You have to hand it to Goodwood: when it comes to big boy’s playgrounds, they don’t come much more impressive.

There’s horseracing, golf, and shooting; restaurants, cafés, bars and a hotel; 4x4s and mountain bikes, twin-props and helicopters. Hell, you can even fly WW2 warbirds here.

And crowning this all is the Goodwood Race Circuit – the UK’s most historic motorsport venue, and one of the best tracks in the country.

As a resident racing instructor here once explained to me, the circuit is like “joined-up handwriting; it just flows”.

The two-and-a-half-mile circuit allows you to keep speed up as long as your nerve holds

Having driven it a number of times now, I can’t think of a better simile, so excuse me for stealing it.

The two-and-a-half-mile circuit has long, demanding sweeps that allow you to keep speed up as long as your nerve – and tyres – hold.

Flying down the home straight with the iconic art deco Rolex tower on your right and old control tower on your left, it’s hard not to recall the greats – the likes of Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart – doing the same so many years before.

Fortunately, you no longer have to be a F1 champion to have a go behind the wheel. The estate hosts a number of track days where you can bring your own car, or there are a range of experiences where all you need to do is show up and put on a helmet.

The Performance Track experience allows you to drive the full-range of high-performance BMW M models, MINI John Cooper Works and the BMW i8.

With the Spin & Slide experience, driving instructors will teach you how to master powerslides, handbrake turns and J-turns in case you ever fancied moonlighting as a stunt driver.

Book a track experience here, and there’s no one but you and the tarmac

And for the authentic old-school experience, you can opt for the Goodwood Revival Racing day.

Here you’ll drive a selection of classic saloons and GTs from the 1950s and 1960s that have been lovingly restored back to their original racing state.

Lord March’s sprawling 12,000-acre estate may be home to the Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival, both attracting hundreds of thousands from around the world, but book a track experience here, and there’s no one but you and the tarmac.

See more at goodwood.com