern or classic sports cars. Through out contacts we can provide the ultimate package of a "weekend break with wheels."
We even have our own cars to hire. Choose from:
1967 'Racing' MGB roadster - it looks like a classic MGB (except the bucket seats) but the performance might be different to how you remember it. A 1950cc fast road engine and various other bits of kit transform the 'B' but be warned this car is not for 'B' purest or the faint-hearted. From £199 for the weekend.
1997 Caterham 7 1600cc - If you thought the 'B' was hot then the Caterham is sensational. More of a motorbike with four wheels than a car. The top speed is not enormous but it gets there fairly quickly. The Caterham has no roof to speak of and is more than a handful in the wet and therefore is only available from May to October. From £399 for the weekend.
For both cars you will be given a short familiarisation drive in the company of an instructor to get you used to the car.
(Conditions of hire: Cars are available to anyone with a full driving license over the age of 30 subject to availability and to the instructor giving his permission to continue with the hire and after receipt of a signed liability disclaimer. His decision is final. We take a £1000 deposit from your credit card on the morning of hire. In the event of any damage to the car the entire deposit will be retained until the insurance covers the whole cost of repair. Any shortfall will be retained from the deposit. We require a cover note from your insurers showing comprehensive cover for the specific car to be hired)
The hardest decision any keen motorist has to make is not where to drive and where to stay, but which car to drive. Leave the rest to us. We even have an itinerary we can recommend for a great day's motoring which has a little of everything planned in.