Solway Aviation Museum - Crosby on Eden

Michael M.

What an amazing flight museum!! First, Thank you very much to Zander for an amazing tour of the Vulcan Bomber. You were so enjoyable to spend time with on the tour. Our ticket to the museum included a tour of the Vulcan Bomber Flight Deck (Cockpit). What an amazing experience to tour this historical aircraft. The staff at the museum was extremely friendly and helpful.

The aircraft on exhibit are just amazing. So many different planes to see including the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, Canberra, Fairy Gannet, and many others. The flight decks were open to a number of aircraft.

There is a very nice gift shop at the museum as well.

We loved our visit!! This is a must see museum for aviation lovers.

Theresa R.

It is a great place to find out about the history of the RAF & various aircraft here in Cumbria. We got the chance to climb in some of the old aircraft. Would have spent longer exploring outside, but it was super windy and rainy today. Overall, the kids loved it!

Mark K.

This is a small, volunteer maintained, war museum on the edge of Carlisle and the Solway Firth. It is a part of the Solway Firth heritage trail that includes many important WWII museums.

That said the museum doesn't only focus on WWII and has exhibits and military aircraft from both pre-war and post-war period as it focusses on the importance the region had for many decades of British military History.

A highlight of the museum is the ability to climb inside two military war planes and to sit in the pilots seats, this fascinated my children for thirty minutes alone. On that note my only small gripe is that I couldn't see into the cockpits of many of the other aircraft and I hope that they get funding for stairs and covers to make this a possibility in the future.

If you are interested in aviation, WWII history, curious about the past or just want to support a local small museum then this place is worth a visit.

John R.

A great place to visit, even on a dull, damp day. Easy to find, easy parking, and easy to get around.
Smaller than many museums, but the chance to get up close to some great British aircraft, it's run entirely by volunteers, which makes it doubly impressive.

For me, the standout experience was the chance to sit in a Vulcan, just incredible. An amazing piece of aviation and cold war history.

You can get a coffee/tea/soft drink and snack in the gift shop, and there's a selection of aviation themed items, from models to toys and tee-shirts.
I'd encourage everybody to spend some pocket money there and help the museum along. Entry isn't expensive, and running overheads must be high.

Will definitely visit again when the Blackburn Beverley arrives ☺️

Angus B.

An unexpected find during our holiday to the area. Well worth a visit to anyone no matter if they are interested in historical aviation or not. Most areas very accessible by wheelchair but some obvious limitations when accessing the exhibits. Our dog was welcome except in some of the buildings but this did not detract from our visit, in fact some of the volunteers offered to look after our dog to allow us into the buildings. It was great to have a cup of tea and a cake after a few hours spent viewing the exhibits.

Alan H.

This is an interesting and engaging museum for aviation enthusiasts with a nice collection of aircraft on view.
You can get into the cockpit of a Vulcan in its original condition for an informative talk about the aircraft, its function, performance and wha5 the functions of the various crew on thd plane.
You can also sit in pilot seat of a Canberra, there exhibitions inside for those moments of inclement weather.
There is good parking, reasonable ticket prices, clean facilities, small cafe, the staff are really nice, friendly, knowledgeable and willing to explain and discuss the exhibits.
Take a little time to visit, you will be surprised and interested, only open on weekends.

ewelina S.

One of the best aviation museums. We want to thank all the volunteers who talk about aviation with enthusiasm. We were absolutely thrilled by the tour of the Avro Vulcan and its entire history. It was amazing.

Jakub A.

Great museum! Being able to see the old military planes is nice.
You can go inside all of them & the Vulcan in the ticket price!

Great, highly recommend.