Manual driving lessons in Kirk Sandall

A gear-by-gear guide to Kirk Sandall

Manual driving is about matching the gear to the road. Here is roughly where each gear earns its keep on a typical lesson from the suburb:

• First gear. Pulling away from the kerb on Trent Gardens or Sunnyside, and creeping forward in the queue for the Shaw Lane roundabout.
• Second gear. Turning out of the estates onto Doncaster Road, and crawling past parked cars outside the Aldi.
• Third gear. The longer stretches of Doncaster Road between the bus stops at Graham Road and Sandall Lane.
• Fourth and fifth. Barnby Dun Road towards Long Sandall, the A18 along Thorne Road and the A630 towards junction 4 of the M18.

Your instructor will teach you to change gear by listening to the engine and reading the road, so you are always ready for the next hazard.

Clutch control and the biting point

The first manual skill is finding the biting point, the moment the clutch starts to connect and the car wants to move. Quiet residential roads off Doncaster Road give you space to practise it without traffic behind you. You will learn to hold the clutch steady, add a little gas and release the handbrake in one smooth sequence.

Stalling happens to everyone. When it does, your instructor will explain what caused it, so you can fix it yourself rather than worry about it. Sergiu is known for exactly this, explaining why a mistake happened and never raising his voice.

Hill starts on the railway bridges

Kirk Sandall is fairly flat, but the railway gives it slopes in useful places. Doncaster Road climbs over the line on a bridge near Moor Lane, and Armthorpe Lane also crosses the railway on the way towards Barnby Dun. Stopping on a gradient and moving off without rolling back is a test skill, and these approaches let you practise it for real.

We teach the hill start in stages: secure the car with the handbrake, find the biting point, add a touch more gas than on the flat, then release the handbrake as the car starts to pull. Repeat it enough and it becomes second nature.

Lane choice at the Long Sandall roundabouts

Barnby Dun Road takes you under a low railway bridge and into Long Sandall, where the Clay Lane and Shaw Lane roundabouts bring proper multi-lane decisions. In a manual you have to plan your gear as well as your lane. Changing down early leaves your hands and eyes free for observation by the time you reach the give-way line.

Wheatley Hall Road can be busy at peak times, and queues there have built up badly when a lorry has hit the bridge. Smooth clutch work in slow traffic saves fuel, saves your left leg and keeps the car behind you relaxed.

Is a manual right for you?

A manual pass covers you for manual and automatic cars, which is handy if the family car is manual or you expect to drive work vehicles from the industrial estate. It usually takes a few more lessons than an automatic. Read more on the main manual driving lessons page, or compare with our automatic driving lessons in Kirk Sandall.

Learners just up the road can book manual driving lessons in Barnby Dun, and those east of here choose manual driving lessons in Hatfield. For every lesson type in the suburb, visit the Kirk Sandall driving lessons page.

Manual driving lessons in Kirk Sandall: your questions

Where will I practise hill starts in Kirk Sandall?

Mostly on the slopes up to the railway bridges, such as the one carrying Doncaster Road over the line near Moor Lane. Kirk Sandall itself is fairly flat, so your instructor may also take you to steeper roads elsewhere in Doncaster once you are confident.

Who teaches manual lessons?

Several of our instructors teach in manual cars. Bogdan is a calm and patient male instructor who teaches manual, and Sergiu is known for explaining exactly why a mistake happened. You can ask for a male or female instructor when you book.

Will I stall a lot at first?

Probably a few times, and that is completely normal. Stalling is part of learning clutch control. Your instructor will help you understand why it happened, and within a few lessons most learners find it happens far less often.

Can I switch to automatic later?

Yes. A manual licence already covers automatic cars, so you can drive one as soon as you pass. It does not work the other way round. If you pass in an automatic, you would need another test to drive a manual.