Home > Group Travel > Itineraries > Military & Motoring Museums

Military & Motoring Museums

Day 1 - Military Memorabilia
Dorset and the surrounding area has a long history of military involvement, and the region continues to pay homage to this. From Dorchester, follow the A352 east to Wool, and then follow the signs north to Bovington and the Tank Museum. The museum houses the world's largest and most impressive collection of armoured fighting vehicles. A visit to the attraction will provide you with the opportunity to see the machinery first-hand, taking in 300 vehicles from over 28 countries.

Return to Dorchester, and allow yourself time to relax in one of the many cafes and eateries for a leisurely lunch. On the outskirts of the town you will find the Keep Military Museum, which documents over 300 years of plights of the Devon and Dorset Regiments. The combination of interactive displays and artefacts mean there is something to interest everyone. On display in the building are the medals, uniforms and weapons of past Devon and Dorset regiments, documenting changes in both tactics and clothing. Also notable are the stunning views over Dorset from the museum's battlements.

Day 2 - Air, Land & Sea
Head north of Dorchester on the A37 to Yeovil, and then continue to Yeovilton, home of the famous Fleet Air Arm Museum. The museum documents the development of naval aircraft from World War I to the present day. You will be given the opportunity to view the museum's Restoration Hangar, where aircraft and some of the larger aeronautical artefacts are conserved, preserved and restored for admiration by future generations. Lunch can be taken in the attraction's Swordfish Restaurant (named after a WWII biplane), or bring a packed lunch to eat in the picnic area outside the museum, where the enthusiast can observe aircraft from the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton undergoing their training procedures.

After lunch, continue north to Sparkford, where you will find one of the largest collections of motor vehicles in Europe. The Haynes Motor Museum houses over 300 cars and motorbikes, and is credited with the most comprehensive international exhibit of its kind in the country, containing examples of motor vehicles from 1886 to the present day. Among the collection can be found classic cars of the 1950s and 60s, sports cars (including an impressive range of speedway vehicles), super cars and military vehicles.