We discovered Buckler's Hard almost by accident. We had originally intended to take the Beach Bus to Lymington, but by the time we got the bus it was too late to make the return journey so we get off at Buckler's Hard instead. I should explain, the Beach Bus runs between Hythe and Lymington and, if one is departing from Southampton, a ticket which includes the ferry and train to Hythe and an all day hop-on/hop off ticket for the beach bus costs only £6. Buckler's Hard is an odd attraction, it is part of the Beaulieu estate and the whole village has been preserved as it was in the 17th century. There is a museum which tells the history of shipbuilding in Buckler's Hard and how the villagers lived there.
We had hoped to have lunch in the village pub (I forget the name), but they stopped serving food at 2.30pm. There is a large cafe at the front of the complex, but we did not have time to check it out because we had to get our return bus. It was not the most exciting day out but it was quite interesting. I for one hadn't realised that ocean going ships had been built so far upstream or the role that Beaulieu played in the last world war. One word of warning though: the museum is not accessible to wheelchair users – there are a lots of stairs and the pathway through the village is gravel.
