Bicester Gliding Centre
Airfield Location
Lat/Long: 51:54:56N 01:08:12W, Grid Ref: SP 598245.
Windrushers Gliding Club in Oxfordshire is located within easy travelling distance of several areas such as Oxford, Reading, Banbury, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Birmingham and London. As Bicester is very close to the M40, many members come to the Gliding Club from these areas.
The town of Bicester is 12 miles north east of Oxford, so it is a good
idea to find Oxford on the map first. Bicester Airfield lies at the north
east end of Bicester, about one mile from the town centre, off Skimmingdish
Lane. The airfield gates are nearly always closed and locked but a phone
number on the gate can be called and the number to the gate lock will be
given to let yourself in. Please close the gate behind you on entering or
leaving the airfield.
Where's the entrance and route in?
Details of how to get to us are given below but one good site on the web for local travel information is at Travel Search which offers bus and train information for connecting to all the local cities and towns (Oxford, Banbury, Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury) and Oxfordshire County Council.
The main routes to the airfield are listed below - simply hold your mouse steady over the tab labelled with the direction you will be coming from to see more information. You can then click on these instructions for a new page to appear with a neatly printable version of the route and map.
- From the North
(via the A43) Take the A43 to Junction 10 of the M40, and on the motorway head south to Junction
9, signposted Bicester and Blenheim, and at the big roundabout you come off
at, take the A41 north to Bicester.
This brings you to a roundabout (where the A41 goes right to Aylesbury). Go straight on, to a smaller roundabout, surrounded by Tesco, a pub, a shopping centre and a petrol station. Drive straight on. At the next mini roundabout, also drive straight on. After two sets of traffic lights you come to another small roundabout, where the road forks ahead to the left and the right, or goes sharp right into the town centre. Take the road forking ahead to the right. Under the railway bridge. Past the petrol station. And a twin mini roundabout appears, where you go straight over both. There is a speed camera on the road infront of you (30 mph), on the traffic island. They turn it round every now and then to monitor each direction. Continue along this road to the large roundabout. Here you take the A4421 to the right (there are other signs saying RAF Bicester, ignore them). This road is called Skimmingdish Lane, and the airfield entrance is on your left about 150 yards along this road.
-
From the South (via
the A34) Take the A34 heading north, pass Oxford (no need
to go into it) and continue north until you reach the big roundabout
for the M40. Here you take the A41 north to Bicester.
This brings you to a roundabout (where the A41 goes right to Aylesbury). Go straight on, to a smaller roundabout surrounded by Tesco, a pub, a shopping centre and a petrol station. Drive straight on. At the next mini roundabout, also drive straight on. After two sets of traffic lights you come to another small roundabout, where the road forks ahead to the left and the right, or goes sharp right into the town centre. Take the road forking to the right. Under the railway bridge. Past the petrol station. And another twin mini roundabout appears, where you go straight over both. There is a speed camera on the road infront of you (30 mph), on the traffic island. They turn it round every now and then to monitor each direction. Continue along this road to the large roundabout. Here you take the A4421 to the right (there are other signs saying RAF Bicester, ignore them). This road is called Skimmingdish Lane, and the airfield entrance is on your left about 150 yards along this road. -
From the East
(via the A31) Take the A41 to Bicester, which
may involve coming through Aylesbury, depending on where you come
from. The route through Aylesbury is well signposted for the A41 and
Bicester. Approaching Bicester, you cross over a bridge and arrive
at a roundabout, with the A41 going south to your left, but you turn
to the right, north into Bicester.
This immediately brings you to a smaller roundabout surrounded by Tesco, a pub, a shopping centre and a petrol station. Drive straight on. At the next mini roundabout, also drive straight on. After two sets of traffic lights you come to another small roundabout, where the road forks ahead to the left and the right, or goes sharp right into the town centre. Take the road forking ahead to the right. Under the railway bridge. Past the petrol station. And another twin mini roundabout appears, where you go straight over both. There is a speed camera on the road infront of you (30 mph), on the traffic island. They turn it round every now and then to monitor each direction. Continue along this road to the large roundabout. Here you take the A4421 to the right (there are other signs saying RAF Bicester, ignore them). This road is called Skimmingdish Lane, and the airfield entrance is on your left about 150 yards along this road. -
From the West
(via the A40) Take the A40 towards Oxford, then the A34 north to Bicester (you don't actually
go into Oxford) and continue north until the big roundabout for the M40. This
is the roundabout you would come off the M40 at. Take the A41 north to Bicester.
This brings you to a roundabout (where the A41 goes right to Aylesbury). Go straight on, to a smaller roundabout surrounded by Tesco, a pub, a shopping centre and a petrol station. Drive straight on. At the next mini roundabout, also drive straight on. After two sets of traffic lights you come to another small roundabout, where the road forks ahead to the left and the right, or goes sharp right into the town centre. Take the road forking ahead to the right. Under the railway bridge. Past the petrol station. And another twin mini roundabout appears, where you go straight over both. There is a speed camera on the road infront of you (30 mph), on the traffic island. They turn it round every now and then to monitor each direction. Continue along this road to the large roundabout. Here you take the A4421 to the right (there are other signs saying RAF Bicester, ignore them). This road is called Skimmingdish Lane, and the airfield entrance is on your left about 150 yards along this road. -
From the North
West (via the M40) Take the M40 south
to Junction 9, signposted Bicester and Blenheim, and at the big roundabout
you come off at, take the A41 north to Bicester.
