Walking with Erin: Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon... and beyond

Tuesday April 7, 2026.

Sunny with clear skies 19°C (66°F).

Recently I had been going through some old photographs and realised that we hadn't visited the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, since July 2016. That was almost 10 years ago! Back then Erin was 5 and Keilyn was 3.

So, the three of us decided to revisit during the Easter holidays. Keilyn, all of a sudden, decided that she would rather stay home and play in the sun, while Erin was still up for a day out.

We took a taxi to Watford Town centre and made our way down the High Street, where we caught a 142 bus to Edgware. One of the great things about London Transport is that children travel for free and, providing you change to another bus, or tram, within an hour of boarding, you don't get charged a second time. This is perfect for those on a budget.

Arriving at Edgware we located as 'Greggs', where food and drinks were purchased, before we headed to a bus stop to catch the 303 bus to the museum. The 303 bus dropped us directly outside the museum, which, since our last visit, had gone through a major refurbishment with new hangars and displays. We made our way through the gate, stopping to take a photo of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk Ix gate guard, before entering Hangar 1, to begin our exploration. 

Hangar 1, RAF Stories and First to the Future

Hangar 1 has two exhibitions. The first is 'RAF Stories' and the second is 'First to the Future'. Here we learnt the story of the first 100 years of the Royal Air Force, from its inception in 1918 through to the present. Aircraft and vehicles from every era were on display, along with models, ejector seats and interactive displays.

Towards the end of Hangar 1 is a Short Sunderland MR5, which you can enter, at its rear starboard side, and walk through its interior, exiting near the front port side. So, we made our way through a tiny entrance at the bottom of the stairs and entered this amazing aircraft. Exiting the aircraft we made our way out of the hangar and stopped to look at the 63 foot Pinnace Mk.1 1374 and the RTTL 2757 Marine Craft, before making our way to Hangar 2.

Hangar 2, The Grahame-White Factory

Hangar 2 shows the earliest days of flight, at the London Aerodrome, from the Royal Flying Corps through to the creation of the independent Royal Air Force, in 1918.

This hangar was full of biplanes and triplanes from the earliest days of flight, with interactive exhibits for the younger ones to enjoy. A corrugated hut had a desk with a Morse Code machine, which Erin set about tapping out her name. We then made our way upstairs to the 'Design Room', where schematics for various aircraft were laid out on tables. Passing through the sliding doors we found ourselves overlooking the factory floor, which we had just walked through, gaining a different perspective of some of the aeroplanes. Making our way down the stairwell we passed through the factory and headed out of the building, ready to see Hangars 3, 4 & 5, that are situated in the same building.

Hangar 3, World War II and Hangar 4, The Cold War

Hangars 3 and 4 displays aircraft from World War II and the Cold War era, with Supermarine Spitfires, Messerschmitts, Mitsubishis, helicopters, support vehicles, a Gloucester Meteor and much more. We explored it all. We looked into open cockpits, walked beneath the wings of others and looked at medals in display cases. Some of the aircraft were intact, while others were war damaged with only various parts of the fuselage on display.

Hangar 5, The Bomber Hall

On entering Hangar 5 you are greeted by An Avro Lancaster I, which I am always impressed by, being the iconic aeroplane that it is. We then saw a model of the 9,250LB Cylindrical Anti-Dam Mine, otherwise known as a 'Bouncing Bomb', before exploring the rest of the aeroplanes on display. Beside the Royal Air Force there were various Focke-Wulf, Heinkel, Junkers, Kawasaki, Messerschmitt, Mitsubishi, Yokosuka, from the Axis nations.

The recovered wreckage of a Handley Page Halifax II heavy bomber was something that I wasn't expecting to see. Around it were images of its crew with information about each of them. It was a very poignant read. Then there were various memorials to look at, before we made our way towards the Allied Bombers. Beside the aforementioned Avro Lancaster I, there was a Boeing B17-G Flying Fortress, a North American P-51D Mustang, a de Havilland Mosquito and much more. 

However, the Avro Vulcan B.2 XL318 has to be the highlight. This V-Bomber is iconic and the museum knows it, as they allow you to walk beneath its wings and peer into its bomb bay. Because of its sheer size, and shape, its nose is aimed directly into a corner of the hangar, making it very difficult to get a photograph of the entire aeroplane, but I tried. Having explored the entire hangar, we headed back out into the late morning sun, where Hangar 6 awaited us.

Hangar 6, The RAF in an Age of Uncertainty

Hangar 6 tells the story of the Royal Air Force from 1980 through to the 21st century. It was here that we found a Buccaneer, Jaguar, Tornado, Typhoon and more. 

This hangar is supported by the state of Kuwait, which the Royal Air Force has been supporting since around 1920. The Royal Air Force has aided Kuwait in border disputes, provided protective patrols and was instrumental in the liberation of Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm.

Having explored pretty much all that the museum had to offer, with the exception of the Art Gallery and a few other spaces, we headed back into Hangar 1, where we visited the Gift Shop. Here we perused the items for sale, with Erin settling on an RAF Notebook and a cup of Pick 'n' Mix. With purchases in hand we headed back to Grahame Park Way, crossed the road and waited for a 303 bus to take us back to Edgware.

Arriving at Edgware we looked for somewhere to eat, with Erin saying that she fancied a burger. We found a 'Cheat Meals', where we ordered our food and took a seat, welcoming the air-conditioning that blew through the restaurant. Our food, freshly prepared, was delicious and was soon completely devoured, washed down with ice-cold drinks.

On leaving the restaurant Erin said that she wanted to visit the Broadwalk Shopping Centre, so we went. A stop at 'The Works', was first, where Erin purchased some 'Wicked' items, before we went rummaging in 'TK Maxx'. Items were picked and then discarded for other items, before all items were eventually discarded and we left the store. A few more shops were explored, before we made our way outside to the Bus Station. 

The 142 arrived and we clambered aboard, sitting on the driver's side so as to avoid the sun blazing through the windows. As the bus made its way through Stanmore it appeared to be struggling as it began its ascent of Stanmore Hill. Moments later the driver's voice came over the Public Address System to inform us that the bus had lost air pressure and was refusing to move. A few restarts of the engine didn't help, so we all left the bus with many boarding the next 142 that arrived, which filled up fast. Erin, I and a number of others had to wait for the next bus, which didn't take long.

We stepped off the bus, when it arrived at King Street, Watford, and headed into the Harlequin Shopping Centre, why I purchased Erin a Bubble Tea. We then took a leisurely stroll home, detouring through Harwoods Adventurous Playground, on our way.

It was a great day out on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year, so far.

Distance travelled:

• Bus - 18.2 miles (29.29 kms)
• Cable Car - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Car - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• DLR - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Ferry - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Overground - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• River Boat - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Taxi - 1.1 miles (1.77 kms)
• Train - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Tram - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Underground - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Walking - 3.2 miles (5.14 kms)