My sons and I will have approx. 2 weeks to drive around England, Wales and Southern Scotland this August. We all share an interest in mechanical engineering and transportation (esp. autos, trains, bridges).<BR>Which exceptional museums or sites would you recommend?<BR>

You really ought to go to the Ironbridge Gorge & museum in Shropshire... it's where the world's first iron bridge was built and is totally amazing. It became for a short time the centre of the industrial revolution and the museum is extremely interesting. <BR>Other than that tip I'm not sure I can help too much... whatever you end up doing I hope you have a great holiday!<BR>Dominic

The National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.<BR>http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

If you are going to Scotland, then you must see the awe inspiring Forth Rail Bridge near Edinburgh. Just standing there looking at it, near the historic Hawes Inn, is something to be remembered. Read up not only on its building but the Tay crossing too.

The railroad museum in York is fantastic, can't recall its name at the moment.....

Goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway):<BR><BR>Stonehenge

Kew Steam engine museum, right outside London.

The Science Museum in London has a number of early industrial steam engines and various forms of historic transport including, I believe, Alcock & Brown's transatlantic Vickers airplane and a steam train from 1819?. Also a great collection of model ships. The Imperial War Museum also might interest you for its collection of tanks, aircraft, etc.<BR><BR>Newcastle-upon-Tyne is famous for its bridges. One of the newest (installed in 2000, I think) has a curved roadway which pivots upward to allow ships to pass underneath - difficult to describe but quite an engineering feat.<BR><BR>The bridges at Conwy and the Menai Straits in NW Wales might also interest you. I believe both were built by Thomas Telford. As a bonus, several castles from the time of Edward the Oppressor (aka Longshanks) are nearby: Conwy, Beaumaris, and Caernarfon - the height of military engineering for their time.<BR><BR>There are many restored narrow-gauge railways in various parts of Britain. The most famous are probably in Wales, but I rode one which is based in Ravenglass, in the English Lake District. I believe there is also one in Peterborough (between London and York), coincidentally home of Thomas the Tank Engine. Regardless of your itinerary, it shouldn't be hard to find a steam train excursion if that interest you. What I find fascinating is that at least some of these seem to be volunteer - run, from restoration of the rolling stock to daily operation.<BR><BR>The canal network is also a masterpiece of engineering, especially impressive because it is so extensive in spite of being relatively short-lived. Watching one of the hand-operated (and often self-serviced) canal locks is quite interesting.<BR><BR>Salisbury and Winchester Cathedrals provide a good overview of English Cathedrals, and are relatively close to each other. Winchester is a collection of several architectural styles, almost a complete study in medieval cathedral building. Salisbury provides an excellent illustration of the engineering required to support these incredible structures.

Forgot to mention the Thames Flood Barrier in London.

The London Transport Museum near Covent Garden. Great for little kids, even fun for great big ones if their into trains and such.<BR><BR>

In Wales, you should visit Llangollen. There is a steam railway there but also a famous canal with Telford's dramatic<BR>Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. You can walk across if you have a head for heights.<BR>In Southern Scotland you might be interested in the Falkirk Wheel. It's not historic, in fact it's a Millennium project, but it's the world's first rotating boat lift taking boats from a lower to a higher part of the canal. It was damaged recently by some mindless vandals who managed to flood it and damage the mechanism. However it's due to be officially opened by the Queen quite soon and should certainly be up and running in August.

