The Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden Aerodrome

Today we visited Old Warden Aerodrome in Bedfordshire for the MayFly, an annual event organised by ModelAir. My husband builds and flies model planes and this is an annual event we never miss.

MayFly at Old Warden

The MayFly is held at the Old Warden Aerodrome in Old Warden, Bedfordshire, just off the A1 at Biggleswade. Originally the home, gardens and vintage aircraft and vehicle collection of the Shuttleworth family, it is now known as The Shuttleworth Collection. As well as The Collection, there is also a large airfield, a Swiss Garden, children’s play area, cafe and gift shop.

When we arrived we headed to look around the stalls. We bought a vintage plane for my daughter to build, as she wants to work towards her Aircraft badge at Beavers! Then it was time to fly our planes and watch some of the flying. There was a range of aircraft including free flight, control line and radio control vintage, classic and old-time model aircraft.

The Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden Aerodrome

The Collection was founded in 1928 and comprises historic planes as well as vintage cars in several huge hangars. Not only does the museum manage all these historic collections but they are also known for restoring the aircraft to flying condition. My children loved exploring the huge hangars and seeing the planes and vehicles. There are also photographs, models, uniform and medals to see.

After lunch I took the children to the play park to run off some energy. The play area has been specially designed for children up to the age of 12. My children absolutely love it as it’s huge, with lots of different areas to explore. It was our weekend for the Class Bear so of course he had to come too!

We had a lovely day out at Old Warden. We arrived early as we knew the weather forecast was for rain late afternoon. It’s in a really lovely part of the country and definitely worth a visit, especially if they have a special event on. Find out more on their website.