Cycling UK Forum

Whippet wrote:Bovington tank museum, Portsmouth Historic shipyards - especially Victory and Warrior, Pitt Rivers in Oxford.

If in Portsmouth, try the Royal Armories at Fort Nelson.... especially if they are firing

The old black house in the north of Lewis was a superb find. Lived in until the mid 20th Century and with a traditional peat fire burning in the middle of the floor.
No chimney, so the smoke is a bit asthma inducing. I felt a bit kippered by the time I came out.

Russell-Cotes in Bournemouth and the Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshafen. I like Bovingdon (Father was in the RTR) and the tank museum in Saumur is a cracker.

Mustn't forget the Utah Beach D-Day Museum.

There's a long list, I try to get back to all of my favourites.

J.

Kelvingrove in Glasgow museum and art gallery. Trouble with some of the tourist type ones are that a lot of the exhibits are familiar to me from my childhood.

Cunobelin wrote:

Whippet wrote:Bovington tank museum, Portsmouth Historic shipyards - especially Victory and Warrior, Pitt Rivers in Oxford.

If in Portsmouth, try the Royal Armories at Fort Nelson.... especially if they are firing

Good idea, I’ll give it a go. I didn’t realise they “fired”, sounds excellent thanks.

Has anyone recommended the imperial War museum of the North? Seriously good, modern museum. If you don't leave with an emotional change in some way then you are heartless. Best way to describe how I felt when I left it is either shell shocked or thoughtful. It gave me a lot to think about.

If in Holland go to the maritime museum in den Helder. It's a pretty good museum.

As a kid my gran used to take us to Liverpool museum every holidays. It was my kind of place. Just too much to see in one day. I have not been back for possibly 30 years. Anyone been recently? Is it still a good museum?

Whippet wrote:

Cunobelin wrote:

Whippet wrote:Bovington tank museum, Portsmouth Historic shipyards - especially Victory and Warrior, Pitt Rivers in Oxford.

If in Portsmouth, try the Royal Armories at Fort Nelson.... especially if they are firing

Good idea, I’ll give it a go. I didn’t realise they “fired”, sounds excellent thanks.

Not often, but keep your eyes open.

We went to a Tattoo there a coupe of years ago.

!812 with Fireworks and cannon!

Inverarary jail in Argyll is well worth a visit . An old 18th century jail with live actors .

Today is international museums day
Visiting several museums, entry is free but there is a charge for guided tours, might spend more in the end, but it should be 'interesting'

I can think of loads of fascinating places ...

Pump museums - Abbey Pump Museum, Leicester (next door to the space centre, which is fascinating as well), Papplewick - don't forget the tour of the reservoir at the top of the hill, and have a look at the coalmine winding engine house (it works!). Visit both of these on open steam days.

The whole of the Ironbridge Gorge - get one of thier annual passes, you wont' regret it! And walk the fileds around the gorge, peering into the undergrowth and at likley lumps and bumps. Walk the streets around and above the town, and look at the buildings, not just the museums. Jackfield church is a delight, once you spot the bricks and tiles advertising the local companies wares.

In the peak district - walk around the fields above Brassington and up to Harbourough Rocks -lots of evidence of "cottage Industry" lead mining, all over the place - you can tracethe direction of the lead seams from the bumps in the ground! Have a walk up from Wettonmill to Ecton, where you'll find the remais of what was once the deepest copper mine in the world.

RAF Cosford - mind-blowing in parts, scary in others (what the Germans achieved in WW2, what the kamikaze pilots flew, and the cold war stuff), interesting everywhere.

Old Warden aerodrome - I spent hours there. It also has gardens that the little lady can visit when she gets bored!

Beltchley Park, and the computer museum (which I think is now separate)

Birmingham Museum Collection centre, they have an open day once in a while.

The Finch foundry at Sticklepath, near Okehampton.

The Cornish coastline - and some inland places as well (tin and copper mines, and clay pits)

The Peak District Mining Museum in Cromford - and the canal that runs from there to the junction with the High Peak Trail, visit when the pump is in steam. And walk around Cromford itself.

Quarry Bank mill.

I could go on ... - oh, I have!

Can't wait to visit places such as Sutton Hoo and Grimes Graves

I always enjoy visiting the local museums in the ports I visit when cruising. But far and away the favourite is Barmouth Sailors' Institute.

http://www.barsailinst.org.uk/

Was reminded of this one when passing through Churchill (NR Hagley) today http://www.churchillforge.org.uk/ Only opens occasionally

And the forge miilmuseum in Redditch http://www.forgemill.org.uk/web/. Info about the lifespan of the workers in the grinding room is scary.

Refditch for springs, we had a delivery where I used to work, a big pallet, contents: a million springs! How do they make and count them?

Hi all, IWM North is a waste of space! Poor display, even worse catering!!
For me the National Rail Museum is always worth a visit. But must get down to the National Cycle Museum. TTFN MM

If you're ever in Stavanger, Norway (and who but Vorpal would be ?) then take some time to visit the Norwegian Petroleum Museum on the dockside. https://www.norskolje.museum.no/en/

Sounds a bit 'niche' I know but it truly is very interesting for anyone with even a passing interest in the history of the North Sea Oil and Gas Industry. Or in heavy engineering.

The excellent exhibits cover from the discovery of the first strikes in the North Sea, through all the various disciplines involved in getting and supporting getting oil and gas, to frank appraisals of the future of the industry. The models of oil installations on show are the epitome of excellence of the model makers art; the industry had massive amounts of cash to throw at every facet so you can imagine just how detailed the models are !

There's even a donated 'drill floor' so you can experience just what it's like to work on a drilling rig.

The film show 'Oil Kid' is staggeringly good as a social commentary on the inter-generational effects of the wealth created since oil and gas fields were discovered.

And everything is dual language - Norwegian and English.

I can't recommend it highly enough !