Driving, Experience Gifts, Gifts
Get ready to step up to the challenge of hovercrafting in Lincolnshire! We often talk about hovercraft ‘flying’ and ‘piloting’ these agile machines when of course you don’t actually go really high in the air but you will be skimming just inches above the ground at speed for some seriously high thrills.
We won’t bore you with the science of how hovercrafts work after all this Lincolnshire experience is all about being at the helm of your craft and wanging it around corners as fast as you can rather than actually understanding the clever engineering stuff that makes them ‘float’ using that massive fan behind your head…
You will be driving either a Snapper or the latest Marlin II model. These hovercrafts are recreational versions of the racing hover that is also used by the Marines so we can assure you they are rugged and pretty fast too. However when it comes to the handling what can we say. These things are tricky little whatnots. They don’t turn they kind of side-shift. They don’t go where you want them to go they just sort of do their own thing like a petulant child. Combine this with a challenging course at this Lincolnshire base and you’ve got a seriously tricky hovercraft experience on your hands.
Before you can even think about tackling the main course you will be introduced to the hovercrafts and shown the controls. This bit’s not rocket science as there’s just a handlebar and a throttle (note: no brake!) but then try and master the momentum and it’s not as easy as it looks.
We are offering both weekday and ‘anytime’ vouchers for five 10 or 15 laps of hovercrafting. Lincolnshire’s Blyton Park is the venue for your thrilling session and if you don’t know it it’s a great place to have a go at hovercrafting as there is plenty of space to make lots of noise a fabulously challenging grass circuit for you to whizz around and expert tuition from hovercraft pilots who make it look all too easy!
Find out more and book your place today!
Driving, Experience Gifts, Gifts
Ever fancied ripping it up in a hovercraft in Sittingbourne? Well now’s your chance when you tackle the tricky obstacle course on this farm estate in a nippy little Flying Fish Marlin II craft. So get the rotors turning some air into your skirt and go hovercrafting!
This outdoor pursuits centre near Sittingbourne was established in 1988 and the hovercrafts are the latest addition to the fleet. The company motto of ‘Adrenaline is our business’ is totally apt for hovercrafting as these vehicles (or should that be vessels?) are completely madcap.
Hovercrafts are unique. They are nothing like being in a boat as the ride is strangely smooth and flowing yet you can go over pretty much any surface and all because you are literally hovering above the ground. This Sittingbourne course makes the most of the agility these mega light Marlins boast thanks to that four stroke 1000cc engine.
And if you don’t know how hovercrafts work well they really are quite simplistic. Rotors force some air through the hull to the skirt which is how it lifts. The rest of this air is forced backwards giving your forward propulsion. That’s why you feel you are rising before your then slowly slide off forwards and gain momentum. Oh and have a look inside the ‘cockpit’ and you’ll see it couldn’t be simpler – a little seat a handlebar with a finger throttle on the right hand side and a starting button…
Where the skill comes however is when you try and steer a hovercraft as you will find out straight away here at Sittingbourne. Turning the handlebar doesn’t actually steer as you’d expect it just ‘guides’ the hovercraft in the general direction you want to go so you have to pre-empt your route and be pretty keen on the throttle too.
As you get to grip with the basics in Sittingbourne you will start to test out the real skills of hovercrafting. Have a go at turning 180 degrees without coming to a stop and learn to turn at pace by shifting your weight around in the cockpit. Who knows you might even end up mastering a stylish 360 turn by the end of your 40 minutes personal driving time. Brilliant fun and a truly ‘must do’ activity!
Find out more and book your place today!
Driving, Experience Gifts, Gifts
Whether you fly drive or ride it you are going on a hovercraft in Wales! This outdoor centre not far from Cardiff is an action-packed circuit venue with a special little part set aside just for hovercrafting shenanigans. We think you’ll love it.
This farmland within the Llandow circuit estate has been transformed into a challenging track that is perfect for these machines. It might be worth noting that the hovercrafts you’ll be using here in Wales are Marlin II versions – which happen to be the best-selling 2/3 seater sports cruiser models in the whole wide world and they are British designed and built.
They really are amazing any surface beasts. But just how do they cope with flying over different surfaces without having to stop? Well they are incredibly rugged. So much so that you can be whizzing over grass at 40mph and then plunge straight onto a bed of gravel no problem. It’s all in the construction with glass fibre kevlar (the same material used to make bullet proof vests) and carbon fibre. That means this fleet of hovercrafts sitting patiently waiting for you in Wales are tough and ready to rumble!
