Ingliston Circuit
Ingliston Circuit at a glance
- Location
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Type
- historic circuit (defunct)
- Length
- 1.657 km (1.03 mi)
- Turns
- 12
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1965
- Owner
- Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS)
- Website
- ingliston.co.uk
Track map and layout
Ingliston's full circuit ran to just over a mile (1.657km/1.03 miles) with 12 corners, formed mainly by widening the Royal Highland Showground's own access roads rather than building a purpose-made track - only the tight Esses section was built from scratch. That gave it a reputation as one of Britain's more hazardous small circuits, with trees, kerbs, buildings and little run-off crowding right up to the track edge and almost no margin for error. A 1968 extension added roughly 600 feet to the north-east, lengthening the back straight and adding a hairpin and left-hander so the venue could run two circuit configurations. Today only the northern section of the old layout survives in usable form, used for supercar driving experiences rather than wheel-to-wheel racing.
Named corners and sections
- The Esses. The only section built specifically for racing rather than adapted from an existing showground access road.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Full circuit (1965-1994) | 1.66 km | The main national-level layout used for most of the circuit's life |
| Extended layout (from 1968) | — | Added roughly 600ft of extra track to the north-east with a hairpin and left-hander |
Events and race weekends
Ingliston was Scotland's leading motor racing venue for close to three decades, hosting national and international single-seater, saloon and sportscar racing plus visits from Formula 1 names such as Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss. It has held no wheel-to-wheel car racing since the circuit's official closure in 1994. The site now hosts the annual Royal Highland Show on the wider showground land, plus occasional rally stages, sprints and revival track days on the surviving section of circuit, rather than a fixed motorsport calendar.
Getting there and parking
Ingliston sits immediately next to Edinburgh Airport on the western edge of the city, making it one of the most accessible former circuits in Britain to reach - it is a short walk or tram ride from the airport terminal and just off the M8/A8 corridor into Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Trams line calls at Ingliston Park and Ride, right by the showground.
- Edinburgh Airport (EDI) · about 5 min drive
Parking
The Royal Highland Centre has extensive showground parking, generally free outside major events such as the Royal Highland Show, when charges and pre-booking can apply.
Combine a look at the surviving track with the adjoining Royal Highland Centre, which still hosts the Royal Highland Show and other exhibitions on the wider Ingliston site.
Hotels and camping near Ingliston Circuit
Because Ingliston sits right by Edinburgh Airport, visitors have the full range of airport-area hotels within a few minutes' drive, plus easy tram or bus access into Edinburgh city centre for a much larger choice of accommodation if combining the visit with a city stay. There is no on-site camping associated with the old circuit itself.
Where to look
Edinburgh Airport hotel cluster for convenience; Edinburgh city centre, a short tram ride away, for a wider range of options.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Ingliston no longer hosts competitive racing, but the surviving northern section of the old circuit is used commercially for supercar driving experiences, where visitors can drive cars such as Lamborghinis, Ferraris and McLarens around part of the historic layout; the wider track has also been reopened for occasional sprint events and two revival meetings, in 2015 and 2017.
Who runs days here
Spectator guide
There is no regular ticketed motorsport spectator event at Ingliston now; the 2015 revival meeting, which drew around 11,000 visitors for the track's first competitive running in over 20 years, is the closest recent example of the circuit functioning as a spectator venue again.
History of Ingliston Circuit
Built from a showground's own access roads
Ingliston Racing Circuit opened on 11 April 1965, created almost by accident: the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland was widening and linking access roads around its Ingliston showground near Edinburgh, and Scottish Motor Racing Club secretary Ian Scott-Watson persuaded the society that building those roads to double as a race circuit would generate useful extra revenue. With the loss of Charterhall at the end of 1964, Scottish motorsport needed a new home, and Ingliston filled the gap almost immediately.
Scotland's top circuit for three decades
Only the tight Esses were purpose-built; the rest of the 1.03-mile, 12-corner lap used the showground's own roads, hemmed in tightly by trees, kerbs and buildings that gave Ingliston a reputation as one of the more hazardous circuits on the British calendar. A 1968 extension lengthened the back straight and added a hairpin, allowing two circuit configurations. Despite the tight confines, Ingliston drew genuine star power over the years, including Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart (who raced his own Formula 1 car there in 1970), Stirling Moss and, later, David Coulthard, Allan McNish and Dario Franchitti.
Squeezed out by modern facilities
By the early 1990s Ingliston's ageing, minimal safety infrastructure and cramped layout could not compete with the purpose-built Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife, which had opened in 1974 and drawn Scotland's national racing programme away over time. Rising costs of maintaining and marshalling a circuit built from public-facing showground roads, rather than a purpose-made track, made it increasingly uneconomic, and the circuit officially closed to racing on 16 September 1994.
What survives today
The wider Ingliston site continues as the Royal Highland Centre, still hosting the Royal Highland Show and other exhibitions on land that includes the old racing venue. The northern section of the circuit survives well enough to host commercial supercar driving experiences and occasional sprint events, and a 2015 revival meeting - the first competitive running of the full circuit in more than two decades - drew around 11,000 visitors, followed by a second revival in 2017.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ingliston circuit still exist?+
Part of it does. The northern section of the old layout survives and is used for supercar driving experiences and occasional sprints, but the full circuit has not hosted competitive wheel-to-wheel racing since it officially closed on 16 September 1994, apart from one-off revival meetings in 2015 and 2017.
What is at Ingliston now?+
The Royal Highland Centre, home of the annual Royal Highland Show and other exhibitions, occupies the wider showground site, with the surviving part of the old circuit used commercially for supercar driving experiences.
Why did Ingliston stop hosting motor racing?+
The circuit's tight, showground-road-based layout and minimal safety infrastructure could not keep up with the purpose-built Knockhill Racing Circuit that opened in Fife in 1974, and rising costs made it increasingly uneconomic; it closed to racing in September 1994.
How long was the Ingliston circuit?+
The full circuit used from 1965 to 1994 was 1.03 miles (1.657km) with 12 corners, extended in 1968 with an extra section to the north-east.
Can you drive on the old Ingliston circuit today?+
Yes, on a limited basis - commercial supercar driving experience operators run guests around part of the surviving northern section of the track.
Which famous drivers raced at Ingliston?+
Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart (who ran his own Formula 1 car there in 1970), Stirling Moss, David Coulthard, Allan McNish and Dario Franchitti all raced or drove at Ingliston.
Other tracks nearby
- Knockhill Racing Circuit · 22 km · road course
- Charterhall · 68 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Croft Circuit · 201 km · road course
- Clypse Course · 208 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- St John's Short Course · 210 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Isle of Man TT Mountain Course · 211 km · public road circuit
Facts checked against 4 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.