28 replies to this topic

[GAH]

I'll be visiting London for the first time in a few weeks and will attend the Goodwood Revival then staying on for several days to see the sights. Are there some good car museums within the greater London area worth visiting? Thanks.

[Cirrus]

Whilst not exactly Greater London, Brooklands Museum is very accessible by train from Central London (15 min walk from Weybridge Station, which is about 35min from Waterloo).

Wasn't there a thread similar to this a few weeks ago?

[garyfrogeye]

I think there was. and I may have said.... not a car meuseum but the Ace Cafe (especially the Classic cars night on the 2nd Tuesday evening of every month) is a great place and a mecca for motorcylist. They also do a mean toad in the hole.
Only five munutes walk or so from Hanger Lane Tube.

[Roy C]

Only five munutes walk or so from Hanger Lane Tube.

The Ace Cafe is about a mile along the A406 North Circular Road from Hanger Lane Station, but close to Stonebridge Park Station.
http://www.ace-cafe-.../directions.pdf

Brooklands Museum

[MrAerodynamicist]

At a tangent, the Science Musuem is worth an afternoon. It's not completely offtopic; it has got a nougthies McLaren, as well as a few road cars dotted about.

[Vitesse2]

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is not impossible as a day trip from London, even without a car: train from Waterloo to Brockenhurst and then either taxi or bus.

[garyfrogeye]

The Ace Cafe is about a mile along the A406 North Circular Road from Hanger Lane Station, but close to Stonebridge Park Station.
http://www.ace-cafe-.../directions.pdf

Brooklands Museum

What do I know, I always drive there

[Pullman99]

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is not impossible as a day trip from London, even without a car: train from Waterloo to Brockenhurst and then either taxi or bus.

I think that going to Brockenhurst would involve catching the New Forest Tour bus to eventually arrive at the NMM although you can hop on and off at other venues as well.

An alternative would be to go by train to Southampton and then take the hourly bus to Hythe to connect with the 112 service towards Lymington.

A slighty more adventurous way is to take the free Shuttle bus from the Railway Station to the Town Quay in Southampton and connect with the half-hourly ferry down Southampton Water to Hythe. This also involves taking a trip on an electric train that is over 100 years old along Hythe Pier to connect with the 112 bus. The 112 goes into the main entrance road for the National Motor Museum and the set-down / pick up stop is adjacent to the Visitor Services Building. Just watch the times!

Town Quay shuttle times

Hythe Ferry Timetable

Service 112 Hythe to Beaulieu bus times

Don't forget the London Transport Museum at Covent Garden and The Museum of London (which has a Ford Model Y).

Edited by Pullman99, 16 August 2011 - 18:22.

[MrAerodynamicist]

More tangents; for planes, tanks and other things, there's the Imperial War Musuem. For a more nautical theme, there's the National Maritime Musuem (more a Musuem of Small Items, with a relatively limited number of actual boats. But where else can you see Nelson's blood soacked jacket?) and HMS Belfast.

I think even the biggest of transport nerds could overdose on a holiday of Brooklands + Beaulieu + Science + London Transport + Imperial War + National Martime + HMS Belfast.

[Pullman99]

I think even the biggest of transport nerds could overdose on a holiday of Brooklands + Beaulieu + Science + London Transport + Imperial War + National Martime + HMS Belfast.

No. We're talking TNFrs here!

[Vitesse2]

Okay, how about adding the RAF Museum at Hendon, Thames Barrier Visitor Centre, Kew Bridge Steam Museum, Crossness Pumping Station, the Brunel Museum ...

[Doug Nye]

If you decide to take the above advice and go down to Southampton for the next leg to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, I recommend you also take time to visit Solent Sky, the aviation museum in Southampton itself...Short Sandringham flying boat - once flown by Jack Brabham when it was in Ansett service Sydney-Lord Howe Island (if I recall correctly), the Schneider Trophy Supermarine S6 (though you might see that in the Spirit of Aviation display at the Goodwood Revival); Saunders-Roe flying boat fighter (the most remarkable single-seater in the UK); Sea Vixen, Gnat, and many more. It's a wonderful place, very friendly and enthusiastic staff and if you ask nicely you can go up onto the big Sandringham's flight deck...a most evocative experience, highly recommended.

