A visiting bus at the 2023 SVBM Open Weekend.
The Scottish Vintage Bus Museum (or SVBM) is one of the larger bus museums in the UK, and features a wide variety of vintage and classic buses with a Scottish connection. Run entirely by volunteers the museum is now home to 190 buses. The museum is located on part of a former Royal Navy stores depot at Lathalmond, near Dunfermline in Fife. This provides a number of display and storage sheds, with roadways allowing for operation of buses within the site. Two short rail lines have also been built (one full size, the other a miniature narrow gauge line).
The museum is open on Sundays from April and October. Understandable giving the reliance on volunteers, however, this can reduce opportunities to visit and is a drawback (probably the only significant downside of the museum). However, some special events are held on Saturdays, including the annual Open Weekend in August.
Visiting the museum on a typical Sunday, you'll find two main attractions. This first is the main display hall, housing around 30 buses and other assorted artefacts, along with a gift shop, and basic cafe with a reasonable choice of drinks and snacks. The second attraction is a guided tour of the site aboard a vintage bus or coach. The tour takes in the various other sheds around the site, allowing you see bus and coaches in various stages of restoration.
The open weekend in August takes a different format. In addition to the usual attractions, visiting vehicles and traders are also in attendance. Many vehicles are moved outside of their shed for this as well, allowing a better view of some of the preserved buses and coaches that now reside at the museum. On this weekend, guided tours don't run in their normal format. Instead, several vehicles run a shuttle service around the site, with a shuttle service to Dunfermline itself, and other tours of the surrounding area. Additionally, visitors are free to explore the site and the additional displays on offer.
For current admission prices, opening hours, and upcoming events, visit the museum's website or contact the museum using the details below.
Address: The Scottish Vintage Bus Museum, M90 Commerce Park, Lathalmond, by Dunfermline, Fife, KY12 0SJ
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