Looking to go to the airshow this year for the first time in a long while.

We will be going from Gloucester, and this year they are doing a park and ride from Quedgeley.

This looks like a decent option as it has a fast track entrance, although the journey is still down as 1.5 hours each way!

Any hive mind thoughts on whether the park & ride is worth doing verses us driving ourselves on the non-fast track route?

Any advice welcome.

We’re looking forward to it – F35’s A&B, V22, F22 & Bulldog T1. Nice.

I would drive, come in through Down Ampney route, anything is better than 3 hours on bus.
Best option I’ve done is park 5 miles away and cycle the rest – pub bike of course, and chain to fence outside with all others.

I wouldn’t dream of driving to an airshow! Every single one I’ve ever been to has had horrendous traffic problems.

A few years ago at Leuchars, some people were stuck for 6hrs trying to drive out afterwards!

Cheers stgeorge. That bike idea seems like it might be a goer.

Crazy legs, are you advocating the bus, or V22?

I’d only ever consider going to an airshow on my motorbike – never in a car…

As a local, I’d say drive to Cirencester and ride in from there (half hour ish) Anywhere further on will be traffic chaos.

Or even park somewhere way out and cycle in? That way you’ve got your bike to ride along the flightline.

Several guys at my work have been in previous years – they all suggested going obscenely early – and leaving early. Otherwise it was traffic hell.

edit: just asked one of last years showgoers – they arrived around 7:30am without coming across much traffic at all, in the showground by 8am and a couple of hours to kill on the static displays before the flightline kicked off

F35’s A&B

Fingers crossed eh 😀

Thanks mrmonkfinger

Fingers crossed

I think that’s exactly what the RAF and FAA have been doing for the past few years.

Although doesn’t seem to have done much good!

Last time I went, which was quite a few years ago, took the bike in the car, parked by the side of the A419 at Cricklade, at the junction near North Meadow and the nature reserve and rode in. It was excellent, pootling past a seemingly endless line of stationary traffic. I kept the bike with me and used it to ride along the static line, made it much easier getting around.
Things may be a bit different now, but I’d still do it that way if I was going again, unless I had a passenger; I was on my own previously.

Traffic management for RIAT is better than it ever was for Leuchars, I reckon. There’s still a bunch of sitting in a car and waiting, but in the 3 years I’ve been going to RIAT it never really got unbearable.

I’ve had more problems upon leaving RIAT than when getting in. I’ve stayed to its West (Gloucester/Tewkesbury) and the traffic choke point at the end of the airshow is curiously far from Fairford itself – roughly around where the A417 narrows from dual to single carriageway. Of course that will have a lot to do with it but at that point the road’s already gone past Cirencester and has had junctions with at least one other A road.

roughly around where the A417 narrows from dual to single carriageway.

Notorious choke point regardless of airshow.

I used to travel past that point on a Thursday. At 3pm. To avoid Friday p.m. rush hour traffic. And still used to get held up about 20-30mins.

Only went to RIAT once and just recall it was a nightmare to get in and out.

Biggin Hill used to be a bit like that also. Getting out it was better to wait long after all the displays had finished. Though not been since the big air fair was killed off and it’s gone small scale.

Farnborough is easy. I just ride the bike and watch from the hills 😀 (though hearing the classic spot may be out of bounds thanks to H&S following Shoreham).