DCN

[Nick Barltrop]

The Kew Transport Museum was a wonderfully quirky collection of vehicles, owned and created by Mike Wilsden, who I believe worked for AC Cars on chassis design/engineering in the '60s - does anyone know if it still exists or is ever open? It used to have a website but I haven't been able to locate it again. One of the exhibits was a four-wheel steering autotest special called Mobi 1 that I sold to Mike some years ago

[Pullman99]

Saunders-Roe flying boat fighter (the most remarkable single-seater in the UK); Sea Vixen, Gnat, and many more. It's a wonderful place, very friendly and enthusiastic staff and if you ask nicely you can go up onto the big Sandringham's flight deck...a most evocative experience, highly recommended.DCN

Yes indeed. The Sandringham was based for a short while, when owned by Edward Hulton (of Picture Library fame), at the former flying boat base at Calshot and I saw it take off from there on its final flight from the UK before eventually returning here for preservation. Great stuff! The SRA1 jet flying boat is also a thing of immense wonder and having this preserved close to its birthplace (at Cowes) makes it one of Solent Sky's stars. The SRA1 was also the donor of one of the Metrovick Beryl engines used in Bluebird K7 when first built (and used for all of the boat's record achievements). The museum has had a precarious financial existence in the past but has remained immune from local goverment cuts that have affected museums elsewhere by being independent. Southampton is (was) currently intending to spend several millions to craete a maritime museum in the Civic Centre that will feature the RMS Titanic as its core story but I suspect there may be counter arguments over how that money could be better spent on projects like Solent Sky. As to the giant Spitfire sculpture (costing £2M), that is also underway...

Go visit!

[Alexey Rogachev]

Although the subject of question is rather far from London (even Greater London), it definitely doesn't deserve starting a new thread. The question itself is as follows: what is the most suitable railway station to get off to get to Donington Park? A search on the web gives at least three different stations: Nottingham, Long Eaton, and East Midlands Parkway. So which one to prefer? By 'the most suitable' I mean not 'the nearest' but 'the most convenient and easy way from the station to the circuit'. To be more exact: I take no particular interest in the circuit itself but would like to visit the Donington Grand Prix Collection.

[Vitesse2]

East Midlands Parkway is the closest, but you'll need to get a taxi when you get there, as there's no bus service to Donington Park:

http://forums.autosp...w...t&p=4315949

[BRG]

You can get the Skylink bus to EM Airport from either Derby or Nottingham stations, then it is a bit of a walk to the museum.

[Russell Burrows]

What's all this get a bus, get a train, walk, stuff - any self respecting petrol head will surely borrow/hire some transport? To the original poster: over the years, right wing ideologues have pretty much stuffed the public transport system- its outrageously expensive, and often unreliable. Get yourself some wheels.

WTF... just realised this thread is ancient.

Edited by Russell Burrows, 08 January 2012 - 19:24.

[Alexey Rogachev]

Perhaps this would be the best way but: a) I'm not accustomed to left-hand driving; b) I will stay in a hotel almost in the centre of London; c) Donington is the only place outside of London that I'm going to visit during the six days in the UK. I believe that a journey to Donington and back by train and bus/taxi won't be much more expensive than hiring a car for one day, and much cheaper from the point of view of nerves ;)

Vitesse and BRG, thank you!

Edited by Alexey Rogachev, 08 January 2012 - 19:32.

[Russell Burrows]

Perhaps this would be the best way but: a) I'm not accustomed to left-hand driving; b) I will stay in a hotel almost in the centre of London; c) Donington is the only place outside of London that I'm going to visit during the six days in the UK. I believe that a journey to Donington and back by train and bus/taxi won't be much more expensive than hiring a car for one day, and much cheaper from the point of view of nerves ;)

Vitesse and BRG, thank you!

