How about a bit of tank driving in the wilds of Northumberland? If you’ve ever wondered where you can drive a tank around these parts the answer is right here right now near Morpeth! Roll up the sleeves and get ready to get stuck in for a frenzy of full-tracked antics at Eshott Airfield.
The guys behind this project know a thing or two when it comes to adventurous activities as they also own and run the airfield. They decided that stuff like flying high in the air in a wartime plane can be matched in extremeness by things that go along the ground. So they created this outdoor activity centre on the perimeter of the airfield for some serious terra firma fun.
That’s where the Alvis Stormer tank comes in. Also known as the FV4333 it’s practically indigenous on this sort of rugged Northumberland terrain. This is the ultimate Armoured Fighting Vehicle that easily adapts to many battlefield roles from firing Starstreak High Velocity Missiles and laying mines to acting as a field ambulance or a recovery vehicle . Having served the British Army and many other armies around the world for decades they go anywhere. From deserts and dusty roads to woodlands and treacherous terrain an Stormer will get you where you need to go in hostile environments.
Nothing hostile as you take the tank for a trundle around Eshott Airfield though just smiles as wide as the Alvis itself. It’s an utterly brilliant thing to drive and properly exciting too. It’s nothing like driving a car or any other military vehicle for that matter so forget steering wheels indicators and brakes this is all about levers and gears to control those two heavy tracks under your feet.
An instructor will be riding alongside you in the tank so they’ll be on hand to tutor you in the art of full-tracked driving. Once you’ve got the hang the basic controls that’s to saying going forwards turning left and right and (of course) stopping you’ll make a beeline for the off road course filled with lumps bumps water splashes and more.
The whole experience is sure to be a brilliant challenge for you but for this Alvis Stormer it’ll be a case of ‘just doing my job’. Isn’t it time you revved that engine and went tank driving around Northumberland’s finest purpose-built course with the guys from Eshott Airfield?
