I had a day out near Birmingham and paid £5 to watch people drive uphill

I'll start this review with a disclaimer and that is that I'm not a motorsport fan. So, when my family suggested a trip to the world's oldest motorsport venue still in continuous use, I perhaps wasn't as excited as I should have been.

I was wrong. This was a great day out. And it only cost £5 each. Dating all the way back to 1905, Shelsley Walsh is the oldest motorsport venue in the world still to run events on its original course. And it's not far from Brum, in beautiful Worcestershire.

Run by the Midland Automobile Club, which was founded in 1901, the course is actually older than Le Mans and the Indianapolis Raceway Park. The idea is for racers to get from the bottom of the hill to the top as quick as they can. That's 1,000 yards with a 1:7 rise at its steepest point with drivers reaching speeds of up to 140mph. The fastest on record did it in just 22.37 seconds. Yikes.

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We went to the Hagerty Hill Climb which costs just £25 per car. We took five people so this was just a fiver each. For the whole day. Once there, we were able to walk the course, watching an eclectic mix of 50 competition and road cars tackle the historic climb from different viewpoints with the rolling Worcestershire hills making a stunning backdrop at every angle.

From souped-up Audis and shiny Porsches to gleaming Jags and racing Mitsubishis, you see everything here. There was a magnificent Ferrari, but it might have been a replica, racing alongside a very noisy Ford Escort.

The old track evokes a feeling of stepping back in time. Cars must go from a stationary start line, which is manually measured by two guides with a starting block. The start timing is activated by a light beam and this is a race against the clock rather than each other. At a time when everything feels so automated, it felt very human.

You could hear the roar of the engine, smell the burn of the fuel and feel the anticipation awaiting the green light and then they were off! From here, you can walk to the spectator's stand near the start line for a view of them making their way up the initial incline.

There are bench seats all the way up the side of the track for you to sit and watch from every vantage point. I particularly liked the spot halfway up as you felt the frisson of energy as you saw the car coming up the hill before it whizzed past.

Further up, you can sit right on the edge of the tight corner when all the drivers have to brake and then accelerate to make up for those precious few lost seconds. And then you can continue right to the finish line to watch the cars come in.

We also loved watching the cars descend down the hill too. As it is all about the climb, this isn't a circular track so around 12 cars go up individually then wait at the top before coming down in a procession. My kids loved waving at the drivers, most of which waved and tooted their horns as they passed. There was a cute little Fiat 500 where the driver and his passenger beeped their horn all the way down. It was great fun.

That's the beauty of this event. It attracts all types of cars and drivers. Some are very serious with flash sports cars that cost eye-watering amounts of money whilst others are vintage classics that are pristinely kept on the road to preserve their history. Anyone can take their car up the hill, you just have to apply to do it.

We took a picnic and sat on the picnic benches in the field, watching buzzards circle ahead and listening to pheasants crowing in the trees. It felt like we were in France. The weather definitely helped as it was a gloriously sunny day. There's also a restaurant and bar if you'd prefer to buy lunch there.

After lunch, we went into the car paddock where we could walk around all the cars parked ready to make the hill climb and talk to their owners. Some had information sheets detailing their history and there were trade stalls selling car stuff. Each driver gets the chance to take his car up the hill three times in a bid to beat his or her time.

We arrived when it opened at 9am and we stayed right until the end at 4pm before taking a happy drive home through the pretty Worcestershire lanes. We didn't have to pay for parking or additional food and drink. At £5 for a full day's entertainment, I thought this was excellent value for money and a great way of sharing a bit of our area's history with the kids.

This was just one of many events that happen at Shelsley Walsh. You can also attend sprints and sporting trials. There are also classic car tours, breakfast clubs, car meets and driving schools too. Find out more and book tickets via the Shelsley Walsh website.

How to get to Shelsley Walsh from Birmingham

Shelsley Walsh is just over an hour's drive from Birmingham, traffic permitting, via the M5. The address is Shelsley Walsh, Worcester WR6 6RP. There's a disabled parking area and a tarmac slope down to the paddock making it accessible for people in wheelchairs too.