This “beautiful place” sits at the top of the tidal Beaulieu River in the south-eastern New Forest. Founded in the 13th century when Cistercian monks sent from Dijon’s Citeaux Abbey were gifted land by King John to build an abbey here, the village of Beaulieu is today part of the 7,000-acre Beaulieu estate, seat of the Montagu family since the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.
Though small, the village is a pretty base for exploring the National Park. Autumn walks are glorious, with the trees providing shelter from the open heaths on rainy days and thousands of free-ranging ponies, donkeys and cattle offering distraction from the weather.
Autumn is when the “drift” takes place, when ponies are rounded up. Until 22 November, pigs are a feature of the “pannage” – around 600 are allowed to freely graze fallen acorns and nuts that are harmful to the ponies.
A couple of miles downriver from the village, Buckler’s Hard is a preserved Georgian shipbuilding village of cottages, a hotel, pub and museum, with a modern marina. For more, see thenewforest.co.uk.
Getting there and around
South Western Railway serves Beaulieu Road from London Waterloo, Southampton Central, Bournemouth and Poole; trains also stop at Ashurst New Forest and Brockenhurst. Beaulieu Road is around three and-a-half miles north of Beaulieu village, while Brockenhurst is around six miles west.
Bus 112 connects Hythe (and ferries from Southampton) with Lymington via Beaulieu village on weekdays. The New Forest Tour bus runs in summer, connecting the south-eastern corner of the national park (morebus.co.uk).
A car is recommended for getting around in winter, or if you’re dressed for it, bike hire can be a good option since roads are well maintained and the terrain is mostly flat (thenewforest.co.uk/things-to-do/cycling/cycle-hire).
Drop your bags
Right next door to Beaulieu Road station, the Beaulieu Inn Hotel is otherwise blissfully remote, overlooking Yew Tree Heath. Across the road, Beaulieu Road Pony Sale Yard is where Commoners – who hold the right to graze their stock in the forest – auction ponies several times a year. The dog-friendly hotel has unfussy rooms (with one accessible family room) and a tiny pool, and is attached to a pub-restaurant, The Drift. Doubles from £108 B&B.
In the village, The Montagu Arms is a stylish, cosy country hotel with a pub, Monty’s, and doubles from £171 B&B, including accessible rooms. Seasonal activities include guided mushroom foraging.
A worthy diversion, The Pig is a well-established retreat near Brockenhurst and the original hotel in this 11-strong chain. Doubles from £245.
Browse the shops
The high street is short and sweet, with just a few shops. Beaulieu Chocolate Studio sells prettily packaged boxes and bars, while Norris has been selling gifts and trinkets since 1876. Brockenhurst has a bigger selection of independent shops.
A mile out of town on Hatchet Lane, Beaulieu Organic Farm Shop sells estate venison, beef, fruit, vegetables and bread.
Cosy cafés
On the high street, Bellord & Brown is a deli-café selling local produce and serving cooked breakfasts, salads, quiches, pastries and doorstep sandwiches. Picnic boxes are available to pre-order if you’re off on a ramble.
At the top of the high street, Fairweather’s Garden Centre is home to Steff’s Kitchen, which serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea in a cosy room warmed by a wood burner.
Rainy day refuges
The Beaulieu estate, sitting across the river from the village, is home to Lord Montagu’s National Motor Museum, stuffed full of vintage cars, as well as the World of Top Gear, a sanctuary for the series’ many relics. There is also a monorail that winds around the site and through the trees, rides on a replica 1912 open-top London bus, the ruins of the Abbey, kitchen gardens and a playground. Tickets £25/£14.
Buckler’s Hard riverside shipbuilding village is free to visit, but there is also a small museum (£5.90/£4) as well as a tiny working chapel.
In Lyndhurst, the small New Forest Heritage Centre is a family-friendly hub for learning more about the history and present-day traditions of the forest.
A drink by the fire
The East End Arms, near Lymington, is a lively village pub owned by John Illsley of Dire Straits. House ales from the local Ringwood Brewery are served in the cosy pub, while the next-door restaurant showcases local produce.
At Buckler’s Hard, the Master Builder’s House Hotel has a wood-panelled pub, Henry’s, with beamed ceilings and an open fire in the Georgian terrace of shipmakers’ buildings. Go for local ales, elevated pub grub and river views.
Dinner reservation
The Pig sources its produce from a 25-mile radius (including its kitchen garden) and is exceptional. Service is friendly and deeply knowledgeable, and the food memorable. Autumn highlights include roast Jerusalem artichokes with flecks of Barkham blue cheese and pickled shallots, risotto with roast Crown Prince squash and Old Winchester cheese, and roast Hampshire partridge with bacon and bread sauce. Pannage pork also features on the menu on some days.
Autumn walks
The two and-a-half mile walk from Buckler’s Hard to Beaulieu village is lovely and mostly flat on gravel paths, as it shoots arrow-like alongside oaks and conifers, with optional muddy diversions to follow the river along some sections.
Another hour-or-so walk is from the village to Beaulieu Heath via Hatchet Pond. Head out along Hatchet Lane then turn left through a gate to use footpaths to cut across fields towards East Boldre, the Beaulieu Letters (cut into the turf a century ago to identify the flying school near here) and Hatchet Pond – the New Forest’s largest body of freshwater and home to many of the country’s rarest wetland plants – to end among ponies on Hatchet Moor and Beaulieu Heath.
Three things you might not know about Beaulieu
1) The Beaulieu River – part of Lord Montagu’s estate – is one of few privately owned tidal rivers in the UK. The river was once used for salt production, but is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest and welcomes kingfishers, white-tailed eagles and seals.
2) Buildings all along the river played a part in the smuggling industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.
3) Ships built at Buckler’s Hard included Nelson’s favourite, Agamemnon, which sailed in the Battle of Trafalgar.
