Aviation museums with good access by public transport

So after paying £34 in taxi fees what did you actually do there (apart from have lunch)?

I took photos, some of which found their way onto a North Weald album on my website.

About 200 yards

After all the helpful advice I have got, I think Cosford will be on the cards. What is the name of the train station beside it. Their website says it’s Cosford Halt, but that station isn’t on the National Rail website, just Cosford.

One more question – is the lighting at Cosford better than Hendon?

How long a walk is it from the railway station to the actual museum?

I visited North Weald a few weeks ago – there is a bus from Harlow which takes you to the museum, though as I visited on a day when the museum was closed, and I went direct to the Squadron Club for lunch I used a taxi
(£24) from Harlow Railway Station. Afterwards the Squadron Club arranged a taxi for me which took me to Epping, London Underground, station for £10.

So after paying £34 in taxi fees 😮 what did you actually do there (apart from have lunch)?

Is it possible to walk from Epping station to North Weald? Im thinking of popping down there some time and was thinking of walking as it is cheaper.

Walk up through the town centre, turn right at the lights to the hospital and hop on the bus for the section through the forest. Takes about 25 minutes.

Is it possible to walk from Epping station to North Weald? Im thinking of popping down there some time and was thinking of walking as it is cheaper.

You could probably walk it if you knew where you were going, Ollie, but it would be a long hike – say two to three miles from Epping station to North Weald’s gatehouse, where the museum is situated, then another mile or so round the peri-track to the Squadron Club if you want to get close up to the C-54’s and the Expediter.
There is a railway station at North Weald but I think its a heritage railway which only runs at weekends between there and Ongar.

I visited North Weald a few weeks ago – there is a bus from Harlow which takes you to the museum, though as I visited on a day when the museum was closed, and I went direct to the Squadron Club for lunch I used a taxi
(£24) from Harlow Railway Station. Afterwards the Squadron Club arranged a taxi for me which took me to Epping, London Underground, station for £10.

Is it possible to walk from Epping station to North Weald? Im thinking of popping down there some time and was thinking of walking as it is cheaper.

Checked the time table for Cosford.

The vast majority of Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury trains do stop at Cosford and they run approx every hour. The odd train that doesn’t stop at Cosford stops at the next station Shifnal. Shifnal is a ten minute taxi ride to the RAF Museum.

Enjoy.

To my mind, Cosford is a better museum with more to see than Hendon – and they are both free!

Don’t worry about the station name, there’s only one at Cosford. Seven hours? Where on earth did you get that from?

To enlarge on my previous suggestion for Brooklands Museum – it has a real live (well not live!) Concorde, which you can take a ‘flight’ in (extra £4) and a number of other airliners you can look in. Plus a Wellington undergoing reconstruction, and other warplanes. Also a collection of cars and record breaking cars. A great day out, but it is not free entry.

All museums have websites.

Bri 😀

The lighting at Cosford’s much better than Hendon in as much as there is some. The main display hangars are well laid out and well lit. The National Cold War Exhibition is a little gloomy in places but still better than Hendon.

I guess Cosford Halt only serves the Museum and RAF station. As the name suggests it’s a halt rather than a full-scale station so how many trains stop there I’ve no idea. Unless a native of the area volunteers to find out, an email to the museum may help.

Lighting not Lightning!

After all the helpful advice I have got, I think Cosford will be on the cards. What is the name of the train station beside it. Their website says it’s Cosford Halt, but that station isn’t on the National Rail website, just Cosford.

One more question – is the lighting at Cosford better than Hendon?

Lightning’s at Cosford they have more than 1 ?
so the answer is yes.

After all the helpful advice I have got, I think Cosford will be on the cards. What is the name of the train station beside it. Their website says it’s Cosford Halt, but that station isn’t on the National Rail website, just Cosford.

One more question – is the lighting at Cosford better than Hendon?

Would like to be able to recommend Solway Aviation Museum at Carlisle, but the buses are few and far between in low season – really little more than a schools service; though in high summer season you could use the Hadrian’s Wall bus as we are just a short walk from the stop where the wall crosses the minor road through Laversdale village.

I visited North Weald a few weeks ago – there is a bus from Harlow which takes you to the museum, though as I visited on a day when the museum was closed, and I went direct to the Squadron Club for lunch I used a taxi
(£24) from Harlow Railway Station. Afterwards the Squadron Club arranged a taxi for me which took me to Epping, London Underground, station for £10.

Last week I visited St. George’s Chapel of Remembrance at Biggin Hill (train from Victoria to Bromley South, then 320 bus, which stops outside the door – first stop after the passenger terminal entrance.) This is the route I would recommend – afterwards I was headed to Croydon and had intended getting the 464 bus as far as the new tram terminus at New Addington but as the bus was full I had to walk this section – the walk over the Salt Box Hilll road to New Addington is not a pleasant one as it is a narrow road with no footpath and a lot of traffic.

Next stop Duxford next Tuesday, after which our museum at Carlisle re-opens for the season, so apart from Cosford and Bruntingthorpe in June I have nothing else planned at the moment.

Cosford museum if free, and the new cold war hanger open.
Train staion outside the gate also. but could not tell you what train or timetable would cover this line.

Central Trains from Wolverhampton about one an hour, I believe

Not sure where you get that idea from! Take the 9.10 from Euston, change at Birmingham New Street and you arrive at Cosford at 11.32. Total journey time: 2 hours 22 minutes.

Oops! Must be mixed up with somewhere else I was looking up on the web!

Edit: The Cosford website says to use Cosford Halt station, but the national rail website doesn’t have Cosford Halt, just Cosford station. Which is correct?

Thanks for all the advice! I’ll see what happens next month. I was thinking about Cosford but it would take about 7 hours to get there by train from London. Elvington looks manageable by train. If I was to take a taxi from York station would I be best to ask the driver to book a taxi to take me back?

yes it would be a good idea, that way you wont have to wait for the hourly bus, the naffi style cafe is good for food

Onthecrowdline & RLangham & others,
FInally found the bus info for Gatwick Aviation Museum:

http://surreybybus.pindar.com/

You want a train to Horley in Surrey, from London Victoria then for buses:

Click on “Journey Planner” type in “Horley” to “Charlwood” you will get 2 choices, you want the Charlwood in Surrey, pick your times etc.

It will give you bus route 527, ask the driver to drop you opposite The Greyhound Public House, then all you have to do is walk from Charlwood village up Lowfield Heath Road, from the pub to the museum should take no more than 10 mins.

If you cant make the Open Days then just contact Peter Vallance to make an appointment, his contact details are listed on the bottom of our website:

www.gatwick-aviation-museum.co.uk

or email Peter @: [email]pgvallance@aol.com[/email]

Bex

I was thinking about Cosford but it would take about 7 hours to get there by train from London

Not sure where you get that idea from! Take the 9.10 from Euston, change at Birmingham New Street and you arrive at Cosford at 11.32. Total journey time: 2 hours 22 minutes.

Thanks for all the advice! I’ll see what happens next month. I was thinking about Cosford but it would take about 7 hours to get there by train from London. Elvington looks manageable by train. If I was to take a taxi from York station would I be best to ask the driver to book a taxi to take me back?