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The Silverstone Experience is a great day out for the family and you don’t need to be formula one fans to enjoy! We went with the grandparents ( avid formula one fans) and our two girls (aged 8 and 12) who had never even heard of Lewis Hamilton .

The Silverstone Experience has recently re-opened after lockdown so I’ll start with the new safety measures that were in place when visiting Silverstone Experience.

Tickets were sent by email with pre-booked time slots, we were asked not to arrive more than 10 minutes ahead of this time slot to avoid unnecessary queuing.  When we arrived , the entrance was quiet and we had our temperature checked at the door before entering.

We bought additional tickets at the visitor information desk and filled in the necessary track and trace. There were hand sanitisers everywhere and all transactions were contactless.

Heading upstairs we were greeted again by another member of staff at the “starting grid” show.  We were all given a stylus , to enjoy the interactive experience  without the need to directly touch screens. Throughout the tour, there were tables with cleaning sprays and wipes to allow you to enjoy all the interactive games and equipment without fear of spreading infection.  The centre itself is very big and there are arrows marking out one way systems and social distancing markers on the floors and in toilets.  It wasn’t overly busy and we felt perfectly safe and protected throughout the tour. The staff were friendly and informative and all wore masks. We were asked to wear masks in the shop or if queuing for café ( in reality there were no queues )

The tour starts with a pre show ( it’s loud ear plugs were provided if needed ) , with timed entries,  we walked into a tunnel and stood on a  virtual grid to watch the sights and sounds of Silverstones history  race past  on screens in front and behind.

On the upper floor there are fascinating displays explaining the history of Silverstone. We learnt all about the links to the RAF, the monastery that was on site and the black death and about an elephant that would drink in the local pub (!)  All around there were fun things to do to immerse yourself in this history.  We learnt about racing drivers wartime heroics ( male and female) , shot down enemy planes, took off and landed a plane and sat down in the replica pub to play some games.

The history of Silverstone is really interesting, every corner and straight on the race track has a name and  history behind it and it was fascinating to be involved in this and learn how Silverstone  went from an airfield in World War 2 to the racetrack it is now.  

On the ground floor there are displays of cars and bikes , past and present . We were lucky enough to have our photo taken next to formula one car ( which we believe was Lewis Hamilton’s practice car! – number 44).  Even for a person who isn’t that bothered about cars, this thrilled me.   There are behind the scenes displays and we had a go at changing tyres in the replica pit wall and learnt all about the design and safety in the tech lab.  The indoor experience ended with an exciting ultimate lap around the track  in the special effects cinema, joining in with some iconic moments in Silverstone’s history.

We finished our indoor explore with a lovely coffee and cake in the café, all pre-packaged and paid for contactless before heading outside to have a walk around the retired track and look at the preparations for the forthcoming formula one.

Everything about The Silverstone Experience was fun, friendly and safe.  The whole experience took about 3 hours and no one moaned once. Whilst we received a complimentary family ticket for 4, we paid for two concessions tickets at a cost of £16 each. Online tickets cost £20 per adult and £10 per child, family tickets for 4 are £57.