Grampian Transport Museum — Attraction in Scotland

My partner and I visited the Grampian transport museum and was thoroughly impressed by its excellent presentation. It's a must see attraction for any car enthusiast, Top Gear or Guy Martin fan.

It almost goes without saying but it's the Top Gear cars that brought me to the museum. I had only found out about it just days prior to my trip when Drivetribe (a popular YouTube channel) had released a video on the indestructible Toyota Hilux that Grampian are now the proud owners of.

However, it doesn't stop at just the Hilux, they own many of the iconic TV cars such as the Rambulance, the P45 and even the amphibious vehicles that the legendary trio of Clarkson, Hammond and May tried crossing the English Channel in.

Explaining the history of each vehicle was a passionate volunteer Finlay McHardy who really made the day for us. Listening to him talk about the episodes each vehicle was featured in and sharing knowledge not found on the information boards. He even shared some details about what the future may hold for the vehicles...

Meaning, if you're thinking they might try and start the Hilux. You may be right. The team at Grampian are sent on courses and trained to try and preserve the exhibits they have on display. The Hilux being no exception. If the pickup truck does indeed still run after time has been added to the concoction of death it's had to endure then it'll be because of the amazing team at Grampian and not the Smallest Cog as many suspect.

Moving away from the Top Gear exhibit the museum also features trams, bikes in both push and motorised varieties as well as historic 'transportation of the future' such as the Sinclair C5 a vehicle that I believe was ahead of its time. The museum really is a treasure trove of information with the sheer diversity it has to offer and with plenty to read for those that wish to do so. It's very clear a lot of care has gone into making the exhibits as enjoyable and informative as possible.

If all of this sounds tiring or perhaps you're not as passionate as a partner, child or any other acquaintance that you may be travelling with is. Then not to worry there is a lovely café located inside the museum called Motorbites which I feel is a worthy pun. It offers a great range of food and drink at what I found to be a very reasonable price, making it the perfect spot for lunch or just a break!

The only negative I can draw from my visit is the behaviour of a school group. The children seemed to treat the museum like a playground, running around without much supervision or respect for the exhibits. While this didn't entirely detract from my experience, it was a minor disruption. However, this is not Grampian's fault and more so the lack of supervision from the responsible adults of the school trip.

Overall I had a great time. So much so that if you look hard enough you may find my name, Finlay's name or many others dotted around the exhibits as the museum offer a vehicle adoption scheme for a one of fee of £25. This goes towards running the museum and the upkeep of the exhibits as Grampian is owned and operated by a registered charity of which I was more than happy to support.

So on that bombshell, it's...

I love Grampian Transport Museum so much. As an Archaeologist who has worked in museums before, I was so impressed with the thoroughness of research and the thoughtfulness that has gone into the displays. The technology is outstanding and I was so keen to share what the GTM have done with my colleagues! There are wonderful little ipads given to you to carry around and they link to each display. You are able to access documents, photos and footage which really do bring the displays to life! What a wonderful idea for people who are interested to find out more and to see certain vehicles in situ back in the day! We also enjoyed the new exhibit, 'Probing the Future' which explored electric cars and the possibility of self-driving cars. It was so interesting to reflect on transport in the future and to see the software and ideas that are being debated in our society today.

Every staff member was lovely and very knowledgeable. Mary was happy to show us demonstrations and we enjoyed our chats with her, one of the highlights to be honest! Euan was also very kind and helpful at the front desk today. Me and my partner had a wonderful time and we could see that there was plenty to do for children there too. Thank you so much for a...

We had the absolute best day today! My little boy turned 3 and we met here with some of his friends for a party as he’s obsessed with transport. The staff including the gentleman online who helped organise the day were absolutely fantastic and the customer service on the day from the ladies on the front desk to the lovely ladies in the cafe was some of the best and friendliest service we have ever received. The kiddies had a lunch box in the cafe with a choice of sandwitches and sides/drinks and every adult ordered from the menu, all food, coffee and sweet treats were absolutely delicious and such good value for money. All the kids and adults absolutely loved seeing all the transport in the museum and getting to sit on the trams and snow ploughs etc. we spent hours here and should easily have spent longer. I cannot thank the guys here enough for allowing us to host my little boys birthday here. It will be a day to remember and we will absolutely recommend the museum to others. Again a huge thank you to all the ladies working today for being so welcoming, friendly and helpful! You all made the day even better than we could imagine and I have one very very...