I agree with everything said so far, except possibly Stonehenge. What well-informed people Fodors forum writers are. <BR><BR>I throw in the Museum of Science and Technology in Manchester, which incorporates the terminus of the world's first Inter-city railway, the Manchester and Liverpool. <BR><BR>For canal history you might look at the Canal Museum, north east of Kings Cross station in London.<BR><BR>Please write if I can help further. Welcome to Britain.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London

TTT

I left Stonehenge hanging, rather. My thought is that we do not know how they brought the stones there nor how they put them up, so the place is rather for the imagination than for the practical young engineer.<BR><BR>You can visit the Thames Barrage that Mr Sawyers mentions by boat. It is huge twentieth century engineering below London<BR><BR>Ben Haines

Thank you all for the ideas. We shall read about them and see how many can be squeezed into our itinerary.<BR><BR>

A couple of things I wouldn't make an extra special trip for but which are curious.<BR><BR>The flight of locks near Devizes - the normal way to make water go "uphill" was to dig through the hill. On this occasion they decided to go "uphill"! The problem with this is that it's just "there" - I don't think there's a museum or any info about it on site.<BR><BR>Clifton Suspension Bridge, interesting and picturesque Brunel project - there are a couple of interesting tales about failed suicides to go along with it. The most recent I find quite inspiring - a Welsh lady was out sightseeing with her family when she spotted a young lad about to take the plunge. She rushed over and pleaded with him. Eventually, he said that he did not believe she wanted to save him. She gave him her hand. He jumped. She held firm. He relented. That's what you call doing someone a good turn.<BR><BR>Note that Bristol also has @Bristol, a good interactive museum, and the SS Great Britain (also Brunel), the first iron hulled steamship (which is a bit of a wreck, but a worthy cause), and several other rather battered but curious exhibits in the Industrial Museum. I believe that Bristol Temple Meads (Brunel again!) is the oldest surviving railway station in the world as well (could be wrong).

well Daniel, you're certainly coming to the right place! Great Britain is stuffed full of transport museums and related architecture from the nineteenth century.<BR><BR>If you're in London at all, then don't forget to travel on the Tube (the world's first underground railway, built about 1863 I think). Platforms 5 and 6 at Baker Street are part of the original underground, restored a few years back to reflect their original architecture.<BR><BR>The Science Museum in London for all things of engineering interest.<BR><BR>The London Transport Museum, as already mentioned.<BR><BR>I'll second Ironbridge (can't be many towns that are named after a bridge). I remember it as one of the more fascinating school day trips I did in my youth. Check out: http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/<BR>It's also very beautiful round there.<BR><BR>As for autos, if you're interested in the hi-tech, then Britain is home to some of the biggest and best known Formula One teams, who're at the cutting edge of car design and engineering. Mclaren, Williams, Jordan and Benetton are all based in the UK, and I know that some have museums open to the public, but I've got no details, sorry.<BR><BR>And for the ultimate feat of engineering, how about a trip through the Channel Tunnel on Eurostar if you've got time for a weekend in Paris!

The Falkirk Wheel, the only one of its kind in the world. Designed to raise boats on the canal.

In addition to the Forth Bridge, I'd take a look at the Tay Bridge too. The original one was blown down in a gale in 1879, and the blame was placed on the design and designer - there's quite a lot on this on the Internet if you do a search through an engine like Google. You could take a train journey across both - from Edinburgh to Dundee and back. There's not really much to see in Dundee, though if my memory serves me right one of the city museums does have a display about the Tay Bridge Disaster.<BR><BR>There's also a transport museum in Glasgow, which I think is now based at the Kelvin Hall. I used to visit it quite often as a child and really enjoy going back, even now!<BR><BR>I can't remember when exactly it is, but sometime in August there is an air show at RAF Leuchars in Fife (near St Andrews.) You can usually see at pretty close quarters some of the active RAF planes and also there's some historical stuff and the Red Arrows display team too.<BR><BR>The big railway museum is the one in York, though, and if you're really into trains then I would say this is a must.

You have gotten lots of great suggestions. All would be worth visiting. A couple of others are:<BR><BR>Tower Bridge - the exhibit about building the bridge and the engineering problems is interesting and fun and the you get to walk across the top of the bridge with great views up and down river.<BR><BR>The London Eye - besides the views and the ride - the exhibit about building it is good. One attendant can stop the wheel just by holding the handle on one of the capsules.<BR><BR>Besides the Falkirk Wheel - if you are going as far north as fort William - then Neptunes Staircase is great - especially if there are several boats in the locks.