Going to London in the UK for 3 days!

[Michel Lemieux]

Bringing my older kids for a long weekend!

Not too far doable by metro & bus.

Hit me with the ''to go'' places.

Of course I was thinking the RAF museum & the Imperial war museum......or maybe even Brookland

But I wanted your take on it.

Cheers!

[quemerford]

I'd certainly recommend Brooklands: it has a lot to look at and a lot of restored and unrestored history to look at. It also has the added benefit of being a bit further away from the madding crowds.

[Paul Stroud]

If you like Mosquitoes there are 3 here, including the prototype, plus a lot of other DH aircraft both civil and mil, all at the site where the aeroplane was designed and the prototype was built. Thoroughly recommended, and gettable to by public transport

https://www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk/vis ... o-find-us/

[JohnB]

Don't forget the Science Museum.
Years ago if you were tall enough (which I was), you could reach up and touch the tire of Alcock and Brown's Vickers Vimy.

The first time I went to the IWM, they had a FW-190 on the floor...with a drop pan underneath. Also, the Mosquito displayed minus its right wing. Both have moved on now.

But if you run short of time, easy to do, stick with the RAFM. The ride to Hendon is a bit long, but very doable.

Too bad the great aviation and auto bookshop at Leicester Square is closrd...

Last edited by JohnB on Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

[RyanShort1]

What about old bases?

[Hooligan2]

What about old bases?

Within the M25 motorway:
Hendon - RAF Museum and otherwise now housing estate/police college - tube ride
Northolt - active mostly with exec jets - tube ride/walk, no public access
Biggin Hill - active with GA, plus Spitfire operation - train and bus - really need car and access to Spitfire Hangar requires prebooking and payment otherwise no public access
Croydon - trading estate and common land, museum in Old terminal - train and walk/bus
Kenley - active six days/week with gliders, runways and some of infrastructure such as blast pens still visible, area outside perimeter track is permanently common land, runways accessible when no flying - train/walk (steep climb!)
Hornchurch - housing/common land, nothing left so far as I know - train/walk

[Archer]

IWM is a quick visit as the aviation content is mostly the bits in the main hall. If you'd like to see more of the museum, it can take up most of your day. Hendon is certainly worth the trip (Colindale tube station, 10min walk), don't forget the Graham White hangar. The Science Museum is a must, just for the S6b, Vimy and some other unique bits, if you're only there for the aviation side, it can be done in less than half a day. You can get to Brooklands by taking a train from Waterloo Station to Weybridge (30mins) then take a taxi or a 15 min walk. It could take up most of a day. De Havilland museum... highly recommended but not as easy to get to (although I haven't tried it by public transport). Enjoy!

Ps. If you need more, consider HMS Belfast and the Churchill War Rooms.

Last edited by Archer on Fri Mar 24, 2023 10:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

[dhfan]

Aaargh! Never "the" in front of HMS.

There was a similar request on PPrune a couple of months ago, although that was for a week over Christmas.

https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history ... t-see.html

Bear in mind if planning to use trains, strikes are still ongoing.

[Michel Lemieux]

Thank you all! Will keep you posted of my visits

[maradamx3]

Years ago there were specific buses that went to Duxford. Definitely look into that day trip.

[old iron]

The Science Museum is a must, just for the S6b, Vimy and some other unique bits

also the only surviving original Fokker Eindecker. This is without fabric, so all the original wood is there to be seen.

As I know you have connections, try to talk your way into the storage facility at Wroughton, maybe a couple of hours west of London. Sort of like the Garber Facility, on steroids (less aircraft, but you have to appreciate a collecting philosophy that want everything).

[dhfan]

As I kept stressing on the PPrune thread, he's only here for a few days - and that was a week, not 3 days.

50 or 60 miles is only the end of the street in North America. Here, it's not necessarily that simple at short notice.

[bdk]

National Motor Museum in Beaulieu is quite good for automotive subjects. The Tank Museum is amazing as well. Duxford is a can't miss with their museums too, both aircraft and armor.

[dhfan]

Yet again, he's in London for 3 days!

[p51]

My wife and I did London in 3 days on our cross-pond trip in 2018. Paris, in the same amount of time.
But even though our hotel was within walking distance of the science museum (we were on Cromwell Road) and we walked past it twice, we just never had the time to go inside. I had to choose Hendon or the IWM, and I think I chose wisely by doing the IWM, though I would have loved to see their B-17 at Hendon. IWM has that neat Lancaster (B III DV732) foreword fuselage, which you can get right next to. Seeing their massive WW1 collection on display for the tail end of the 100th anniversary of WW1, that sealed it as a good call.
As for Paris, same thing; I only had time for one military museum, so we went to the Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides, right after we got to our hotel. Good call there, too.