So now you know the craft is more than capable of cracking this Cardiff course are you up to the challenge? You might think piloting one of these things is a piece of cake. But when we tell you there are no brakes and steering is a question of getting the whole hover moving the way you want to go (there are no wheels to turn after all) it becomes a whole lot trickier than you’d imagine. But still it’s great fun learning how to hover.
The friendly team here near Cardiff know how to have fun in these hovercrafts so there will be minimal formalities and maximum time at the handlebars of the Marlin. We are offering different packages for you giving you either five 10 or 15 laps of the circuit.
Whichever hovercraft Wales voucher you go for it’s going to be an air-raising experience that’s well-organised and brilliant fun so you won’t be getting any bother on your hover just fast-as-you-dare laps around this tricky hovercraft circuit outside Cardiff. And don’t forget to throw your weight into the corners!
Find out more and book your place today!
Driving, Experience Gifts, Gifts
Your hovercraft experience in Cheshire is all about no brakes bags of thrust and an inflatable skirt! Hovercrafts offering passenger services might be a distant memory but the racing spirit lives on with these fantastic sports models. Here’s your chance to get your hands on one and see what it feels like to hover just centimetres off the ground at speed.
We are offering a trio of hovercrafting sessions for you. The Taster is perfect for a first go as you’ll be learning on the training circuit away from the water. The Racing experience will see you hitting the main track (where the water splashes are) for a duel or a time trial. And the Ultimate hovercraft session here in Cheshire gives you double or everything!
The sensation when driving a hovercraft has been likened to the thrills of low level flying. And believe us there’s nothing like that feeling of flying as you turn onto the water and start skimming. Oh and that bit about having no brakes? Well we’ll let the team of highly experienced instructors here in Cheshire tell you just how to slow down and stop!
With not one but two purpose-built hover cross tracks and a fleet of 10 hovers at your disposition Frodsham’s marshlands provide an excellent setting for testing that low-level flying theory. And being marshy the ground has a tendency to get waterlogged and very soggy as well making extra thrilling hovercraft racing.
This specialist hover centre uses the well-known Flying Fish hovercrafts that offer fun and thrills on a highly manoeuvrable sit down craft and there is also a BBV hovercraft waiting in the wings. Now these machines might not be as familiar but they certainly pack a serious punch as they are powerful ultra rugged and reliable – we’ll have to see who has the tenacity to handle these slippery sliders!
With three different hovercraft experiences in Cheshire we think there’s a session for abilities and ages. And remember if you want the thrills of the water splashes go for the Racing or Ultimate experiences otherwise the Taster is the one for a less soggy hovercraft initiation session!
Find out more and book your place today!
Driving, Experience Gifts, Gifts
Some might say our Hovercraft Experience Essex is a handful we say it’s all about crazy sideways sliding on a veritable cushion of air that’ll have you grabbling with the steering! These amazing little machines come to North Weald with a choice of introductory and extended hovercrafting experiences available.
As it’s highly likely that you’ve never experienced the sensation of being in a hovercraft before we asked the team in Essex how it feels when you’re in one of these things and they simply said: “It’s like trying to control a vehicle with four flat tyres!” which we think is rather apt way of putting it.
It all looks very simple with just a handlebar and throttle to worry about but these hovercrafts that whizz around North Weald are proper slippery customers. Forget power steering driving aids and gadgets in this beast that’s full of air you’ll be using your bodyweight and moving the two rear rudders to try and go vaguely in the direction you want to.
This North Weald track has been especially devised to welcome this type of leisure hovercraft. Before you get the thumbs up to head out you’ll have to pass the test in the training area. If the instructors think you’ve got the basics and can keep the craft under control you will then go out out on your own to conquer the grass circuit.
We are offering two hovercrafting experiences at this fun venue in the heart of Essex. The five lap thrill gives you plenty of time to hone your skills on land whilst the 10 and 15 lap session will turn you into a bit of a sliding sensation as you complete your circuits.
The craft used on this hovercraft experience in Essex is the Marlin II. This modern British-built hovercraft can be driven as fast and furious as you fancy or as leisurely and gently as you feel comfortable with during your experience. With a super-efficient four stroke engine six-bladed rear fan and strong skirt they are great fun to pilot and (unusually) there is a seat so you won’t be kneeling in the hovercraft as you take it for a spin around North Weald.
Find out more and book your place today!
