HOW TO GET TO THE TANK MUSEUM & TANKFEST
The Bovington Tank Museum in the south of the UK has the world’s best collection of tanks. It’s one of Dorsets best museums with hundreds of tanks and exhibitions showing off these tanks and the story behind them.
I’m a mum to a, now adult, son, who has always had a love of tanks so we’ve attended Bovington Tank Museum a few times over the years - at his request not mine!
I have to be honest tanks aren’t really my thing but being the good mum I of course am, I was happy to indulge my son in his fascination of these beasts and I have to say I’ve always really enjoyed our visits, even as a non tank enthusiast.
About The Bovington Tank Museum
The Tank Museum is huge with 300 military machines, representing every major battle since the First World War. There are 9 exhibitions in 7 huge halls and these exhibitions show how the tanks were invented in Britain, how they were used in warfare from the Somme in WWI to the Normandy beaches in WWII and the deserts of Iraq.
There are many powerful stories of the soilders who bravely fought in the tanks that are both sobering and inspiring.
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Where is Bovington Tank Museum?
The Tank Museum is tucked away in the garrison village of Bovington, in rural Dorset. It’s near the British Army military base of Bovington Camp and is close to the UNESCO recognised Jurassic Coast.
It is 12 miles from the port of Poole, 23 miles from the popular seaside town of Bournemouth and 1 mile north of the charming village of Wool.
How to Get There
The best way to reach the Tank Museum is by car, although there is a good rail connection if you don’t mind a 20-minute walk.
By Car
Set your SatNav for BH20 6JG, which will bring you through Dorset’s country lanes and pretty villages to the free tank museum car park. There are brown road signs signalling which way to go too. Driving from Bournemouth to the tank museum takes about 45 minutes.
By Rail
Wool is the nearest train station to the museum which is about one mile (a 20-minute walk) away. Wool is on the South Western Railway mainline from London Waterloo to Weymouth, you can find the timetable here. Trains are frequent in both directions, and whilst it is walkable in about 20 minutes, you may prefer using local taxi company (Garrison Cars, T: 01929 463395) to take you to and from the station. There are also Beryl Bikes you can hire from Wool station.
If you’re travelling to the Bovington Tank Museum from London, Wool station is 2 1/2 hours from London Waterloo station. Alternatively, Wool is only just over one hour from Southampton Central station.
During the summer, rail users can travel from Wool station to the Museum entrance. Please find the bus map here and you can read and download bus timetables here. or Special Event days April-September there is a shuttle bus service between Wool Station and The Tank Museum. The timetable for TANKFEST is here.
By Bike
The Tank Museum are part of the Beryl Bike scheme and bikes can be found in the main car park for visitors to pick up or drop off. Please contact Beryl directly for any questions regarding the service.
A bike rack is also located in the main car park for visitors to lock their own bikes whilst visiting the Museum.
Visiting the Tank Museum
My son came to me one day showing me info on Tankfest and I loved his enthusiasm so we booked our ticket. Our issue for this year is the following day, Monday he has a 5 hour drive to Pembrokeshire for his first holiday with friends and I’m getting on a plane to Spain at 6:15am! Yikes! We’ll be shattered!
When you visit the Tank Museum is all feels a little strange. One minute you’re driving down narrow country lanes through pretty Dorset villages and the next you see signs for ‘Tanks Crossing’. It all feels very odd.
All of a sudden the idyllic countryside changes as military buildings appear, the narrow roads become as wide as a 6 lane motorway and the 60 mph countryroads are now 10mph. Driving along I half expected a tank to come plowing through the bushes to the side of the road in a ‘Band of Brothers’ dramatic moment. I think I’ve watched too many war movies and tv shows!
The Tank Museum has a large free car park for the 200,000 visitors that come here each year. We’ve never had any issue with parking or having to queue to get in even when TankFest is on. I suppose it should have been obvious that the crowds were handled with true military efficiency
Accessibility
The museum is thoughtfully set up for visitors with accessibility needs, with level/ramped access to all areas and lifts to all floors. Read this access statement for details of the assistance provided. Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome here too.
What to see at the Tank Museum
There’s so much to see and do at the Tank Museum from Little Willie, the first tank ever developed back in 1915, to ones used in WWI and WWII and in more recent conflicts.
You can see some of the most feared tanks ever made like the Centurion which was designed before the end of the Second World War and is often believed to be the epitome of the tank. There’s the WWII German Tiger tanks, the Sherman and machines from many other countries including USA, France, Russia and Australia.
As someone who doesn’t have a huge interest in tanks themselves there was enough history and information to keep me reasonably interested whilst my son wandered around taking pictures of pretty much every single tank. He loved every second of it. He spent ages reading all the information, touching the tanks, asking questions.
One of the things we both found fascinating were the tanks that were sliced in half so you can see exactly what it’s like inside. You can see where everything is and where the soliders would sit. It really shows off what it was like to be inside a tank.
As well as the exhibitions there is also lots of tank action outside which is a must during your trip. During the spring and summer holidays every weekday at 1pm the tanks roar in to action around an outdoor arena with commentary and mock battles. They’re pretty enthralling!
You can also take a ride in a tank during the Spring and Summer holidays 1:30 - 4pm which is a fun thing to do.
There are a few special occasions during the year that the Tank Museum puts on: Tiger Day is twice a year where you can see the only working Tiger I and their biggest display of the world of tanks - TankFest.
What is Tankfest?
TankFest features three full days of arena action, with explosive displays of unique historic and modern armour running throughout the weekend. It’s the biggest and best annual display of historic and modern day moving armour in the world.
There are lectures from tank experts, Living History encampments and thrilling displays in the area. It’s an awesome weekend that is a perfect chance to get up close to armoured machinery.
Where to Stay near Bovington
If you’re going to TankFest you’ll need somewhere to stay for a few nights and the area around Bovington is beautiful and is home to some of the prettiest villages in England. If you are wanting overnight accomodation I recommend you book as early as possible as the hotels around Bovington are very popular particularly during TankFest weekend.
Lulworth is a beautiful coastal area you could stay in. The Lulworth Cove Inn is a wonderful wonderful hotel that you could have as your base for a few days.
Towns that are on the trainline to Wool may be a good choice if you’re relying on trains to get you to the Tank Museum - Bournemouth, Weymouth, Wareham, Dorcester and Poole.
