Bucklers Hard, Beaulieu

On Saturday as my parents were staying with us we thought that we would go out for the day to somewhere they hadn't been before. We made our way down the motorway to the New Forest and on to Bucklers Hard, a picturesque 18th century village on the banks of the Beaulieu River and part of the Beaulieu Estate.

The hamlet was built by the second Duke of Montagu, and was intended to be a free port for trade with the West Indies.

The Georgian cottages run down to the river on both sides of the road - known as the Northern and Southern Terraces.

My parents with hubby and Our Daughter.

The Master Builders House is now a hotel and restaurant.

A cottage is laid out in the way it would have looked when the shipbuilding trade was at its height - a two up, two down cottage.

Bucklers Hard was the birthplace of many British naval vessels, including many of Admiral Nelson's fleet. The Hard, under the control of Master shipbuilder, Henry Adams, was responsible for building many famous ships - HMS Euryalus, HMS Swiftsure and HMS Agamemnon, all of which fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

My parents, hubby and Our Daughter again. Our Daughter is wearing her new coat from Grandma. Every year my mum buys Our Daughter a Winter coat and a Spring coat. I'm not too sure if she was impressed with hubby saying that in this coat she could be put in the oven by mistake as she looked ready to be cooked!

Here you can see the pieces of wood jutting out of the water - the only real reminder of the bygone shipbuilding that went on here.

The ducks were having a rest.

Some of the boats which are moored here.

There is also a boat yard full of expensive boats. Sailing as a hobby has never really appealed to me - firstly, it is a very expensive past-time and I don't really like to be somewhere where I can't see dry land!

The weather was lovely and so after a good look around the place and having been to the on-site Museum we headed for the New Forest to see the ponies. We then continued on to The Royal Oak pub in the New Forest for our evening meal - a nice family day out and I didn't have to cook! GREAT!

Until next time.

June.