Beaulieu Palace and Motor Museum

[sltb47]

Does anyone know how long it would take to travel by train from London and visit both Beaulieu Palace and the Motor Museum? Also would this train trip be covered by the Travel card? Thanks for any information anyone can provide.

[Arachnid]

Does anyone know how long it would take to travel by train from London and visit both Beaulieu Palace and the Motor Museum? Also would this train trip be covered by the Travel card? Thanks for any information anyone can provide.

 

It takes about 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 to get to Brockenhurst, which according to the Beaulieu link below is the best station. try this link which should help you, I used any London station on the drop down menu and all the journeys came up from Waterloo.

 

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/en/pj/tt

 

The link below is just a bit of information if you require it

 

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/ipus/beaulieu/getting-here

 

Hope you have a nice time

 

Pete :D

[scottbee]

Does anyone know how long it would take to travel by train from London and visit both Beaulieu Palace and the Motor Museum? Also would this train trip be covered by the Travel card? Thanks for any information anyone can provide.

 

By train, 2 or 3 trains per hour leave Waterloo on the South West Main Line (look for trains to "Weymouth"). Brockenhurst is 1 (major) stop, 10-15mins past Southampton Central and from there you can grab a taxi to the National Motor Museum. It should take about 1h45m for London Waterloo -> Brockenhurst.

 

Although there's a station called "Beaulieu Road", few trains stop there, and although it's a tad closer to the museum and abbey, there wont be cabs, whereas Brockenhurst is a lot more significant station.

 

As for 'travel card', which travel card are you talking about ? If it's an Oyster, that's London's transit system, which doesn't cover the intercity trains.

[sltb47]

Thanks for all the help. My husband enjoys motor museums and is a great fan of James Bond. So I thought he would really enjoy the trip.The Palace House and Gardens and the Abbey also looked nice. Has anyone done this and if so how long did you spend there?

 

:D Sandy

[scottbee]

Thanks for all the help. My husband enjoys motor museums and is a great fan of James Bond. So I thought he would really enjoy the trip.The Palace House and Gardens and the Abbey also looked nice. Has anyone done this and if so how long did you spend there?

 

You'll want to spend at least a few hours. very least.

[goldencup]

You don't necessarily want trains to Weymouth - you want Bournemouth, but make sure it's one that stops at Brockenhurst as the faster ones don't. The motor museum is well worth a visit.

[John Bull]

I can confirm the info you’ve already been given, trains London Waterloo to Bournemouth (a few carry on to Weymouth), & get off at Brockenhurst - small station, but the closest for Isle of Wight ferries, hence many trains stop here. Then a 10 minute taxi ride across the New Forest to the Motor Museum at Beaulieu. If you shared a taxi with people ferry-bound it would take 10 mins longer but you’d see a little more for free. You should have no trouble getting a taxi at Brockenhurst but either arrange the driver to come back to pick you up or ask Beaulieu staff to phone for a taxi at least ½ hr before you want to leave, there are no taxis ranked-up at the Museum or anywhere near.

The Motor Museum is worth mebbe 3 hours + refreshment breaks, the Palace is same place, same entry ticket, mebbe 5 min walk through the grounds. It’s hardly Buckingham Palace but worth 1/2hr, probably more.

Don’t visit on 12/13 September, there’s a massive annual Autojumble, & Beaulieu local traffic is a nightmare. Other events can be a little troublesome - check your dates on their “events” page, but the Sept Autojumble is the one to avoid.

Another place to consider is Brooklands, Britain’s first motor racing circuit, near Weybridge on the outskirts of London. Only a little of the track remains, part of the steep banking, plus clubhouse & some other buildings. Many more historic racing vehicles than Beaulieu, but few others, plus interesting aircraft. Home-spun rather than the more “professional” Beaulieu. www.brooklandsmuseum.com/ .

[scottbee]

I can confirm the info you’ve already been given, trains London Waterloo to Bournemouth (a few carry on to Weymouth), & get off at Brockenhurst - small station, but the closest for Isle of Wight ferries, hence many trains stop here. Then a 10 minute taxi ride across the New Forest to the Motor Museum at Beaulieu. If you shared a taxi with people ferry-bound it would take 10 mins longer but you’d see a little more for free. You should have no trouble getting a taxi at Brockenhurst but either arrange the driver to come back to pick you up or ask Beaulieu staff to phone for a taxi at least ½ hr before you want to leave, there are no taxis ranked-up at the Museum or anywhere near.

