Review: Hampshire attraction has more to offer than vehicles

While the New Forest venue has an impressive range of vehicles on show - from Mr Bean’s iconic mini to the jaguar XKR from the Bond film Die Another Day - it has so much more to offer for those with less of an interest in transport.

The attraction is set in beautiful, sprawling grounds with stunning views across the tidal Beaulieu River.

A woodland trail takes visitors past impressive wooden sculptures including a sea monster made from the trunk of a tree, its snake-like body emerging from the sparkling waters; and a giant man carved out of a tree.

(Image: Emily Roberts) At the time of our visit, there was a fairy trail with enchanting scenes delighting us around every corner including fairies dancing around a maypole, flying through the trees or peeping out from the undergrowth, along with other mythical creatures such as dragons and unicorns.

There are plenty of spots to stop for a picnic - we chose a shady table under a tree - before heading to the children's play park, which turned out to be a highlight of the visit for my seven-year-old son.

What seven-year-old doesn't love a park? But this was the park of all parks. Created to represent a little Beaulieu, the adventure play area is the perfect place for children to explore and includes a natural wooden replica of Palace House, undercover secret passageways, slides, zip wire, and even a child-sized car garage, encouraging children to use their imagination. 

'It's the best park ever' my son declared and could have happily spent the rest of the day there.

(Image: Emily Roberts)

However, I wanted to explore elsewhere and managed to coax him out with the offer of a ride on the monorail.

The great thing about Beaulieu is that everything is included in the cost of the ticket, so you can ride the monorail as many times as you wish, giving great views around the grounds from a height.

Next, we headed inside to look at the cars, which was far more exciting than I had anticipated. There was a great range, with plenty to look at and information to read.

The new Streets Ahead exhibition opened earlier this year, offering visitors the chance to explore displays in shop fronts including a toy shop, a motoring clothing shop, travel agent and mobile hardware store. A friendly member of staff was on hand to talk to us about some of the exhibits.

Streets Ahead (Image: Beaulieu) The permanent exhibition is an interesting addition to the museum, presented in an immersive environment that enables visitors to step back in time and experience life on the streets in the decades following the Second World War.

Beaulieu is also home to the World of Top Gear where visitors can discover what happened to the cars that were battered, modified and generally ruined by the BBC’s Top Gear team.

The attraction has so much to offer we didn’t manage to see everything in one day, leaving plenty to explore for another visit, including the 800-year-old Abbey founded by King John in the 13th century before being destroyed on the orders of King Henry VIII in 1538.

The Abbey is now a tranquil, conserved ruin where visitors can enjoy its peaceful setting and appreciate the achievements of its medieval builders. While I could have happily wandered the gardens, my son still had the park on his mind so we headed back for one last time before heading home.

The museum has a variety of events planned for the October half term including spooky ghost stories; seasonal recipes from Lord Montagu’s cook in Palace House; hunting for ghostly ghouls around the museum; and a new Scarecrow Scramble trail.

For more information visit https://www.beaulieu.co.uk/.