12th June 2005 - Beaulieu (New Forest)
We sorted out everything that we needed to pack and put them into the car. Seemed like a tight fit at first, but after some major amount of reshuffling and what-not, managed to get it all in.
And then, around 2pm, we set off for the first stop on our trip; Beaulieu in the New Forest. The campsite that we stayed in was not at Beaulieu (as this destination was not on the original plan) but was in fact in Lyndhurst - some distance away from the destination town. It didn't take long to get to the campsite and we found it to be quite spacious. A few ponies roamed free around the site. According to the man at reception, we had arrived at the "nicest part of the New Forest". We dumped the car down in a clear spot and having found out that it would only take one to one-and-half hours to walk to Beaulieu (and more specifically, Beaulieu Abbey ruins), we set off through New Forest heading southwards.
H.V. Morton says in his book (In Search of England) that he got lost in New Forest, but that was probably because he didn't have a clue which way to go. We had a map with the footpaths labelled and where the towns lay, so we couldn't get lost. After four hours, at around 6pm, we finally managed to find the Beaulieu Abbey ruins. Yes, we got lost on the way, and on the way back to the campsite it turned out we should have taken the right path instead of the left. We had walked in a large loop before rejoining the path that we would have trod upon had we taken that right-turn. We did see signs of life (i.e. people walking) so we thought that the town was nearby, alas it turned out to be a car-park.
The Abbey itself seemed to be tucked away before 'closed gates' in that it looked to have been turned into some sort of tourist attraction, what with the museum and cafeteria and gift shop. In fact, the surrounding area was made to hold exhibitions (a Mini event had just finished). Through all this, we found the Abbey.
King Henry VIII had ordered for it to be taken down and this is all that was left. The main entrance archway stands alone but does not give the impression that it was once part of a towering (three-(high)story) building. On it's own, it seems like an entrance way to a garden, as beyond it lie trees and grass with a pathway leading towards a cross. Hidden behind the walls is the abbey's Cloister, a nice square garden where it was once used for growing herbs and such like for medicinal purposes.
We never ventured into Beaulieu town as it was getting late and it was a Sunday, hence there would be nothing interesting to see. Knowing that it would take at least 2hrs to return to camp (now knowing the proper directions to take), and that we had not set up camp, we felt that it would a good time to go. Making it back by 9-something pm, we had enough 'day' light to put the ten up which didn't turn out too badly. Some food and much needed rest were had.
-- steven
And then, around 2pm, we set off for the first stop on our trip; Beaulieu in the New Forest. The campsite that we stayed in was not at Beaulieu (as this destination was not on the original plan) but was in fact in Lyndhurst - some distance away from the destination town. It didn't take long to get to the campsite and we found it to be quite spacious. A few ponies roamed free around the site. According to the man at reception, we had arrived at the "nicest part of the New Forest". We dumped the car down in a clear spot and having found out that it would only take one to one-and-half hours to walk to Beaulieu (and more specifically, Beaulieu Abbey ruins), we set off through New Forest heading southwards.
H.V. Morton says in his book (In Search of England) that he got lost in New Forest, but that was probably because he didn't have a clue which way to go. We had a map with the footpaths labelled and where the towns lay, so we couldn't get lost. After four hours, at around 6pm, we finally managed to find the Beaulieu Abbey ruins. Yes, we got lost on the way, and on the way back to the campsite it turned out we should have taken the right path instead of the left. We had walked in a large loop before rejoining the path that we would have trod upon had we taken that right-turn. We did see signs of life (i.e. people walking) so we thought that the town was nearby, alas it turned out to be a car-park.
The Abbey itself seemed to be tucked away before 'closed gates' in that it looked to have been turned into some sort of tourist attraction, what with the museum and cafeteria and gift shop. In fact, the surrounding area was made to hold exhibitions (a Mini event had just finished). Through all this, we found the Abbey.
King Henry VIII had ordered for it to be taken down and this is all that was left. The main entrance archway stands alone but does not give the impression that it was once part of a towering (three-(high)story) building. On it's own, it seems like an entrance way to a garden, as beyond it lie trees and grass with a pathway leading towards a cross. Hidden behind the walls is the abbey's Cloister, a nice square garden where it was once used for growing herbs and such like for medicinal purposes.
We never ventured into Beaulieu town as it was getting late and it was a Sunday, hence there would be nothing interesting to see. Knowing that it would take at least 2hrs to return to camp (now knowing the proper directions to take), and that we had not set up camp, we felt that it would a good time to go. Making it back by 9-something pm, we had enough 'day' light to put the ten up which didn't turn out too badly. Some food and much needed rest were had.
-- steven
posted by Steven | 1:10 am
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