We were lucky enough to manage a week away during the summer holidays. The beautiful Schoolhouse at Fenwick in Northumberland, just a short car journey away from home, provided a brilliant base for our adventures with absolutely everything we needed. I planned our days based on the experiences of a couple of friends so we could relax and enjoy some time away.

Although I am a bit of a planner anyway it does get a little frustrating not to be able to be a bit more spontaneous. Earlier in the holiday I discovered when trying to book tickets for an exhibition on a Saturday evening for the Sunday that I couldn’t get a carers ticket because they were only available to those phoning during working hours Monday to Friday. Another unnecessary obstruction on top of everything else for disabled people who need support.

Anyway when we were driving to our holiday I spotted a sign for the National Museum of Flight. A few people had mentioned it to me because of Quinns’ love of planes but I hadn’t done my research nor did I intend to while on holiday. The planning extended to let’s just go on the way home and see what we find. I booked the tickets including a carers ticket online the night before.

As you can imagine for a display that includes aeroplane hangars the site is large. There are disabled parking spaces at each of the buildings and wheelchairs for use by anyone who needs one. As well as large thankfully the site is also very flat and the pathways tarmac which made it easy to get from one building to another so once we were parked up we were ready to explore.

The grounds were full of planes for us to discover. Quinns was immediately very excited to see so many up close. Although we took him on a few flights when he was younger we haven’t quite managed to bring ourselves to again now he’s bigger.

Disappointment came before we even made it to the suggested start of the exhibitions. We couldn’t help but have a closer look at the first plane on route only to realise we could board to see the inside. I stayed with Quinns on the ground while everyone else disappeared up the steps. To be honest I’m not sure he was too bothered about the inside but it wasn’t a good feeling that he was excluded. 

At the desk we were given times when each of the planes would be open to explore. Of course I couldn’t help but ask if any were accessible to wheelchair users. A very confused man simply told me no. I was disappointed but not surprised given the difficulties wheelchair users have with flying as described in this recent Guardian article. 

Rather than miss out exploring the inside of Concorde with Dad and Big Sister I decided to take copious numbers of photographs to share with Quinns afterwards. Again he was probably more interested in the large screens showing videos of the red arrows in action or Concorde in flight but I couldn’t help wondering why there isn’t more effort to make at least one interior available for wheelchair users who might be interested?

After lunch we went to explore the Fantastic Flight hangar. I was seriously impressed. There were loads of interactive exhibits for children and adults to explore and learn about flight. Quinns was absolutely fascinated by the balloon that filled with air and rose up. Even better, it was operated by a button that he could reach and press himself! He also spent quite a lot of time trying out the controls for operating different parts of the plane. Although he had a good go at all the different levers his favourite was the one that switched the lights on. For someone who often has to sit passively at such places this was amazing!

He was also able to have a good go at the flight simulator but given that his favourite activity was letting the plane crash I think I might leave it a while before he starts flying lessons! 

So our little bit of spontaneity paid off on this occasion. The museum redeemed itself from the immediate disappointment of inaccessibility with interactive installations that Quinns could actually enjoy. However there are no excuses on a site that large not to have a Changing Places toilet which would have made our day even better!