De Havilland Museum

[DaveR]

Following a bit of to and fro ing a date for the long proposed visit to the De Havilland museum has been arrived at, Thursday 21st August.
The museum is situated just off junction 22 of the M25, but can be approached cross country and I have a sort of route planned. After a bit of a look around the best I can come up with is to meet at Birchhanger services junction 8 M11 10am.
Any takers?

Dave

 

[Mr Gazza]

Nice one Dave.
I'll be up for this even though I'm not a fan of the M11 or A11.
Does the route take us past the famous Comet pub with the model Comet on a stand outside. It used to be a three way roundabout, but I think it's a bit more complicated now, last time I looked on Google Earth.

 

[jerry]

Its a great Museum you will enjoy it ...

 

[Bitza]

Well I'm really tempted by a visit to the DH museum, first I'm planning on visiting a friend in Hitchin on 20th plus speedway at Oxford that evening, so I could be in that kind of area at that kinda time. Plus the fact that my first flight was in a DH tiger moth, and the old man flew Mostquitos, last and not least DH did design some seriously beautiful aircraft. So it's not beyond the realms of fantasy that I might be there.

 

[speedycodger]

Sounds like a mad long day so im up for it . set the monster to ludicrous speed Mr Sulu

 

[speedycodger]

Anybody else get a mental image of tumbleweed whenever anybody puts forward an idea for a chance to actually use their bike lol

 

[Martin C]

Following a bit of to and fro ing a date for the long proposed visit to the De Havilland museum has been arrived at, Thursday 21st August.
The museum is situated just off junction 22 of the M25, but can be approached cross country and I have a sort of route planned. After a bit of a look around the best I can come up with is to meet at Birchhanger services junction 8 M11 10am.
Any takers?

Dave

Hi Dave, this museum has long byon my to-do list, and I can make that day. I’ll probably be riding down the A5, so not meeting en route. Have you contacted the museum to check it will be open?
Martin 07768 941222

 

[DaveR]

Martin,
The museum is definitely open.
We will probably be arriving around 11am
It will be good to see you

 

[Mr Gazza]

Just a gentle bump for this one. It deserves more attention.
Time was when a do like this would get a crowd well into double figures.

 

[Mr Gazza]

Exactly a week away.. Any more takers?

 

[Martin C]

I’ll definitely still be going, and my mate will also be coming by car from elsewhere.

 

[Bitza]

I'm still planning on turning up, but as I'll be coming from Oxford I'll meet up at the museum.

 

[DaveR]

So, as we are looking at no more than 4 of us riding down, we can meet at Cafe Yeoman's in Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8LP. Still 10am. It's on the road through the village not the B1383.
If more want to join us please don't let that put you off.
For those planning to met at the museum, we should arrive between 11.30 and 12. Depends how long Gary takes to drink his latté

Dave

 

[Mr Gazza]

Good call Dave.
If you're coming down the A11/M11 southbound, you need to turn off at the Saffron Walden junction.
Turn left at the roundabout at the end of the slip road and then right at the next roundabout to join the B1383.
This will take you right down to Stansted Mountfitchet.
I will need to fill up there and fortunately there is an Esso garage also serving as a good landmark.
Turn left off the B1383 opposite the Esso and go down Chapel Hill, B1051
Yeoman's Café is a left turn at the mini roundabout and is then almost immediately on your right.
Seems to be limited street parking near the café.

 

[speedycodger]

Aiming to meet up at the cafe at 10 am provided sat nav doesn't disgrace itself ,, otherwise i will be in southampton !!!or glasgay

 

[Mr Gazza]

Well! That was a good day out. Thanks for organising that Dave. The Café Yeoman was quite nice and suited our needs well.
Dave's choice of route from Stansted Mountfitchet was very good, with some long stretches of twisty B roads that I think helped knock the flats off the tyres from the bit of motorway I had to use.

Great to meet up with Bitza again for a good catch up and also to meet Martin C.

It's a fabulous museum with 3 mosquito's housed in one hangar, including the prototype. Also lots of sections showing the wooden construction, which I love as a boatbuilder/aero modeller/joiner/cabinet maker.

I didn't like the manic traffic the nearer we got to London, and especially disliked it on the way home in the rush hour and pre-bank holiday traffic, as I hadn't planned a quiet route and defaulted to major routes, but thanks to Speedy for putting me in the right direction in the first place.
(Monster returned over 70mpg for the first recorded time. I likes it when 6th gear is used properly, and not sparing the horses. )


Our Posse with Bitza's bike lurking behind.


The famous "Heap" looking good.


The Devil's in the detail.


The prototype Mozzy.

 

[DaveR]

Thanks for the write up Gary. Glad you enjoyed the route. It looked good on the map, I'm glad it didn't disappoint. The museum is good and well deserving of support. It was good to see that it was, relatively, busy, but you do wonder how these places manage to keep going.
Like you, Roger and I chose main roads for our ride back, very busy especially the M11 junction at Stansted. They took over 2 years remodeling that and it's now worse than ever!
It was great to see Bitza and Martin, what a great commitment from both to make the trip down to meet us,hopefully it was worth the ride.
I didn't get my camera out, too busy herding cats! So a couple of photos from when I went earlier in the year
Comet mark1 cockpit

Vampire

Dave

 

[speedycodger]

Well done Dave a brilliant venue and superb ride from Stansted . Glad you got on the right route home Gary from the A1 as i relied on sat nav as usual . Good to meet some more members too. the only tricky part for me was the mess that is the black cat roundabout (what a mess). An idea
for a good day out is 20th and 21st September (either day) sywell aerodrome northamptonshire pistons and props classic show is usually a good event , cheap ticket if you enter a classic although when my monster was 1 year old the woman on the gate said is it a classic !! joking i said yes
and she gave me a cheap ticket haha when i parked amongst the classic a guy said is that a classic , i said it will be.....

 

[Mr Gazza]

An idea for a good day out is 20th and 21st September (either day) sywell aerodrome northamptonshire pistons and props classic show is usually a good event ,

Sounds good.. You're in charge!
Not sure I could ride the Triumph that far, but It has now got new rear shocks and could well have a new front end by that time.

Thanks again for guidance home. I peeled off when I saw the A505 to Royston and went through the second tunnel of the day.
I tried to get your attention, but you didn't acknowledge. I figured you'd work out I had turned off.

By the way Dave, that Vampire is a Mistral. I corrected the guide too and he said no it's a Vampire. No I said it's got Swiss markings. He took the easy option and agreed.
That Guy Martin's "Vampire" was a Mistral too, but they insisted on calling it a Vampire through the whole program.. Pedantic or what?

 

[speedycodger]

I have already got my ticket and they accepted my 1997 ST2 as a classic , i don't think they are strict probably anything over 25 year old
would do it . Failing that i still have the old number plate from my 1969 tiger 100 s that i restored lol