The Imperial War Museum isn’t just one museum, it’s a family of five. There’s IWM London, IWM North up in Greater Manchester, the Churchill War Rooms, the historic ship HMS Belfast moored in the Pool of London on the Thames, and the one we were after today: IWM Duxford, just south of Cambridge and home to one of the finest aviation collections in the world.
Motorway miles with a purpose
Normally we’d seek out the twistiest back roads we could find, but not today. Duxford is a big old place and we knew we’d need every hour of daylight to do it justice, so it was straight onto the M6 and A14 heading east, making time rather than making memories. We didn’t even stop for breakfast, which tells you how keen we were.
A full day among the legends
With the mercury nudging past 30°C, the first job after parking the bikes was to peel off the leathers and change into something more comfortable. Then, entrance fees paid, we made a beeline for the nearest cafe for a diet coke and cake break. Priorities, after all.
Suitably refreshed, we spent over six hours wandering the exhibits. The huge American Air Museum alone is worth the trip, and the Battle of Britain exhibition was made all the better by a Spitfire performing a number of flybys overhead. There’s something about that Merlin engine note that no exhaust system on two wheels can quite match.
The highlight of the day, though, went to Bob, Windsor and Bonzo, who took to the skies themselves in a 1930s Dragon Rapide. Not a bad way to see the old airfield.
If you’ve even a passing interest in aviation or military history, Duxford deserves a full day of your time. Trust us, you’ll need it.
