 Packard Straight 8 on display at Myreton Motor Museum My previous blog post described a cycling journey from Drem station to the National Museum of Flight. Another trip you can do from Drem is the 2 miles to Myreton Motor Museum. Drem Station This station is just 25 minutes from Edinburgh and is located within the fertile lands of East Lothian. The station has a stone cottage, picket fence and flower pots. This view of the platform shows the lamp posts that I think look like a modern reinterpretation of the type of lamps that that might have been in use when steam locomotives still plied this line.  Drem station platform To reach Myreton Motor Museum turn left on leaving the station, onto the B1377. Then take the first right which goes under the railway. This road is typical of the quiet hedge-lined routes in East Lothian.  A windblown tree on the road towards Myerton Motor Museum Within ten minutes you will reach the white building of the motor museum. It is not a big museum and if you are not very interested in motor vehicles you might find that half an hour is enough time.  Myreton Motor Museum. My bicycle is parked at the side. But if you are fascinated by this sort of thing you will want to read every information panel and admire all of the vehicles from every angle. There are certainly some beautiful cars on display.
Some of the cars have fascinating histories. For example, the 1925 Morris Oxford in the picture below. This was bought from a scrap yard by Willie Dale in 1952. He took the car home to give it a good clean and then discovered an unopened letter down the side of the seats. It turned out that the letter had been written by his aunt and the car had been owned by his grandfather when it was new!  1925 Morris Oxford (Bullnose) A close up of the seats in the Morris Oxford:  There are some bicycles on display at the museum. They have handwritten notes giving their history: 
Amongst the sports cars and glamorous classic there are some unexpected vehicles, such as this Hilman Husky.  I enjoyed this little museum, but it doesn't take long to see all the exhibits, so you might want to combine it with one of the other nearby attractions. There is plenty more that you can cycle to from Drem station. Why not try the National Museum of flight where you can see Concorde?
Myreton Motor Museum has an entry charge, which is currently £7 for adults (March 2015).
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Take a train to Drem, only 25 minutes from Edinburgh, and you will be spoilt for choice for cycling destinations. It has to be one of the best placed train stations for the number of interesting things that are easily cycled to. Top of the list is Concorde at the Museum of Flight , but there is also a motor museum and the birthplace of Scotland's national flag.
Drem Station Drem station is located within the farming landscapes of East Lothian. If you come here as a foot passenger you will find it more challenging to travel to the places I mention here. There are bus services, but a bicycle makes it easier and because the distances are short and there are few hills you don't need to be super fit to enjoy this. 
Drem station in East Lothian, 25 minutes from Edinburgh
I think that Drem is the prettiest of all the stations along this line. It has a stone cottage that is now a private home. You can buy free range eggs here and during one visit the owners were trying to sell a mangle.
National Museum of Flight
On leaving the station turn right and follow the B1377. The museum is well sign-posted. The road is flat, fairly quiet and it is 3.8 miles to the museum. This is farming country so you will see fields of enticing produce: 
You will also see some of the typical East Lothian rows of cottages:
At the Museum of Flight you can board Concorde and visit the passenger cabin and view the cockpit.
Concorde's cockpit
"I'm still impressed to think of all those people having their roast beef and champagne behind you while you're cruising at a speed slightly faster than a rifle bullet." Brian Tubshaw, Concorde test pilot.
Concorde could travel from London to New York in 3.5 hours. It took 4 hours longer to travel on a normal airliner. There was and still is no faster way to travel by plane. The Concorde experience was exclusive to the rich and famous and a ticket was beyond the average person, so being able to see the inside of this aircraft is quite a special experience. 
Inside Concorde
Whereas most of us could only dream of flying in this aircraft once in a lifetime, some people could afford to use it as standard transportation. Rod Stewart once flew over his stylist to America to sort out a haircut that went wrong and one wealthy New York socialite paid £2,500 to fly over a favourite box of Mayfair chocolates so that she could have them at a party. Concorde's last flight was in 2003, but the aircraft still looks like something from the future. It is incredible that something that could fly this fast will never take off again and that there is nothing to replace it, but there were several factors that led to its retirement- a Concorde had crashed in 2000, there was a general slump in the aviation industry and maintenance costs were huge. The museum tells the story of this remarkable aircraft with displays and memorabilia, but there is a lot more to the Museum of Flight than Concorde. The site is huge and there are several hangers full of aircraft.
You could easily spend a day at the museum, so there might not be time to cycle to the other attractions near Drem station. Why not return to Drem station again and do one of the other cycle trips that begin at the station?
Part two of this blog will cover the cycle from Drem station to Myreton Motor Museum. National Museum of Flight is located in East Fortune. It has an entry charge and a café. |
