Half term arrives with the subtlety of Verstappen appearing in your rear view mirror. One minute everything is normal, and the next you have a youngster at home for a week asking what there is to do, despite having approximately seventeen thousand things available to them.
You could take them shopping. You could go to the cinema. You could spend half a day wandering around somewhere historic while they look at their phone and pretend they are being held hostage. Or, if you have any sense, you could find them something with an engine.
There are some rather good Junior Driving Special Offers available for half term, with junior experiences taking place at venues across the country. We have picked one from each corner of the UK, so whether you are in the North, South, East or West, there is a suitably petrol flavoured way to make the school holiday considerably more interesting.
North: Junior 1 Supercar Drive Plus Experience, Three Sisters
Starting in the North, Three Sisters Race Circuit in Wigan is a very good place to begin. This is where you take a youngster who has spent far too long watching supercar videos and finally let them find out what happens when there is an actual steering wheel in front of them.
The Junior 1 Supercar Drive Plus Experience is for youngsters aged 10 and over, with the chance to drive one supercar from a choice that can include the Ferrari 458, Lamborghini Huracan, McLaren 570S, Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8 V10, subject to availability.
A qualified instructor sits alongside them, so this is not quite the moment when you wave goodbye to your child and hope they remember which pedal is which. The junior driving takes place on a separate track layout of around half a mile, giving them a controlled environment in which to learn the basics and enjoy the car.
And really, this is what makes a junior supercar experience such a good half term idea. They get to drive something spectacular, but they are also learning how to handle it properly. It is considerably more useful than another afternoon spent perfecting their ability to scroll.
South: Junior Triple Supercar Thrill Experience, Lydden Hill
Down in the South, we have Lydden Hill in Kent. If one supercar is good, then obviously three must be better. This is not a difficult piece of mathematics.
The Junior Triple Supercar Thrill Experience gives youngsters aged 10 to 17 the chance to drive up to three different supercars, with up to six miles in each. The cars available can include machinery from manufacturers such as Audi, Ferrari and Porsche, depending on the venue and availability.
Lydden Hill is a proper motorsport venue, so this is not simply a case of driving around a car park while someone waves a flag at you. There is a circuit environment, a qualified instructor in the car and plenty of opportunity to get a feel for what makes a performance car different from the thing sitting on the driveway at home.
The obvious advantage here is variety. Some children know exactly which supercar they want. Others change their favourite every time a new YouTube video appears. For the latter, three cars seems like a remarkably sensible solution.
East: Junior Rally Introduction, Silverstone
Now, if your youngster has no particular interest in driving something shiny and expensive but does have an unhealthy fascination with cars going sideways, there is another option.
The Junior Rally Introduction at Silverstone Rally School is for young drivers aged 14 to 17 and takes things away from the smooth world of supercars and towards the considerably less tidy business of rallying.
The experience starts with a 20 minute safety briefing with a qualified rally instructor before the driving begins. There are three driving sessions, where youngsters can learn techniques including handbrake turns and power slides, along with a session on the gravel rally stage.
This is rather different from simply driving quickly. Rally driving is about controlling the car when it does not particularly want to go in the direction you have told it to. It is the sort of thing that looks completely effortless when a professional does it and considerably less so when you first have a go yourself.
The experience lasts for at least two hours at the venue, and there is also the option to add a full lap high speed passenger ride on the day for an additional £25.
It might not have the badge of a Ferrari on the bonnet, but there is something wonderfully entertaining about learning to throw a rally car sideways. Especially when you are 14 and have spent years being told not to skid the family car.
West: Junior Supercar Platinum Thrill Experience, Upottery Airfield Smeatharpe
Heading west, Upottery Airfield Smeatharpe in Devon provides a rather large setting for a junior supercar experience. The junior track is approximately one mile long and laid out across part of the runway, with marked braking zones and plenty of runoff.
The Junior Supercar Platinum Thrill Experience is for youngsters aged 10 to 17 and gives them up to six miles behind the wheel of their chosen platinum supercar. Available cars can include the Audi R8 V10, Ferrari 458, Lamborghini Performante, McLaren 570S and Nissan GT R, subject to availability.
It is quite a list. In fact, it is the sort of list that makes choosing a favourite difficult for an adult, never mind someone who has probably changed their mind three times before breakfast.
The experience takes place on a dedicated junior layout, with a qualified instructor providing guidance throughout. The youngster gets to experience the car from the driver's seat, while the setting gives them room to learn and enjoy the drive in a controlled environment.
For a young supercar fan, this is about as close as you can get to being given a rather serious piece of machinery and being told, in the nicest possible way, to go and enjoy yourself.
So, Which Half Term Deal Should You Choose?
This really depends on the young driver in question. If they have always wanted to drive a supercar but are happy with one choice, Three Sisters keeps things straightforward. Pick the car, get in, learn the basics and enjoy the drive.
Lydden Hill is the one for the youngster who regards choosing one supercar as an impossible decision. Three cars means more variety and up to six miles in each, which should keep even the most demanding junior motoring enthusiast occupied.
Silverstone is the wildcard. If they would rather hear the tyres squeal than admire a gleaming badge, the rally experience offers something completely different. There are handbrake turns, power slides and gravel, which is basically a recipe for making a teenager forget that their phone exists for several minutes.
Then there is Upottery, where the choice of platinum supercars makes the decision considerably harder. It is the sort of experience where you can imagine the conversation beginning with, "I'd like the Ferrari", followed approximately four seconds later by, "Actually, can I have the Lamborghini?"
Make Half Term A Bit More Interesting
The best half term activities are usually the ones that give you something to talk about afterwards. Nobody goes home from a supercar experience and says, "That was a perfectly adequate Tuesday." There is normally a favourite car, a favourite moment and quite possibly a lengthy explanation of why the Ferrari was obviously better than the Lamborghini.
That is the appeal of junior driving experiences. They are exciting, but they are not simply about making noise and going quickly. Young drivers have instructors with them, receive safety guidance and get the chance to experience performance cars or rally driving in a controlled environment.
And with options spread across the North, South, East and West, there is no need to spend half term travelling halfway across the country in search of something memorable.
So, instead of watching the days of half term disappear while someone complains that there is nothing to do, put them behind the wheel. They might discover a new passion, learn a few useful driving skills and have a genuinely brilliant day out in the process.
And, crucially, you might get through half term without hearing the words "I'm bored" quite so often. Frankly, that alone is worth putting the kettle on for.
