Accessible Britain

084 RAF Museum Cosford, Shropshire
Address: Shifnal TF11 8UP Web: www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford Tel: 01902 376200 Hours: Mar–Oct
daily 10am–6pm, Nov–Feb daily 10am–5pm; closing times of exhibits vary between 4pm & 6pm; last
entrance 1hr before close Dates: closed 24–26 Dec & 1 Jan Entry: free; parking charge for all visitors
Even non-aviation buffs will get something out of a visit to the RAF Museum at Cosford
– the whole family will benefit from the fun, yet educational, exhibits, and should leave
with a new appreciation of what life is like in active service.
This is the sister site to the RAF Museum in Hendon, north London. Over seventy
aircraft are housed here, in four hangars. There are many fascinating things to see including
experimental aircraft, engines, missiles and World War II planes. Captured enemy aircraft
provide an interesting comparison with the British models on show, while the Cold War
exhibition covers the subject extensively. The displays are interactive throughout, but the
Learning Zone in the test-flight hangar is particularly brilliant, and well engineered for kids.
Access to the visitor centre from the conveniently located disabled parking spaces is
along a downhill tarmac path. Pedestrian entry is through a rotating door but there’s a
separate wheelchair accessible entrance. RAF Museum Cosford is pretty well set up for
wheelchair users, although a fair amount of transferring between buildings is required.
Maps are on hand to help with navigation from hangar to hangar (keep an eye out for
Hangar One, as it isn’t as well signposted as the others). The four museum buildings
are level and spacious, although in one of them the pedestrian walkways could be
better indicated for visitors with visual disabilities. There are four designated toilets
throughout the site as well as a Changing Places toilet located near visitor reception.
The one split-level building housing the Cold War exhibition has an induction loop
and a lift giving access to a very effective viewing gallery. The overall site has a slight
gradient and some visitors may find the return trip to the car park quite steep. A limited
number of motor scooters and manual wheelchairs are available for loan on site on a
first-come first-served basis. Braille and large-print guides can be supplied.
FOOD & DRINK aa The glass-fronted café Refuel is very light, modern and spacious. Furniture
is moveable, and children will love the menu: plenty of pizzas, burgers and chips.
085 Twycross Zoo, Warwickshire
THE WEST MIDLANDS AND WEST COUNTRY
Address: Burton Road, Atherstone CV9 3PX Web: www.twycrosszoo.org Tel: 0844 4741777 Hours:
Nov–Mar daily 10am–4.30pm; Apr–Oct daily 10am–5.30pm Dates: closed 25 Dec Entry: [D]£13.95 [C]
free [A]£16.95 [3–16s]£13 [D 3–16s]£8 [under 3s]free [Con]£14.50; member of “Stay, Play, Explore” ticket
scheme with Snibston Discovery Museum (see p.79) and the National Space Centre (see p.81); parking free
Set in more than 80 acres, Twycross Zoo is home to around 500 animals from almost
150 species, including some of the most endangered creatures on the planet. Since
101