Advice on Military Museums in or near London

[Zitadelle]

Originally posted by Tero:

A word of caution. If you drag along your girlfriend or wife do NOT seat her below the clock which is counting the war dead.

I don't think that will be a problem- for three days the wife will be working while I can play. And for the others days, she will be interested in whatever we do. She is interested in WWII as well, and her father flew C-47s out of England "Beyond Overlord."

[...................................]

Sorry Zitadelle I missed that you were only using the trains in the earlier post.

However in light of your wife's family connections I'm going to give the IWM Duxford an even bigger shout. Amongst its buildings is The American Air Museum which was built as a tribute to the American airmen who flew out of Britain, and unsurprisingly among the many aircraft there is a C47.

It's a bit fiddly to get there by train, as you go to Cambridge and get the complimentary coach from there, but I'd be amazed if you didn't think it was worth it.

Anyway I'll get off the soap box and wish you all the best for your trip.

Cheers.

[John D Salt]

Originally posted by Pheasant Plucker:

[snips]

However in light of your wife's family connections I'm going to give the IWM Duxford an even bigger shout.

[...]

It's a bit fiddly to get there by train, as you go to Cambridge and get the complimentary coach from there, but I'd be amazed if you didn't think it was worth it.

It's not a museum, but if you're going to be around Cambridge don't forget to look in and pay your respects to the American battle dead commemorated at Madingley:

http://www.abmc.gov/ca.htm

All the best,

John.

[c3k]

Zitadelle,

First, if you DON'T go to Bovington I'll start a campaign to have you permanently banned from these forums, to the extent of precluding viewing privileges.

My job takes me over the pond frequently, and I've been to London and done the Bovington trek. Here are some pointers to help you out.

I won't address the militaria on display. Simply one of the best I've ever been to.

Now, go to the Bovington web-site. Good. See the picture of the snack-bar? Don't even think about getting food there. (Very small, very limited, possibly very crowded.) You'd be well advised to pack a lunch - and, depending on appetite, dinner, as well. The train ride from London is hours long. (The stop is a small place, Wool. It has several benches along the rail and a window with limited hours.) The museum is just a few miles away. A taxi was conveniently waiting when the train arrived. (When I was done touring the displays, instead of calling or using a cab, I walked back to the station. Nice stroll, about 30 minutes.) Other than the VERY limited snack bar, the only other place I found that had ANY food was a gas station near the train station. It's in sight, just to the north of the tracks. Yes, a gas-station food-mart was where I found my dinner.

I had a relaxing ride there and back, enjoying a good book. I remember taking an early train, around 7 a.m., from London. I didn't return until later that evening, about 12 hours, or more, later. It's long day. Did I mention limited food choices? Do yourself a favor and grocery shop the day before. After all, an army marches on its stomach!

Enjoy,

Ken

[Holien]

Marks & Spencer does bloody good food to take on a journey.

C3K is spot on the money for the lack of decent food or places to eat.

H

[ March 01, 2005, 04:40 AM: Message edited by: Holien ]

[Andreas]

There is a pub in the village, about 500 yards from the railway station, and they do decent food. if you are an eskimo, you can sit outside and enjoy it.

When you come back from Bovington, walk past the railway station and follow the main road.

[rleete]

The pub, recommended to me, was closed when we went. Don't count on it.

The snack bar is best avoided. They know tanks, but evidently not much about food.

[Lawyer]

Originally posted by Zitadelle:

Another question-

As we consider a longer stay in the UK, is Stongehenge worth a visit? We are wondering especially since we will be in the UK around the Summer Solistice.

I don't like to be a wet blanket, but I can't recommend Stonhenge. First, it's a whole day trip by itself unless you get a tour bus that includes Salisbury, etc. But still the trip is a whole day. Second, these days I understand you can only look at Stonehenge from a distance rather than wandering around the individual stones. The stones are not that large by modern standards. I don't know if the museum there is worth more than what you can find on the internet or a book.

I initially visited 30 years ago when you could actually walk through Stonehenge and jump on the stones. Even then, I had the feeling "Is this all there is?" You first see it from a distance as a small thing when you crest a hill on the highway that runs right by it. Maybe the experience has improved since I last saw it 15 years ago.

Stonehenge is now located on an open plain that makes its size seem relatively small. In its prime, I believe it was a heavily wooded area, which would make the stones appear more impressive by comparison. Also, remember the people who built Stonehenge had never seen a skyscraper, so their idea of "impressive" may be disappointing to you. Basically, you should be aware it ain't the Grand Canyon in terms of breath-taking grandeur. So you should be prepared to appreciate it for its historical significance, which is enormous.

But visiting anywhere is important to see for yourself if you have the time. I'm just trying to give you some perspective so you can budget your time and resources.

[Wicky]

The UK one is a bit tatty and rundown, best see the original pristine concrete version in NZ which the Maori's built 1000 years before... (much warmer too!)

[Philippe]

I haven't been there in decades, but I would imagine that Stonehenge is so overrun by now that it would be hard to get a very good sense of place from it.

In my younger days my favorite summer sport was finding megalithic ruins. The more out of the way the better. I still have fond memories of crawling into the Stoney Littleton long barrow at sundown. (Don't try this at home, kids).

For a more accessible experience with a healthy dose of English charm (assuming that it hasn't been totally spoiled), I would recommend a visit to Avebury and (time permitting) Glastonbury. Avebury is built inside the site of a large megalithic ring that was at the end of an avenue of standing stones, a bit like what you find in Brittany. The village used to include a nice manor house with some lovely gardens that you could visit. A visit to Avebury is one of the most memorable ruin-visits that you're likely to have in that part of the world, right up there with New Grange in Ireland.

Avebury isn't all that far from Glastonbury, the site of a medieval monastery that supposedly housed the mortal remains of King Arthur. Lying in the shadow of Glastonbury Tor the area is quite magical and probably was Avalon.

You have to drive across the Salisbury plain to get to Avebury and Glastonbury, so you can stop at Stonehenge for a few minutes on your way out. What I'm describing is a long trip, so you'll need to start early, and might want to have dinner on your way back. Salisbury used to have nice pubs, a glorious cathedral, and a late-Medieval version of the Round Table (in the Middle Ages the difference between true and should have been true was a trifling technicality that everyone ignored).

[Soddball]

A few corrections for the Stonehengians:

I was there in November. The car park was relatively empty. You can walk around the stones, inside the perimeter ditch. It will be very busy in the summer months, though.

By Neolithic times (when the late phases of Stonehenge were completed) much of Britain had been divested of its forest cover. No point in building a fabulous sight if you can't see it on your approach. Lots of neolithic archaeology was expressly designed to be viewed. Stonehenge includes a long 'avenue' that leads away from the stones and then bends sharply and winds down towards the river Avon. The avenue was probably as much a part of the ritual.

Stonehenge is part of a larger ritual landscape, which includes Woodhenge, Avebury, Silbury Hill, and West Kennet. Stand at the centre of Stonehenge and look around you. In every direction, you can see low mounds - burial sites.

It is awe-inspiring.

[gautrek]

Originally posted by Philippe:

I haven't been there in decades, but I would imagine that Stonehenge is so overrun by now that it would be hard to get a very good sense of place from it.

In my younger days my favorite summer sport was finding megalithic ruins. The more out of the way the better. I still have fond memories of crawling into the Stoney Littleton long barrow at sundown. (Don't try this at home, kids).

Couldn't agree more about stonehenge.

I think its very overrated.I was a bit dissapointed with it.And also bear in mind you can't get anywhere near it now days as its roped off so you can't touch it.How crap is that.

I would recomend Avebury as well its most impressive.You can also go to Silbury Hill and west Kennet long barrow if you hire a car out.These are all within about 2 miles of averbury.

Megalitic map site

Check out this site for loads of stuff to see around Stonehenge and Avebury.

[Zitadelle]

Again thanks for all the advice and recommendations. And, we are still considering Stonehenge, but it might not be as certain as once before. We will be weighing on whether it can be done as part of another trek, or as part of the first/final day.

But, definitely continue the debate within the main topic.

Having read some histories on the Druids, I was aware of the area and that trees were not to be found in that part of the isle for thousands of years.

Also, does anyone know of the hours/days the pub near Bovington is open? And, what about lodging very near Bovington in the event that I decide to spend the night in the area?

I guess as we approach June, I will probably need to post another message asking for pub and restaurant recommendations.

[Philippe]

I'm not sure they'd let you do it, but the West Kennet Long Barrow has always struck me as an exceedingly good spot for a picnic.

As for the Druids, well...let's just say that most of the sites we've been talking about pre-date the coming of the Celts by a thousand years or so. Druids are historical. Megaliths are really old. What makes the early prehistoric stuff so much fun is that it is so old that there is absolutely no contact with anything we have written records about. The people/s who built the megaliths were almost certainly pre-Indo-European, and probably spoke something that sounded a bit like Basque (the only survivng pre-Indo-European language in Western Europe that I can think of at the moment).

[Soddball]

For people that want a basic overview of prehistoric Britain, Francis Pryor's "Britain BC" is the best choice.