Tag Archives: beaulieu

Cattle Traffic Jam in Beaulieu

For some reason, I don’t think this made it to a post previously.  Nancy and I were going through some old shots from vacations in the UK and we made a stop in Beaulieu at the beginning of a trip nearly a decade ago.  (This stop included me having a nap in the car as the jet lag caught up with me.). One of the funny things of this visit was that some cattle were wandering through the middle of the village.  If you have ever been to Yellowstone, you know that the bison have priority over the cars.  UK cattle might not have the same weight as a bison but I assure you that the average UK motorist is not going to try their luck.

Beaulieu

A spot of Sunday lunch with the family meant a trip out to Beaulieu.  Located in the New Forest, it is well known as the home of the National Motor Museum.  However, that was not our destination.  Instead it was the Montagu Arms for some food and then a stroll around the village.  It seems the place is also a destination for people with old cars as a few rumbled through the place while we were there including what I think is an MG-A that I did happen to get a shot of.

The swans that were swimming nearby seemed pretty interested in us when they thought there was food involved but rapidly realized we were of no use to them and went back to what they were doing – also eating it seemed.  We did notice a house across from the pub with conspicuously red doors.  It attracted a lot of people who were having their picture taken outside so I wonder whether this is a location that is popular on Instagram?

Beaulieu

wpid7728-C59F7165.jpgContinuing our UK trip, we were still in the New Forest and I wanted to visit Beaulieu.  It is many years since I have been to Beaulieu.  My grandparents took me there once and we went with the school on one occasion too.  However, I wasn’t interested in visiting the motor museum on this occasion.  Certainly, if I had a lot more time, I would have loved to take a look around but we didn’t have that much time.  Instead, I wanted to see the village which, judging by some pictures I had seen online, looked like it was very picturesque.

wpid7734-C59F7214.jpgFirst, though, I had to stay awake.  As we drove there, I was feeling rather drowsy.  Not a good state to be but hardly surprising given how long I had been awake.  When we got the village, I put the seat back and had a nap for a few minutes.  This was a big help.  Nancy was tired but not able to nap so she checked out a tea shop while I closed my eyes.

wpid7724-C59F7162.jpgWe then took a walk around the village.  It is by a river and is very pretty.  Lots of small houses and shops combined with a big green area all alongside the estate of the Earl which now houses the motor museum.  What I hadn’t realized is how much wildlife wanders around.  Yes there were ducks and swans.  I didn’t know that cows, horses and donkeys were loose in the area.  The donkeys seem to like the shops and apparently walk in if they feel like it.  The horses and cows were grazing on the more grassy areas but if they needed to get somewhere, they would walk up the street and trucks coming the other way would just have to wait.  Could I come up with something more English for our first day back?