IF you're going to cut your teeth at something such as off-roading then starting off by tackling one of the country's most renowned courses for difficulty may seem like madness.

But that's just what I did and at times it felt like I was riding the world's largest rollercoaster without the reassurance of tracks!

Thankfully though, I was in a Land Rover Defender - one of the most tried and tested all-terrain vehicles around, and whatever I lacked in experience, the vehicle easily made up for in technology and capability.

Powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine, the short wheelbase Defender 90 Station Wagon seemed the perfect vehicle to take on a challenge.

Whilst the entire Land Rover fleet is more than capable, it's the Defender that has a long-established and well-earned reputation for throwing itself bonnet-first into seemingly impossible challenges and passing with flying colours.

My trainer for the course at Eastnor Castle in the Malvern Hills was lead instructor Mike Chambers (there was something reassuring by the word "lead") who throughout the entire ordeal managed to stay calm and relaxed. He never once raised his voice - nor did he cry.

Instead, he delivered clear, precise instructions and for that I was extremely grateful.

You see, off-roading isn't about driving along a slightly muddy track or through an occasional puddle. Oh, if only!

In reality, you will find yourself teetering at the top of what seems like a sheer drop with no sign of where the track goes and you have to believe in your instructor and your vehicle in order to drive over the edge.

Once you build up the nerve to ease forward, you finally realise just how accomplished these vehicles are.

Technical features such as hill descent and traction control are often mentioned in motoring reviews, but it's only in extreme circumstances such as the Eastnor Castle route in Herefordshire that you can actually appreciate how important they are.

And central differential lock along with dual range transmission makes the Defender nigh on unstoppable.

There were times during the hour-long route along the tracks which have been Land Rover's proving ground for the past 50 years that the Defender was on two wheels and there were times when the water seemed to come splashing over the bonnet as it pushed its way confidently through the deep water troughs.

But not once did this powerhouse fail me and the longer the adventure lasted the more my confidence grew and the more I began to believe in the Defender's invincibility.

Of course, there were slides, slips and dips as it weaved its way confidently through each stage, but there was also more than one occasion when all I was doing was steering as the vehicle braked, accelerated and did everything else that was required.

The course at Eastnor has numerous obstacles to overcome and all of them seem to have names such as Gearbox Hill, ABS Hill and Freelander Hill which have been used to test out various aspects on the Land Rover range throughout years of constant change and development, but numerous other sections are named after minor mishaps around the course.

Mike explained that a section is known as Paolo's Panic as that's where a chap called Paolo got into trouble.

Another is referred to as Una's Hill because a young lady called Una got into all sorts of difficulty during a night drive. Basically, if you make enough of a fool of yourself out on that course, you could go down in history.

Thankfully, after my drive around Eastnor there is no part named after me.