For our last day in Shropshire, we visited a place Jon had earmarked since we first rocked up there, 3 months ago…
When we left you last, we had just got to (another) pub stop! It was certainly an interesting one as there were height barriers at both car park entrances. Now, the Guy on the phone did tell Jon this so we had a heads up. It didn’t make it any less strange though as usually a height barrier would be our worst enemy.
Exactly as described, one of them was fastened with a bit of rope so you can undo it and get in to the car park. We did get a few strange looks from the people sitting outside of the pub. Maybe they thought we were breaking in?
Blundering Rule Breakers
I have to say, if we were in fact busting in to a height restricted car park it would have been the most pathetic display of rule breaking. I struggled to reach the bit where the rope was tied and then got left standing there for ten minutes in broad daylight whilst Jon went to turn around so he was coming in from the right angle.
Thankfully, no one called the Police on us and we were able to get some dinner. Considering it was off of a dual carriageway, it was surprisingly quiet and we had a peaceful night.
The location worked out perfectly because the next day we were at RAF Cosford within 25 minutes. It was absolutely sweltering though, one of those days that makes me grateful to have my home with me. It means you can freshen up and change if necessary on the go (all my fellow Sweaty Bettys will feel me on this).
Plenty of room at the Inn
At the museum, they have 3 large car parks so parking the motorhome was a breeze! In fact, we managed to get right outside which was even better.
Entry is free but you do still have to book in advance. This way you get a dedicated time slot and it helps to monitor the flow of people. The staff were so polite and every member we spoke to on our way round was friendly. Plus they have sanitation stations everywhere and a one way system through every hangar.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Museum (see the Vlog here). Jon loves anything transport or engineering based, in particular planes and trains. Getting to walk around and see the displays up close was awesome. It’s not just a parade of planes, everything is set out in time periods that flow between the hangars. They have related memorabilia and artefacts on display too. You are totally immersed in not just the history behind these magnificent machines, but the part they played in some of the world’s most significant events.
We happened to visit on not just Battle of Britain day, but the 80th anniversary. Suddenly everything in that particular exhibition became very emotive and we were so chuffed we had visited on that day. Seeing the words to Churchill’s famous speech gave us chills to be honest!
Picking Park-ups over Paninis
All the feels in that heat required all the refreshments afterwards. We decided to hit up the cafe in the lobby and took some fresh cooked paninis back to the van. The RAF Museum was our last stop in Shropshire and in that area of England, from here we decided to head across East!
Whilst we munched on tuna melts, we sorted out our stop for the following night which was the very lovely Jubilee Park in Woodhall Spa.
Jubilee Park is a community run space which includes a fitness centre, Play park, swimming pool, gardens, an outside cafe and of course the campsite. It was only £15 a night and included electric if you need it. They also had immaculately kept facilities including a launderette.
More on that in the next post though. For our stop after the museum, we were hoping to do a nice quiet park up between Cosford and Jubilee Park. The first one we drove to was on quite a slope and even with our self levelling air suspension, we were on a bit of a lean. Plus it was near a busier road than we realised so we decided to try a different one.
BritStops Win Again
After a second no go, we hit up our reliable BritStop book and found a lovely pub not too far away in Saxilby.
We arrived quite late but they were fab about it and we still had time to pop in for a drink before closing. Even better than that, 2 whiskeys and bar snacks only came to £8 so we were very happy with our choice of stop! To top it off, one of the regulars had gotten married that day and whilst they were celebrating, he bought everyone in the pub a round of shots.
Jon didn’t take the shot but being the trooper that I am, I did. Sambuca, Whiskey, Pork Scratchings and Mini Cheddars made for a surprisingly nice nightcap to finish off our day.
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