This brings you to a roundabout (where the A41 goes right to Aylesbury). Go straight on, to a smaller roundabout surrounded by Tesco, a pub, a shopping centre and a petrol station. Drive straight on. At the next mini roundabout, also drive straight on. After two sets of traffic lights you come to another small roundabout, where the road forks ahead to the left and the right, or goes sharp right into the town centre. Take the road forking ahead to the right. Under the railway bridge. Past the petrol station. And another twin mini roundabout appears, where you go straight over both. There is a speed camera on the road infront of you (30 mph), on the traffic island. They turn it round every now and then to monitor each direction. Continue along this road to the large roundabout. Here you take the A4421 to the right (there are other signs saying RAF Bicester, ignore them). This road is called Skimmingdish Lane, and the airfield entrance is on your left about 150 yards along this road. -
From the South East (via
the M40) Take the M40 north, passing Oxford (don't go through it!), onto Junction 9, signposted
Bicester and Blenheim, and at the big roundabout you come off at, take the A41
north to Bicester.
This brings you to a roundabout (where the A41 goes right to Aylesbury). Go straight on, to a smaller roundabout surrounded by Tesco, a pub, a shopping centre and a petrol station. Drive straight on. At the next mini roundabout, also drive straight on. After two sets of traffic lights you come to another small roundabout, where the road forks ahead to the left and the right, or goes sharp right into the town centre. Take the road forking ahead to the right. Under the railway bridge. Past the petrol station. And another twin mini roundabout appears, where you go straight over both. There is a speed camera on the road infront of you (30 mph), on the traffic island. They turn it round every now and then to monitor each direction. Continue along this road to the large roundabout. Here you take the A4421 to the right (there are other signs saying RAF Bicester, ignore them). This road is called Skimmingdish Lane, and the airfield entrance is on your left about 150 yards along this road. - From the North East (via the A421) Coming from Milton Keynes or the Buckingham direction, you would take the A422 or A421 to Buckingham, go round the ring road and after lots of dizzy roundabouts, take the A421 to Finmere (west). At Finmere take the A4421 south (that's to your left) to Bicester. This brings you to a big roundabout, having just passed the edge of the airfield and the old entrance on your left. At this roundabout, take the road to the left, Skimmindish Lane, ignoring any other signs pointing in a different direction. The airfield entrance is on your left about 150 yards along this road.
-
From the North West (via
the A44) Take the A44 towards Oxford, then without entering Oxford, take the A34 going
north to Bicester and continue north until the big roundabout for the M40. This
is the roundabout you would come off the M40 at, take the A41 north to Bicester.
This brings you to a roundabout (where the A41 goes right to Aylesbury). Go straight on, to a smaller roundabout surrounded by Tesco, a pub, a shopping centre and a petrol station. Drive straight on. At the next mini roundabout, also drive straight on. After two sets of traffic lights you come to another small roundabout, where the road forks ahead to the left and the right, or goes sharp right into the town centre. Take the road forking ahead to the right. Under the railway bridge. Past the petrol station. And another twin mini roundabout appears, where you go straight over both. There is a speed camera on the road infront of you (30 mph), on the traffic island. They turn it round every now and then to monitor each direction. Continue along this road to the large roundabout. Here you take the A4421 to the right (there are other signs saying RAF Bicester, ignore them). This road is called Skimmingdish Lane, and the airfield entrance is on your left about 150 yards along this road. -
From the South
West (via the A420) Take the A420 to Oxford,
where it joins the A34 at Botley roundabout and head north to Bicester,
(you don't go into Oxford). Eventually you reach the big roundabout
for the M40. Here you take the A41 north to Bicester.
This brings you to a roundabout (where the A41 goes right to Aylesbury). Go straight on, to a smaller roundabout surrounded by Tesco, a pub, a shopping centre and a petrol station. Drive straight on. At the next mini roundabout, also drive straight on. After two sets of traffic lights you come to another small roundabout, where the road forks ahead to the left and the right, or goes sharp right into the town centre. Take the road forking ahead to the right. Under the railway bridge. Past the petrol station. And another twin mini roundabout appears, where you go straight over both. There is a speed camera on the road infront of you (30 mph), on the traffic island. They turn it round every now and then to monitor each direction. Continue along this road to the large roundabout. Here you take the A4421 to the right (there are other signs saying RAF Bicester, ignore them). This road is called Skimmingdish Lane, and the airfield entrance is on your left about 150 yards along this road.
The above button will enable you to enter where you start from and get driving instructions to the airfield, on a road by road basis. Just like in Autoroute.
What to Wear
Airfields can be cold and windy places, and you can quickly become chilled even on fine days.
- Be sure to bring plenty of warm clothing, remembering that several thin layers are better than one thick one. Wearing just one bulky jacket could mean you get too hot in the glider.
- Wear ‘sensible’ shoes rather than sandals or flip-flops. Waterproof boots are ideal for wet weather.
- A hat is useful at any time of the year - cotton for the summer and woolly for the winter.
- In the summer, a breezy airfield can hide the strength of the sun - so bring a high SPF sun lotion and a blocker to protect noses and eartips.
- Sunglasses can be necessary at any time of the year.
- Ladies, please wear comfortable trousers or shorts - skirts and parachutes do not go well together - and getting into and out of the glider is much more elegant in trousers!
- You are welcome to take a camera with you when you fly, but it must be on a strap around your neck or wrist at all times, and you must declare its presence to your instructor.
Finally, if your appointment is for the afternoon and you stop for a pub lunch on the way to the airfield, please remember that you will be asked to declare that you have not consumed alcohol prior to flying.