The Royal International Air Tattoo starts in Fairford on Friday.

Thousands of people will descend on the site from all over the country.

So here's your guide on how to get there, wherever you're coming from and however you're travelling.

Swindon Advertiser:

From the North East (M40/A40) – Red Route

Traffic from the North East should approach via Burford and Lechlade, along the A417 and then through Whelford village into the Red car parks. Traffic on the A420 should avoid approaching Lechlade from the South East.

Swindon Advertiser:

From the South and South East – Blue Route

Traffic from the South and South East on the M4 should travel north along the A419(T) (exit M4 at Junction 15) then, after Cricklade, depart left onto the C124 towards Kempsford and into the Blue car parks.

From the West and South West – Brown Route

Traffic from the West, South West and Bristol on the M4, exit at Junction 17 and travel north towards Malmesbury, turning north east on to the B4040 towards Minety and then north on the B4696 towards Ashton Keynes (Cotswold Water Park). Traffic passes over the A419 joining the Cirencester Road south bound through Latton, merging with the Blue or Green routes as directed, dependent upon prevailing traffic levels.

Swindon Advertiser:

From the North West – Green Route

Traffic travelling from the North West (M5 Junction 11A and Cheltenham) should follow the A417(T) south, exiting at the Burford Road junction and joining the A417 eastbound towards Fairford. Traffic will be directed through Meysey Hampton into the Green car parks.

Traffic travelling from the West should follow the Cirencester ring road to the south of the town and use the old A419 past South Cerney airfield. Carry straight on at the first roundabout and follow the road parallel to the A419(T). At the second roundabout turn left, over the A419(T) and bear right towards Latton. Turn left to Down Ampney and follow signs to the Green car parks.

Additional overflow routes also exist to relieve congestion on all the main routes.

Drivers should however be aware that once in the vicinity of RAF Fairford, they will be directed onto the designated Air Tattoo routes as agreed with the Police.

Tune into Air Tattoo Live on 87.7 FM for traffic reports and airshow news.

Shuttle Bus

You can travel to the airshow from Swindon Bus Station for only £4 return when purchasing an admission ticket; just select this option when purchasing your tickets. Alternatively you can purchase a shuttle bus ticket on the day from Swindon Bus Station if you have already purchased a valid admission ticket.

Journey time is about 30 minutes and services run frequently on certain days and set times. Find out more about this service HERE.

Swindon Town Council has made all council run car parks FREE on Sunday 21 July.

Swindon Advertiser:

Park & Ride

You can travel via Park & Ride from the following locations.

Cheltenham Racecourse - only £5 return with an admission ticket, these can only be purchased in advance.

Rail

Direct rail services to Swindon from London, Oxford, Wales and the West, make rail an easy way of getting here. Once at Swindon Station, it is approximately a five-minute walk to Swindon bus station where you can get the Shuttle Bus to RAF Fairford.

Possible Rail Disruption

Network Rail will be upgrading the tracks just north of Gloucester station to provide greater resilience of the rail infrastructure on the route from Gloucester towards Lydney.

No trains will be able to call at Gloucester on Sunday 21 or Monday 22 July with replacement road transport running between Cheltenham Spa/Lydney/Cam & Dursley and Gloucester.

Trains will continue to call at both Swindon and Cheltenham Spa stations and additional road transport will be provided between Gloucester, Stonehouse and Stroud.

Coach

Numerous Coach operators run trips to the Air Tattoo.

Air

The nearest international airports to RAF Fairford are London Heathrow, Bristol and Birmingham.The site is also close to Cotswold Airport, Gloucestershire Airport and Oxford Airport. VIP flights are subject to the normal rules and regulations. Any enquiries should be directed to aircraft@rafcte.com