Where can you lie back and go sailing as fast as a Porsche on the M1? It can be done in a land yacht – and you won’t even get your feet wet.

Some UK clubs offer sand yachting – the East Hoylake Bank on the Wirral is considered one of the best beach sites – while a few use airfields.

These quiet, clean and environmentally friendly yachts can travel in excess of 100 mph. But as you’ll be steering while on your back and without brakes, you certainly need to be daring to give it a go.

For beginners the best thing to do is to buy a mini-yacht for a few hundred pounds, find a suitable piece of land and just try it out. You should wear a helmet, protective eyewear, gloves, knee pads, elbow pads and shin pads as a minimum – land yachting clubs will be able to advise on this. The mini has three wheels, a simple frame, a seat and a mast and can fit into the boot of a large car. Steering is done with your feet and the yacht is easy to maintain. Just one mini can provide lots of fun for a family taking it in turns to see just how fast they can go.

Another option is to make your own land yacht. To do this you should look at as many as possible before deciding on the design you want to follow. Many people try to build land yachts and almost as many are disappointed when the project doesn’t go according to plan. So to make one is a challenge that requires patience, determination and a good dose of luck. At least it makes a change from, tinkering about with cars.

You need insurance to sail a land yacht and the British Federation of Sand and Land Yacht Clubs can provide this – although it is valid only if you sail at a club, not if you simply go out and find your own site.

More information about land yachting can be found on the websites of the British Federation of Sand and Land Yacht Clubs (www.bfslyc.org.uk) and the Wirral Sand Yacht Club (www.wsyc.org.uk).

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