Before Heathrow existed, Hendon aerodrome at Colindale was one of the most famous airfields in the world, with air pageants that drew crowds of a hundred thousand in the 1920s and 30s. Part of it is now the RAF Museum, with hangars full of aircraft from the earliest biplanes to modern jets. Around it, Colindale has changed faster than almost anywhere in London, with thousands of new homes in towers on the old police college and newspaper library sites. Minibus hire Colindale customers book is mostly school trips to the museum, family events and runs to Luton.
Colindale sits in the west of Barnet borough, between Hendon, Burnt Oak, Kingsbury and Mill Hill, with the A5 Edgware Road on one side and the M1 on the other. From our base in SE1, it's about forty-five minutes to an hour outside the rush hour, up the Edgware Road or the A41.
Minibus hire Colindale for RAF Museum school trips
The RAF Museum is free to enter, and it's one of the most popular school trips in north London. Pupils walk under the wings of a Lancaster bomber, see a Spitfire and a Hurricane from the Battle of Britain, and explore galleries on the First World War in the air and on how planes fly. The museum runs learning sessions and workshops for schools of all ages.
The museum has its own large car park and a coach and minibus drop-off on Grahame Park Way, so the driver can drop right by the entrance and wait or return at the end of the visit. There's a café, a picnic area and a shop, which helps schools plan lunch on site. For a school booking, send the class sizes, the staff numbers and the session times, and we'll confirm the details in writing. Minibus hire Colindale schools book from further afield often combines the museum with a second stop, such as the Wembley Stadium tour or the London Zoo.
Cadets, veterans and history groups
Air cadet squadrons, scouts, guides, veterans' associations, aviation clubs and history societies visit the museum through the year, and it hosts events, talks and an annual family weekend. Hangar 1 tells the story of the RAF's first hundred years, and the outdoor play area suits younger children. Groups from outside London book us to collect them from a station or a meeting point and bring them to the museum.
For older visitors, we'll keep the walking to a minimum, and the museum's drop-off is close to the main hangars.
The new Colindale
Colindale Gardens, on the old Peel Centre police college, and the towers around the station have brought thousands of new households, many of them young families. The Grahame Park estate is being rebuilt too. Families book us for birthday parties, christenings, weddings and airport runs, often collecting from tower blocks with their own drop-off areas. Many of these households have relatives abroad, so airport runs come up often.
Give us the address and the block name, and we'll check the best stopping point. Some of the newer streets are still being finished, so access can change from month to month, and we'll check before the day.
Luton from junction 4
Luton Airport is about thirty to forty minutes from Colindale outside the rush hour, straight up the M1 from junction 4. Heathrow takes around forty minutes across to the A40, and Stansted about an hour and a quarter round the M25. For families flying from Luton, it's one of the quickest airport runs in London.
Give us the flight time, and we'll suggest a pickup with a margin for the M1. Coming back, the driver times the pickup to the landing. Families leaving on early holidays can book the return at the same time.
Schools, colleges and the parks
Colindale's busy primary and secondary schools, and Barnet and Southgate College's campus nearby, book us for museum visits, swimming, sports fixtures and trips. Montrose Park, Silk Stream Park and the new parks in the Colindale developments suit a short outing, with play areas and space for a picnic. The Welsh Harp, to the south, has a nature reserve, bird hides and a sailing centre.
The Edgware Road, Aerodrome Road and the M1
The Edgware Road, the A5, is busy with buses and traffic most of the day, and Burnt Oak Broadway, just north, has shops and a Saturday market that add to it, and Aerodrome Road, which links it to the museum and the M1, has been rebuilt as part of the redevelopment. Building work around the station and the new estates means road layouts are still changing. Pickups happen at agreed points near the building or the school gate, and for the museum the drop-off is on site.
For minibus hire in Colindale, call 020 7183 0567.