Coaching is the fastest way to stop being slow. An hour with someone who can read your lines will usually find more time than a year of turning up and driving. Race schools also run the ARKS test, which is the route to a competition licence.
If the goal is a Motorsport UK licence, you need an ARKS test. Not every circuit has examiners.
Individual coaching costs more and is worth it. Group sessions suit a first taste.
Walking the circuit with a coach explains braking points in a way that laps alone do not.
Some schools review timing data or onboard footage afterwards. That is where the improvement sticks.
Burgess Hill, West Sussex
AR Kartz is an indoor electric karting centre on the Panattoni Park business estate at Goddards Green, on the western edge of Burgess Hill. The track is 350 metres long with 15 corners.
Price not published
Sittingbourne, Kent
An 1,100-metre floodlit asphalt circuit on a twelve-acre site behind the Eurolink Industrial Estate at Sittingbourne. It was designed and built by Gerry Lilley on what had been wasteland, opened in 1997, and is now run by his daughter — a genuinely family-run circuit rather than a chain venue.
Price not published
Chatham, Kent
Buckmore Park at Chatham is one of the best known circuits in British karting, and the one where Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and David Coulthard all raced as juniors. It runs two outdoor layouts: an International circuit where an experienced driver laps in around 50 seconds, and a shorter National circuit nearer 35.
Price not published
Brentwood, Essex
Brentwood Karting runs an 825-metre floodlit outdoor circuit at Warley Gap, about fifteen minutes' walk from Brentwood station and half an hour from central London. It holds the International Rental Karting Award for Best Customer Experience.
Price not published
Rooksley, Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes
Daytona Milton Keynes is on Dansteed Way at Rooksley, close to junction 14 of the M1 and about ten minutes by taxi from Milton Keynes Central. It is one of three Daytona circuits, alongside Sandown Park and Tamworth.
Price not published
Esher, Surrey
Daytona Sandown Park sits inside the Sandown Park racecourse complex at Esher, just off the A3 and about ten minutes from junction 10 of the M25. It is one of three Daytona circuits, alongside Milton Keynes and Tamworth, and the closest serious outdoor circuit to south-west London.
Price not published
Tamworth, Staffordshire
Daytona Tamworth is on Robey's Lane just off junction 10 of the M42, with easy access from the M6, M1 and A5. It is one of three Daytona circuits, alongside Milton Keynes and Sandown Park, and the group's Midlands venue.
Price not published
Dunkeswell, Devon
750 metres of smooth tarmac at Dunkeswell Aerodrome in east Devon, averaging eight metres wide — broad enough that overtaking is a real option rather than a hopeful lunge.
Bangor, Ards and North Down
Eddie Irvine Sports is an indoor karting centre on Balloo Road in Bangor, County Down, about 15 minutes from Belfast. It has been open since 2003 and is owned by former Formula 1 driver Eddie Irvine.
Hereford, Herefordshire
Herefordshire Raceway is an outdoor kart circuit at Lower Hurst, north-west of Hereford. The 600-metre track has three hairpins and is raced in twin-engine karts, with a published lap record of 32.4 seconds.
Towcester, West Northamptonshire
Kart Silverstone is an outdoor kart circuit within the Silverstone motor racing complex on the Northamptonshire–Buckinghamshire border. The track can run in five layouts, the longest at 1,377 metres, and is built to FIA-CIK standards.
St Sampson, Guernsey
Karting Guernsey is on Victoria Avenue in St Sampson, Guernsey. It has a 440m outdoor circuit with floodlights for evening racing, and a separate electric track for small children.
Cromer, Norfolk
Karttrak Cromer is an outdoor kart circuit on Hall Road in Cromer, on the north Norfolk coast. The 550-metre tarmac track was resurfaced in 2022 and runs 160cc cadet karts and 200cc junior and adult karts.
Purfleet, Thurrock
Lakeside Karting sits on the A1306 Arterial Road at Purfleet, about half an hour from central London and a few minutes from Lakeside Shopping Centre. It holds the International Rental Karting Award for Best Customer Experience, and is run by Lets Go Active, who also operate Brentwood Karting.
Price not published
Lichfield, Staffordshire
Midland Karting is an outdoor karting centre on Wood End Lane near Lichfield, laid out on part of a former airfield. It runs three separate circuits: a Premier Circuit for adults and older juniors, a Kids Circuit, and a Family Circuit used for the youngest drivers.
Golspie, Highland
North of Scotland Kart Club runs the Little Ferry Circuit near Golspie in Sutherland, which the club describes as the most northerly kart track in Britain. The outdoor circuit is 998 metres long with six corners, including a corkscrew section.
Price not published
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Race Kart Centre is an outdoor kart track on Kirton Road at Blyton, near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. It runs hire karts for children and adults as well as open days for people with their own karts.
Price not published
Ballymena, Mid and East Antrim
Raceview Karting is an indoor hire kart track on the Woodside Road industrial estate in Ballymena, County Antrim. It opens Thursday to Sunday, with evening sessions through the week and longer hours at weekends.
Price not published
Woodbury Salterton, near Exeter, Devon
Raceworld is a 400 metre indoor circuit at Woodbury Salterton, a few miles outside Exeter, and it has been trading since 1994. The layout mixes fast straights with flowing and technical corners and includes a flyover bridge.
Price not published
Stockwell, Greater London
Right Track is a small outdoor karting project on Priory Grove in Stockwell, south London, run by the Oasisplay charity. It uses petrol karts and is aimed at children and young people rather than adult arrive-and-drive customers.
Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland
Teesside Motorsports at South Bank Road in Middlesbrough claims the world's longest kart circuit, and it has grown into a multipurpose venue rather than just a kart track. Mondays and Tuesdays are given over to car and bike testing and track days, with karting running Wednesday to Sunday.
Wigan, Wigan
Three Sisters is a multi-use outdoor motorsport circuit on Three Sisters Road at Ashton-in-Makerfield, near Wigan. Alongside karting it hosts car and motorcycle track days, drift events and driver training.
Andover, Hampshire
Thruxton Kart Centre sits beside Thruxton motor-racing circuit near Andover in Hampshire. It is an outdoor venue with two main tracks: the 900m National Circuit, which is seven metres wide and includes a flyover, and a shorter Club Circuit that can be run in several configurations.
York, North Yorkshire
Tockwith Outdoor Karting is an outdoor circuit on the former Tockwith Airfield, west of York in North Yorkshire. The track is floodlit, so booked sessions run into the evening all year.
Wakefield, Wakefield
Wakefield Indoor Karting is an indoor tarmac circuit at Millenia Park on Thornes Road, south-west of Wakefield city centre. The track includes an 80-metre straight and tight hairpins, and the layout is changed periodically.
Whilton Locks, Daventry, Northamptonshire
Whilton Mill near Daventry runs three outdoor circuits on one site, which makes it unusually flexible. The 1200m International Circuit is the headline one, with a 960m National Circuit and a 450m Mill Circuit alongside it. The operator has been running for over 35 years.