Have a go son, twenty minutes into it and you'll be driving like a London cab driver.

[Catalina Park]

If you rent a car in London and you are not familiar with the place it could be a nightmare. Plus there is the congestion tax thing as well.
When we were last there we spent our time in London using the underground for a week and then when we were going to do the country we got the train back to Heathrow and picked up the rental car from there.
We could then learn how to drive an unfamiliar car on unfamiliar roads without having to do it in a busy city.
When we finished our tour of England and Scotland we dropped the car back at the airport and got on the plane.

[Arjan de Roos]

East Midlands Parkway is the closest, but you'll need to get a taxi when you get there, as there's no bus service to Donington Park:

http://forums.autosp...w...t&p=4315949

A few years ago I came from Birmingham, took the train to Derby and then the bus to Donington Park. But then again, I am Dutch.

Best is of course to fly to East Midlands Airport and grab a bike ;-)

[Marticelli]

The other indespensible aid to driving in a strange land these days is of course the satnav (rent one or bring your own). Not only does it get you where you want to go, if you have a decent one (a relatively recent TT for example) it shows you the way to negotiate the next roundabout (helpful if you are unsure about 'links fahren') and can even help you avoid the traffic jam a few miles ahead by directing you round it without intervention. Yes it really works! Usual disclaimers by the way...

Marticelli

Edited by Marticelli, 09 January 2012 - 11:27.

[D-Type]

I've never been to Donington.

I would probably drive and trust the satnav. But Alexey is unhappy with driving on the wrong side of the road with a different alphabet etc.

So it's a case of go by public transport, where simplicity is the key. Train from London to East Midlands Parkway (or possibly Nottingham or Long Eaton) then bus from the station to East Midlands Airport. Although it is possible to walk from there, I would take a taxi for the last bit. Going home I would walk to the airport and get the bus from there to the station and train back to London.

Never rent a satnav - with the price the car rental companies charge, it is almost as cheap to buy one and you can always give it to someone (your host or their offspring) when you leave.

[Alexey Rogachev]

But Alexey is unhappy with driving on the wrong side of the road with a different alphabet etc.

[Vitesse2]

Train from London to East Midlands Parkway (or possibly Nottingham or Long Eaton) then bus from the station to East Midlands Airport. Although it is possible to walk from there, I would take a taxi for the last bit. Going home I would walk to the airport and get the bus from there to the station and train back to London.

Well, you could do that if there was still a bus service between Parkway and the airport ...

[D-Type]

Well, you could do that if there was still a bus service between Parkway and the airport ...

My mistake - getting my stations confused. (Well, it is north of the river isn't it?)

You can get the Skylink bus to EM Airport from either Derby or Nottingham stations, then it is a bit of a walk to the museum.

But having used train and bus to get to East Midlands Airport, I would still advise investing in a cab for the last bit rather than walking if you don't know the way. Can someone who knows the area advise whether a cab from one of the stations is affordable or a better bet. Time comes into the equation too.

[Pullman99]

Can someone who knows the area advise whether a cab from one of the stations is affordable or a better bet. Time comes into the equation too.

Morning!

Used to live in Melbourne (so could walk!).

East Midlands Parkway is operated by East Midlands Trains and features twice hourly services from London St Pancras and also Megabus Plus services from as far afield as Burnley. Fares start at just £1. There used to be a half-hourly bus service from the station to East Midlands Airport but that was withdrawn when council support funding dried up leaving East Midlands Airport as possibly the only airport in the world without a direct shuttle from its nearest raiulway station. You can, as has been mentioned, catch a Skylink service bus from Derby or Nottingham (Derby is closer) both one station away from EMP. To get to Donington from EMP by taxi would be about a £10 fare (that's the charge to the airport) and the service is operated by Village Cars under contract to the train operating company. Hope this helps.

Edited by Pullman99, 09 June 2018 - 07:48.

[Alexey Rogachev]

Thanks to everyone who has replied to this thread, now I have a number of possible ways to Donington to choose from

Edited by Alexey Rogachev, 21 January 2012 - 10:27.