Day Out to Beaulieu 2006

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What an excellent, fun day out!

We had an easy run down the A27/M27, overtaking Toby & John en-route. On the roads through the New Forest we negotiated loose ponies, who seem oblivious to the traffic carefully weaving round them.

On arrival at Beaulieu there were smart signs welcoming our group & we were directed to our own parking area. A varied assortment of Saabs arrived ranging from a 96 to a 9-5. Much polishing, lifting of bonnets & discussing of tweaks & mods ensued.

A sizeable contingent of members from bristol arrived with some really nice cars.

We ambled over to the entrance making a detour to be nosey around the cars from the Vauxhall Vectra Owners Club, who were having their 2nd Annual Club Day at Beaulieu.
The main exhibition hall was packed with a phenomenal array of vehicles, many with current tax discs showing that they aren't just museum relics.

I particularly like the fact that the cars where all in one big hall, rather than having separate areas for the different types of cars - so a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost was just a few steps away from Del Boy's three-wheeler. There is plenty to read about each vehicle on display. Being a keen F1 fan myself I particularly appreciated the F1 display of cars from seasons past.

After adjourning for lunch we decided to be 'big kids' and have a go on the Monorail taking us on a loop round the grounds, including through the top of the roof of the main exhibition hall.
Toby's sons had a race round the go-cart track, even despite one of them struggling to reach the pedals they had really good go.

The remote controlled cars proved a tad more tricky, as when the car is facing you, you have to think rather carefully about which way to turn the wheel!

We wandered round the James Bond Experience with exhibits from the numerous films, then took our seats in the Motion Machine for a superb rally drive through a forest. Obviously the motion wasn't as violent as it would have been in reality. But it was quite enough to give a nice adrenalin rush!

It was definitely a very pleasant & enjoyable outing :o)

Beaulieu Video (2.83Mb, Windows Media) *

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