New Forest & Hampshire Coast with Netty & Midi

 New Forest & Hampshire Coast 

River Bourne Community Farm really is a beautiful place to visit. It is purely run by volunteers, and we had a private tour of the farm meeting and interacting with all the friendly animals. They had lots of birds of prey, and we learned some interesting facts about how fast they are and what they like to eat. We then met the fluffy alpacas, pigs, lambs and lots more animals which we were lucky enough to feed along the way. 

We were so lucky to meet the lovely horses and donkeys who lived on the farm where we were staying. We got to feed the 30 year old shire horse and Bluebell the donkey. 

A brilliant day was spent at the unspoilt haven of Buckler’s Hard which can be traced back to the 15^th century and it remains untouched by the passage of time. Originally founded as a free port for the trading of sugar, Buckler’s Hard actually flourished as a naval shipbuilding centre and has become famous for building warships for Nelson’s Navy, including three vessels that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar. The museum was amazing, and we saw how they used to build ships, some 500 of them! 

We had a wonderful stroll around the grounds and stopped for a picnic lunch on the hills looking across the River Beaulieu treating ourselves to a refreshing ice cream.

 

An afternoon was spent in the sunshine cruising down the river. We relaxed and took in the breathtaking views, marvelling at all the other huge boats along the river banks. We loved waving to all the other passers by. 

A memorable trip to Exbury gardens and house was had. It was built in 1919 and owned by the Rothschild family. The fourth generation of the family still live here, set in the 100 year old gardens with over 200 acres of land. The gardens were so vast that we took a steam train around admiring the beautiful flower beds full of wonderful colours and incredible smells. 

After a lovely walk around, we enjoyed a delightful meal in the late evening sun. We then took our seats on a picnic blanket to enjoy an open air theatre production of Alice in Wonderland. 

It was a spectacular show and we loved watching Alice get into all sorts of mishaps along with her friend the White Rabbit. 

Some of the evenings were spent on the farm, lighting up the BBQ, soaking up the warm evening sun and chatting about our brilliant days. We would then put the music on, having our own mini disco! 

  A fascinating day was spent at the Beaulieu Park and National Motor Museum set in the middle of the New Forest. The park is over 700 acres of stunning gardens and a stately home belonging to the Montigue family. The Motor Museum is the best in the country with 200 vintage cars for us to explore as well as the stunt car exhibition from Top Gear and other famous films. 

We walked around the spectacular grounds and was amazed by how much we had learnt in the museum. After lunch we visited the Abby which still has Monks living here. We then entered the main house which is still decorated with an 80’s feel. The current Lord now lives in Beaulieu village but walks around the grounds daily to chat to the visitors. 

 We had to take a trip on the 1930’s route master bus tour and on the monorail which took us all around the estate. The views from high up in the sky were spectacular.