On Sunday we decided to finally visit the Oxford Bus Museum. Its been one of those places we’ve been meaning to visit for a few years now but never gotten around to it.
Not as crap as it sounds
A lot of you are probably thinking this sounds boring as shit. Pre Clark i would have thought the exact same thing. However Clark loves buses always has and always will. Him and his bestie Finley always used to play with either buses or trains. Clark likes trains more than buses and Finley loves buses more than trains. Its a match made in heaven really.
Anyhow the museum is only open 2 days a week most of the time. So either Wednesday’s or Sunday’s. Wednesday’s are out of the question while he’s at school and Sunday’s are when we visit church…….haha I’m kidding I’d burn if we step foot inside a church these day’s.
Car park
There is a small car park which is free but if this is full there is another car park which is pay and display which i think is the train stations one. We managed to bag a free spot.
When we visited there was an option to pay a bit extra to see Santa…..in his bus grotto. We skipped this because it sounded a bit crap. In all fairness it looked pretty funky when we went by.
Cheap as chips
Its so cheap to get in adults are £5, Kids are £3, A family ticket is £13 and under 5’s are free. When we visited they also had vintage bus rides running which were included in the entry fee. You pay to enter in the shop.
I’m not going to go into a Huge amount of detail about whats in there because it’ll be boring. Its like a one of those jokes when you have to be there.
The kids absolutely loved it. In the main room they also had a small train model exhibition which absolutely made Clark’s day. The people running it let Clark have a go of controlling the trains. He wants a Hornby set now. He can shit right off I’ve seen how expensive they are.
Play room
There’s a really cool room where the kids can play with the toys do some craft’s as well as go on the buses. My favourite was the toy bus where they could control the lights etc.
You can then head into the workshop and watch the mechanics fixing the old busses. Kids again loved this. Mainly because they could see sparks flying and they’re obsessed with fire.
After a good play and nosey round we headed to the cafe. This is by no means anything special at all but we werent expecting it to be. You can grab a packet of Crisps and a drink though like we did. I reminded me of a hospital cafe from the 70s. In fact the whole place was like stepping onto the set of heartbeat. My husband taking on the role of greengrass.
Shop
We headed to the shop. Clark got himself a new model bus and Elliot got himself a “Kinky” aka a slinky. The shop is really cool especially if your kids like transport. Its not the cheapest but there are a range of toys at different prices.
Shop done and time for the 2pm vintage bus ride.
Vintage bus ride
Stepped on and fuck me it smelt bloody horrible. It was a double decker so of course we had to head upstairs. I was expecting to head down the road and back. However it turned out to be a 30 min journey. We all had a great time.
It was a bit hairy at the beginning when the driver pulled onto the main road and couldn’t get into gear (i could feel his pain. It was like looking in mirror) Some absolute pleb started beeping their horn behind us. Shocker a white van driving wanker. Its pretty obvious we were in a bus that doesn’t see a lot of action. Probably very similar to himself.
The journey was funny. We were all bouncing round and twatting our heads on the bars in front. It was like being back on the school bus again minus the bullies gobbing on the back of your head.
The bus conductor came up and handed out the tickets to the kids. He was brilliant with all of them. They each got a special ticket with their ages on. Don’t get too excited it was just a small ticket from a vintage machine. A great touch all the same.
We made it back alive then we decided to head home. We asked Clark what his favourite part of the bus museum was. His response? the trains haha.
Oxford bus museum stats:
Distance from Bicester: 30mins
Sat nav: Oxford bus museum, Railway Station, Main Road, Long Hanborough, Woodstock OX29 8LA
Wheelchair friendly: yes
Equipment upkeep: Not bad for a charity depending on volunteers
Cleanliness: 10/10 apart from the smell of the bus but i guess that adds to the atmosphere.
Facilities: 10/10
Age range: From walking age and up for them to really enjoy it.
Safety: 5/10 I can imagine someone stacking it down some stairs at some point so just be careful
Fun factor: 8/10
Dog friendly: No
Conclusion
Would we go back again? absobloodylutely. We could spend ages in there. Ok it might not be the best place if your kids have zero interest in transport. However its a really good place to spend a few hours especially if its peeing it down outside. You can even become a member for £20 a year and visit as many times as you like not bad at all.
They do have events throughout the year so have a look at their website HERE
For more reviews of museums check HERE
Have a look at the video here too if you want a better look inside:
Usual photos below:
