Driving School – The Fun Way!

Mandatory Off-Road Driving Course

Windhoek, 16 July 2012

In the afternoon, we had a mandatory off-road driving course with Richard from "Be Local". We met Richard at Windhoek Country Club, where, after a brief introduction, we drove to a nearby gravel pit.

Here, we were put through our paces for about two hours. We started by tackling a very steep hill full of large holes and deep ruts, while Richard politely but very firmly issued instructions. Just like learning to drive when you were 17!

Among other things, we had to put the vehicle into low range with the differential lock engaged, and then drive up and down the slopes in second gear.

My wife was certainly breaking into a sweat, but so were our passengers, our daughter and son. Yes, they even threatened to leave the vehicle and sat clinging to the back seats!

It was a fantastic experience, though – every big boy's dream! We felt we were in safe hands with Richard. It was obvious that he knew exactly what he was teaching.

After the gravel pit, we set off at a fairly high speed along a winding and undulating gravel road.

The principle was always to keep some power going to the wheels when turning or negotiating obstacles, and then reduce speed again on the straight stretches. Equally important was keeping well away from the edge of the road to avoid catching the edge (or ending up in the ravine).

All in all, it was a fun, exciting and very educational afternoon.

Pia was also rather proud of having passed her 4WD driving course (with flying colours). Now she can boast about it to her two male colleagues at work!

Pia feeling slightly under pressure
Richard from Be Local cracking the whip!

My wife and I taking a 4WD driving course with an experienced instructor – an incredibly rewarding experience! See video