Planes, trams and automobiles

Nigel Hutson embarks on a mini-tour of transport museums

Whether you’re inspired by the stylish designs of a bygone age or enjoy stepping back in time to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the past, a transport museum can offer an entertaining and nostalgic day out. Fortunately, many campsites on the Club’s network are within easy reach of some top attractions.

My starting point on this mini-adventure is The Firs Club Campsite near Belper in Derbyshire. For lovers of historical transport, it couldn’t be a more ideal base: there are two museums within easy reach of the site, both offering discounts via the Club’s Great Savings Guide page.

Great British Car Journey

Minis and a Mk1 Ford Escort

Only a couple of miles from The Firs is Great British Car Journey, a museum dedicated to British car design and manufacture. There are more than 130 cars on display in the museum at any given time, and with over 200 in the collection, the exhibits change frequently. For an extra cost, there’s the ‘Drive Dad’s Car’ experience, which allows visitors to get behind the wheel of one of several classic vehicles.

The visit starts with a section dedicated to the Austin 7, passes through Britain’s golden age of car manufacturing, and ends in the early 2000s. An interactive guide on a tablet takes you through the exhibits, detailing the history of each one, often with some quirky anecdote thrown in. Once-familiar names, such as Hillman, Rover and Triumph, and Ford’s Cortina, Escort and Granada – now consigned to history – are all represented, but one thing’s for sure, you’ll not be able to stop yourself saying, “I remember them” or, in my case, “I had one of those”!

If you think that ‘pop-top’ caravans are something new, think again; here, they even have one displayed with a matching 1934 Austin 7. And there’s a 1971 Ford Transit camper!

It's lovely to see not only the likes of Rolls Royces, a DeLorean and a Jensen, but what were everyday cars like the Austin Metro, Vauxhall Cavalier or Triumph Toledo too. The last Morris Minor ever built is also part of the collection, having been lovingly restored to its former glory.

Should you need sustenance, there’s a large café, and of course there’s a shop where you can buy all kinds of car memorabilia. Club members save £3.50 on the price of entry to the museum – see camc.com/greatsavingsguide for more information, terms and conditions.

Crich Tramway Village

Crich Tramway Village

Just 10 minutes’ drive or so from The Firs is Crich Tramway Village, home of the National Tramway Museum. Here you will find a recreated period village, which includes the Red Lion pub, shops and a café (a new building was being constructed when we visited), as well as tram depots and a workshop with viewing gallery. The Great Exhibition Hall also contains a static ‘Century of Trams’ display, spanning the 1860s to the 1960s.

Tram rides run every 10-15 minutes throughout the day when the museum is open, starting from Town End Terminus in the village and travelling up to Glory Mine, just over three-quarters of a mile away. If you happen to be on the top deck, there are great views over the adjacent Derwent Valley countryside on one side, or into the working quarry on the other.

There are a couple of stops en route at which you are free to board or alight, and it’s a nice walk back through woodland and the sculpture trail. Tram rides are unlimited with the entry fee.

As well as the main attractions, there are indoor and outdoor play areas to enjoy – we often take our grandchildren there for the day. Club members can take advantage of a ‘two for one’ offer on entry to Crich Tramway Village – see camc.com/greatsavingsguide for more information, terms and conditions.

South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum

Second World War shelter at South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum

An hour or so’s drive from The Firs sees us cross into Nottinghamshire and arrive at the Club’s beautiful Clumber Park campsite.

It would have been easy to simply relax on site or walk around the park itself, but we had two more museums to visit, both with a military aircraft theme.

Following an easy journey on the A1 we arrived at South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum in Doncaster just over half an hour later. This is another attraction listed in the Club’s Great Savings Guide – members save 25% on entry (see camc.com/greatsavingsguide for more information).

Based at the former RAF Doncaster, this is a compact museum with many of the exhibits located indoors, including a large collection of helicopters. They cover a wide timeframe too, from the 1850s up to 2023, when an ex-RAF Hawk trainer was added to the roster.

There’s an excellent section dedicated to the 1982 Falklands conflict that features artefacts as well as first-hand accounts of the war. Among those listed as having given their lives, I spotted the names of an old schoolfriend who served on HMS Coventry, and our daughter-in-law’s uncle, who was on HMS Sheffield.

Other indoor displays are entitled ‘The Sheffield Blitz’ and ‘The Operations Room’, the latter providing an insight into aerial defence planning in 1940.

Newark Air Museum

Avro Shackleton

Half an hour’s drive south of Clumber Park is the Newark Air Museum, located next door to Newark Showground on the former RAF Winthorpe. More spacious than the intimate South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum, it features some much larger aircraft, including an Avro Vulcan bomber and Avro Shackleton long-range maritime patrol aircraft, both of which you can climb into (for £1) when open.

Among the many outdoor exhibits are an ex-RAF Lightning and Jaguar, and an RN Buccaneer and Gannet, to mention but a tiny few. Indoors there are many more, including several Swedish Saabs and a Hawker Siddeley Gnat (the type that the Red Arrows RAF display team originally flew).

As well as the myriad of fascinating aircraft, other indoor exhibits include written and photographic histories detailing the bravery of aircrews during various conflicts over the past 100 years or so. Oh, and don’t forget to seek out the witty Red Barrows display while you’re there!

All the museums we visited have excellent parking facilities, so there should be ample space, but perhaps check ahead if you are in a motorhome. It is also worth checking beforehand regarding ease of accessibility, if required. I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief journey taking in some of England’s most fascinating attractions – for more transport-themed ideas, take a look at the panel on the left of this page.

Fly-drive

Four more transport-themed museums to visit…

British Motor Museum, Warwickshire
Home to the world’s largest collection of British cars, including HUE 166, the very first (pre-production) Land Rover.
Info: britishmotormuseum.co.uk
Member offer available: see camc.com/greatsavingsguide for details, terms and conditions

Stay at: Warwick Racecourse Club Campsite

Bury Transport Museum, Lancashire
Combine a trip on the East Lancashire Railway with a visit to the museum where you’ll see everything from bicycles to steamrollers, buses to tractors.
Info: eastlancsrailway.org.uk

Stay at: Burrs Country Park Club Campsite

Fleet Air Museum, Somerset
As well as historic Royal Navy aircraft, this museum is home to a Concorde airliner and supersonic aircraft, the Fairey Delta.
Info: nmrn.org.uk

Stay at: Ilminster Club Campsite

National Motor Museum, Hampshire
Part of the Beaulieu attraction in the New Forest, and housing the Club’s Collection, this museum covers 130 years of motoring history.
Info: beaulieu.co.uk
Member offer available: see camc.com/greatsavingsguide for details, terms and conditions

Stay at: Black Knowl Club Campsite