Planning a Birthday treat for my husband, I had to get my brain into gear and come up with something special. Jackpot! With the help of Beaulieu National Motor Museum I found what I was looking for and booked The British Classics Cars Events.
I thought it would be nice to travel down the day before so I booked a stay at The Angel and the Blue Pig in Lymington (with parking) The dinner and breakfast was delicious and the location was perfect just a short drive to Beaulieu which meant we could be there early and have a full day of treats.
Arriving at Beaulieu I was so impressed with the layout. There was free parking for 1,000 cars, cycles, motor homes and coaches, plus an overflow car parking area close to the Entrance. There was a disabled car park nearer to the Reception where manual wheel chairs and electric mobility scooters were available (the latter advisable to book in advance)
The queue moved quickly and was well organised. Everywhere was clean and the staff friendly and helpful.
I would suggest PREBOOK FOR YOUR FULL ATTRACTION TICKETS and recommend going when there is a special event going on. I think Beaulieu is fantastic value for money.
Adults £24.50 Senior £23.50 5-16 £13.50 0-4 free
The parking is Free and there are no ‘hidden costs’ once inside. Dogs are allowed in.
Beaulieu is so much more than a Motor Museum, its suitable for all ages.
You can take your own picnics and there are areas in the Parkland with benches and an undercover seating area. Nice idea to take your own blanket. I liked the idea of Re-admission where you have your hand stamped, so you can leave your picnic in the car until needed.
There is a Riverside walk from Beaulieu to Bucklers Hard (4.7 miles) with plenty of wildlife to see. It has a beautiful Marina, Museum, Cafe and parking just incase you prefer to drive there. There is a charge for parking but you can picnic there free of charge.
Back to Beaulieu it has the Brabazon Restaurant which does take away Pizzas or a Ploughman’s lunch. We sat outside on the patio watching ‘The Old Fashioned Bus Ride’ setting off round the grounds, people buying their ice-creams from the Ice-cream Van and people flocking to the ‘Enclosed Area’ where the Classic Cars Event was taking place.
Refreshed we made a bee-line there. The day was just getting better and better. We loved chatting to the car owners, hearing their stories about their restorations and witnessing their love and dedication spent on these magnificent cars.
Dragging ourselves away we headed to the Monorail, it did not disappoint as we journeyed round we could see into the Motor Museum through the open roof.
We spent ages inside looking at these magnificent vehicles in pristine condition and beautifully displayed. My husband was drooling over the cars, taking sooo many photos, they took your breath away. WOW and WOW again.
Beaulieu has not forgotten the children and you could hear them having fun in ‘Little Beaulieu’ on the Adventure Playground.
We moved on to ‘Palace House’ and loved it, great knowledgable staff on hand.
It’s funny how sometimes the little things stay with you, we loved the display of Dinky and Corgi Cars and I love the display of ladies Clutch Bags.
Tucked away we found the Museum about WWII/Secret Army Exhibition. Beaulieu was a finishing school for Special Operations Agents, this was really interesting.
There is just so much to see and do, my mind is going into overdrive, I just can’t mention everything so please check out Beaulieu’s Website/Events.
I think the Montagu family are doing a brilliant job and all the staff who help run it so smoothly and bring such pleasure.
My husband was really enjoying his Birthday and the day was going so well. I hadn’t foreseen just how special this trip down memory lane was going to be and the special memories these model cars held for us.
We came across a Ford Anglia, the very first car we owned. A ‘Harry Potter’ car the Grandchildren would of loved it if we still owned it.
We also spotted an Austin 1100. Memories came flooding back remembering how the windscreen wipers went wrong and would only swipe one way. So my husband tied a piece of string to the blades and my job was to pull them back when it was raining.
Then we came across a Cortina. Ours was a metallic green colour.We would never buy another green car. It was hit three times and matching the paintwork up was a disaster.
The paintwork now had a camouflage appearance!!!
Our favourite car was the MGB GT It was white and we absolutely loved this car and when we saw one in the enclosure it brought so much joy. Sadly we had to sell her as I was pregnant and we needed a family car.
What a special place these cars have played in our lives.
Now we will ‘Focus’ on our retirement and make more memories and a trip to Beaulieu will definitely be on the cards.
