The New Forest, Beaulieu, S.E. England, walks, wild ponies and National Motor Museum

Posted by Mari Nicholson Jun 12, 2009

Just back from The New Forest at Beaulieu in Hampshire, S.E. England, I have decided that it must be one of the loveliest parts of the UK. Certainly for walking, relaxing, communing with nature, there can be fewer parts of the world where all these elements of the good life come together.

Although called The New Forest it is, in fact, the UK's oldest surviving forest and the largest tract of semi-natural woodland in Western Europe. It dates back to 1079 when it was established as a hunting ground for William the Conqueror. Today it is still administered under ancient laws set up to protect the woodland and wilderness run by Vederers, Commoners and Agisters who are judges, police and land users. There are more than 3,000 wild ponies and donkeys runing free, red and sika deer can be spied through the trees in the morning mist, and docile highland cattle graze the grasses of the village greenss.

The villages are typically English with half-timbered and thatched cottages, and old pubs, some gabled, many with climbing roses and honeysuckle round their doors. Many of the old Inns and Manor Houses are now hotels, like the one I stayed in this week, The Montagu Arms, a 5* oasis of relaxation and luxury in the heart of Beaulieu Village.

Small by modern standards, The Montagu Arms offers quality hospitality in a delightful setting on the Beaulieu River. Its gardens are magnificent, so well tended to that they produce flowers and colour throughout the year. The Terrace Restaurant (for which it holds a Michelin Star) looks on to these gardens and to a decked area on which pre- and after dinner drinks can be enjoyed, and the public bar and lounge are quiet and comfortable with books, newspapers and magazines on hand for the guests.

Hard though it was to tear myself away from the comforts of the hotel, I did manage to visit Beaulieu's other great attractions, the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu Palace and the Abbey ruins. The National Motor Museum is always an enjoyable place, and although I love the vintage and antique cars on display, the old Mercedes, Bentleys, Bugattis, Rolls Royce's etc., the current James Bond Exhibition was fun to visit, as was the Top Gear marquee. Wandering around the enormous display in the main area of the Museum, peeking into old garages and shops from the early days of the last century, can be a trip down memory lane for some people and a view into a world we have lost touch with for others, a slower, more relaxed way of life, when speed wasn't everything.

Beaulieu Palace offers a peek into another world also, with a Victorian kitchen and pantry, and the great state dining-hall in all its glory. Not to be missed.

Walking through the forest, along paths well signposted, looking out for the newly born ponies that kept close to their mothers, their gangly legs barely holding them up, was something that I am sure is good for the soul. At anyt rate, I've returned with a new energy to re-engage with life. Or at leas with the tennis at Eastbourne next week where I shall be for the AEGON International Championships.