The nose has it

UNTIL now, the nearest I ever got to flying Concorde was interviewing David Frost.

The presenter and producer was a frequent flyer on the plane with the distinctive drooping nose, using it to commute between his TV jobs in London and New York.

For most of us, Concorde remained an iconic figure whose fares made being a passenger as out of this world as the aircraft's supersonic speed.

So to step aboard Concorde is not only a thrill but something most people could only have ever imagined. Not that the "flight" is going to leave the ground or break through the sound barrier. The aircraft keeps its undercarriage firmly on the ground inside the massive hangar that provides its shelter at the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune, near Edinburgh.

Getting this Concorde to the museum in 2003 took one of the largest transport operations ever known. The aircraft sailed down the Thames and along the coast of Britain before "landing" and continuing its journey on the A1 and finally across agricultural land to RAF East Fortune, a Second World War airfield built on the site of a major First World War Royal Naval Air Station.

Just as Concorde occupies a corner of aviation history, so does the airfield, which is a scheduled ancient monument.

It was from here that, in 1919, a R34 Airship took off on its record-breaking East- West transatlantic flight.

East Fortune was established in 1915 as a Royal Naval Air Station to combat the anticipated threat from Zeppelins.

During the First World War, airships flew from there to carry out fleet spotting and submarine hunting duties. And the world's first torpedo-dropping aeroplane that could operate from aircraft carriers - Sopwith TI Cuckoo - was stationed at East Fortune.

NOWADAYS, three hangars house a collection of aircraft spanning the decades. As befits a monarch of the skies, Concorde has its own hangar where The Concorde Experience awaits you.

Walking under the delta-shaped wings, seeing close up the massive engines that took Concorde to Mach 2 and posing for pictures under a nose as famous as Jimmy Durante's makes you realise what a monster the plane is. But, once inside, the impression is how small and slim it is. Just four seats across, pairs separated by the central aisle. How different to the wide-bodied jumbos. It seems almost claustrophobic.

Buy a Concorde pass and you become one of 16 passengers boarding every 15 minutes for an audio-guided tour.

There's no time for lingering - you must listen to the commentary at specific points and then move along the plane.

Concorde service began in 1976 and flew for 27 years with regular transatlantic flights by British Airways and Air France between Heathrow and Paris to New York and Washington.

Speed was of the essence with Concorde making the journey in under half the time of regular jet airliners. Among the aircraft's records is circumnavigating the world in 31 hours 27 minutes 49 seconds in 1995.

Your grounded flight takes you through the slim-line passenger cabin and past the small cockpit. Along the way, you hear about life aboard at supersonic speed as captains, cabin crew and passengers recall old times.

If the cockpit with its multitude of buttons and dials looks miniscule, the toilet is even smaller. As the captain recalls, he always told people to decide what they wanted to do before going into the smallest room because, once inside, there was no space for manoeuvring.

Your time inside Concorde is necessarily brief, but the rest of the presentations in the hangar will keep you occupied for some time, looking and learning from displays and hands-on exhibits all about the jet-set lifestyle.

The rest of the museum, housed in several more hangars and outbuildings dotted about the airfield, presents an eclectic collection of flying machines.

Many familiar names are present, such as Tiger Moth, Tornado and Spitfire.

The museum is a short bus ride from the town of North Berwick, itself a 30- minute train journey from Edinburgh.

Famous for its golf courses, the town is also an attractive seaside resort with two sandy bays that made it a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th Century.

The Biarritz of the North is how it was promoted.

THE advent of the railways meant that, by the 1880s, the travelling time from London to Edinburgh was just eight hours. London's society figures liked nothing better than taking a train trip across the border to North Berwick.

Records show that on Easter Monday in 1895, for example, some 1,500 visitors arrived on regular and special excursion trains. Wealthy families would spend several weeks in the town during the summer, bringing with them their housekeepers, butlers, footmen and nannies.

Golf was one of the main attractions and the Marine Hotel the focus point for all the visitors. It was reported that one day in 1903 four MPs, the Speaker of the House of Commons, two bishops and the Prime Minister were to be found playing golf on the West Links.

King Edward VII gave the royal seal of approval with a visit, arriving by train from Balmoral.

Author Robert Louis Stevenson spent many holidays in the town as a child and young man. The island of Fidra is said to be the inspiration for Treasure Island and much of his novel Catriona, the sequel to Kidnapped, is set locally.

Opposite the town in the Firth of Forth are the other islands of The Lamb, Craighleith and Bass Rock. The latter hosts a thriving colony of birds, including puffins and gannets. Boat trips are run to Bass Rock at certain times but when you've enjoyed the flying experience at the National Museum of Flight, you can see a different kind of flight at the Scottish Seabird Centre, near the harbour in North Berwick. This offers the chance to turn into birdwatcher Bill Oddie through remote viewing of the wildlife on Bass Rock.

Gannets and puffins are your prey, using interactive cameras in the centre that you can operate to roam the island and zoom in on whatever area of the island and its inhabitants you fancy. A sort of do-it-yourself wildlife show.

TRAVEL FACTS

The National Museum of Flight at East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, is open daily April to October, and weekends only November to March.

Admission is £5.50 (concessions £4.50, children 12 and under free). With a Concorde Boarding Pass, admission is £8.50 (concessions £6.50, children £2).

Bookings and information 01620-897240. Concorde Pass bookings 0870- 4214299 or www.nms.ac.uk (booking fee applies).

The sea bird centre is open daily. Details 01620-890202 or visit www.seabird.org Visit www.travelinescotland.com for bus and train details.