 

Brockenhurst is NOT the station you want for the Isle of Wight ferries, nor do you want to share a cab with people bound for the Isle of Wight if you get off at Brockenhurst. For anyone heading to the the Isle of Wight ferry, you change trains at Brockenhurst onto the Lymington Line, and get off at the last station (Lymington Pier) which is the ferry terminal. It's an interesting ride if only the trains are 1960s slamdoors in historic British Rail green.

 

Brockenhurst IS the station you want to grab a taxi to Beaulieu. The other option from Southampton would be the Hythe ferry to Hythe and then the Lymington bus goes through Beaulieu. However, the bus is infrequent (every 1-2 hrs IIRC)

 

As everyone has pointed out, you want trains that are headed on the South West Main Line to Bournemouth/Weymouth. The line goes all the way to Weymouth, but most trains only go as far as Bournemouth.

[John Bull]

Hellfire, I live about 20 miles away, and I'm being corrected by a Canadian!

Isle of Wight passengers for Lymington-Yarmouth DO want Brockenhurst, same as the OP, but I wasn't aware that connecting trains from Brockenhurst to Lymington met all main-line trains, thought they were comparatively infrequent, so my apols for that irrelevant error.

Makes no difference to the OP, just less chance of sharing a taxi with anyone Lymington-bound, but nothing wrong with it - same distance to Beaulieu from either, but ten minutes longer going 2 sides of the triangle, and a shame if the OP were left waiting at Brockenhurst rather than share the last taxi.

Hythe ferry is an attractive but impractical alternative, involves train to Southampton, find the (free) bus to the pier, half-hourly ferry to Hythe, probably taxi Hythe to Beaulieu -same distance as Lym or Brock.

[scottbee]

Hellfire, I live about 20 miles away, and I'm being corrected by a Canadian!

A Canadian yes, however my high school was a couple of hundred yards from Brockenhurst station, so I do believe I'm qualified to quote on the subject.

 

As for quoting on the National Motor Museum, indeed I think I'm qualified to discuss that too, as one of my family members used to work there.

 

Isle of Wight passengers for Lymington-Yarmouth DO want Brockenhurst, same as the OP, but I wasn't aware that connecting trains from Brockenhurst to Lymington met all main-line trains, thought they were comparatively infrequent, so my apols for that irrelevant error.

No, they don't want Brockenhurst for the Isle of Wight ferries. The Lymington flyer train service leaves Brockenhurst every half hour, and is timed to meet the Isle of Wight ferry. The train fare from London Waterloo-Brockenhurst is exactly the same as Waterloo-Brockenhurst-Lymington Pier.

 

Makes no difference to the OP, just less chance of sharing a taxi with anyone Lymington-bound, but nothing wrong with it - same distance to Beaulieu from either, but ten minutes longer going 2 sides of the triangle, and a shame if the OP were left waiting at Brockenhurst rather than share the last taxi.

From Brockenhurst to Beaulieu is 6 miles, pretty much due east on the B3055. Brockenhurst to Lymington is due south on the A337, and if you routed via Lymington to get to Beaulieu taking the A337/B3054 you're looking at nearly twice that. Why would you do that to yourself?

 

While your answers may be from Romsey, 20 miles away, they're are quite incorrect.

[John Bull]

All a bit pointless & pedantic, Scottbee. I didn't mention your contribution re Beaulieu, so why go all defensive about it? And we both agree the train for IoW passengers goes from Brock to Lymington, so IoW passengers from Waterloo need to get off at Brock. in order to change - I don't see your problem there either, and irrelevant to the OP anyway. We also agree that Brock to Lym to Beaulieu is 2 sides of a small triangle - & I see nothing wrong with sharing a cab to Lym & seeing a little more of the Forest, then paying the fare Lym to Beaulieu. But since as you say there's a connecting train for every main-line train the situation's unlikely to arise, so hardly worth arguing. I'm sure you & I have better things to do. Regards, John Bull