Land speed record cars
Bluebird CN7, Golden Arrow and the Sunbeam record-breakers that once held the world land speed record, all in one hall.
In one hall of a small New Forest village sits Bluebird CN7, the blue projectile that Donald Campbell drove past 400 mph across an Australian salt lake in 1964, with the gilded Golden Arrow that held the world record decades earlier parked beside it. This is the core of the museum Lord Montagu opened in 1952 as a tribute to his father, one of Britain's motoring pioneers, and which has grown into the national collection: more than 250 vehicles, from tiller-steered horseless carriages to Formula 1 cars and motorcycles you will not see anywhere else. The single ticket buys far more than the museum, which is where its value lies. It admits you to Palace House, the Montagu family home built over a 13th-century abbey gatehouse and still partly lived in, to the ruins and gardens of Beaulieu Abbey, to 'We Had One Of Those', a nostalgia show of British homes and gadgets from the 1950s to the 1980s, and to the Secret Army exhibition on the wartime agents who trained here. A monorail threads the whole estate together, passing straight through the roof of the museum; rides are unlimited, and children tend to remember it more vividly than the cars. The honest verdict: excellent for a family with one car enthusiast in it, and perfectly pleasant for everyone else thanks to the gardens and the Little Beaulieu play area. Most of the site is level and pushchair-friendly, though Palace House's upper floors are out of reach for anyone who cannot manage stairs (a filmed tour is offered instead). It is not cheap: GBP 28.35 for adults booked in advance against 31.50 at the gate, children 4-16 GBP 16.65 in advance or 18.50 on the day, softened by an unusual perk of free return within six days, so there is no need to cram everything into one visit. The restaurant does pizza, pasta and fish and chips from 11:30 to 14:30, and picnics are welcome on benches across the parkland. Getting there: Beaulieu has no railway station. By car from Southampton, leave the M27 at junction 2 and follow the brown signs; it is about 20-25 km and 30 to 40 minutes, with free parking for a thousand cars. Without a car, the nearest station is Brockenhurst, 11 km away, then a taxi of around GBP 20, or in summer the green New Forest Tour bus that links the station with the museum; alternatively take the Hythe Ferry from Town Quay and a local bus for the last 8 km. Open every day of the year except Christmas Day, closing at 17:00, or 18:00 from late May to mid-September, with last admission half an hour before closing. In winter the indoor galleries are warm and well lit, but the gardens and abbey ruins lose half their charm in the rain.
Bluebird CN7, Golden Arrow and the Sunbeam record-breakers that once held the world land speed record, all in one hall.
Runs straight through the museum roof and links the whole estate; rides are unlimited and children adore it.
The Montagu family home built over a 13th-century abbey gatehouse, with gardens and ruins that give the day a life beyond cars.
Beaulieu, Brockenhurst SO42 7ZN, New Forest
Yes if you have children with you; the monorail, Little Beaulieu, the gardens and the nostalgia show fill half a day with ease. Two adults with no interest in cars may find GBP 31.50 each steep for a country house and abbey ruins, and would do better wandering the New Forest villages for free.
Not compulsory, tickets are sold at the gate, but booking online saves about GBP 3 per person. Note that advance tickets are dated and cannot be refunded or moved unless you add the flexible booking option, which lets you use them within 365 days of purchase.