Beaulieu: History, Motoring and River Activities

Beaulieu brings together several distinct themes to help you plan your trip: the history of Palace House and Beaulieu Abbey, vehicle exhibitions, and guided and self-guided tours on the Beaulieu River. If you’re looking for a hotel in Beaulieu, you can first consider which of these themes you’d like your stay to focus on. This lets you plan around the interests that matter to your trip.

Palace House, the Abbey and wartime history

Palace House was once the gatehouse of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey; it has been the home of the Montagu family since 1538. The Abbey Exhibition tells the story of the 13th-century English Beaulieu Abbey and the monks who lived and worked there. This places the former gatehouse and the Abbey’s history in a historical context, while the exhibition focuses on the monks’ lives.

A much later chapter in Beaulieu’s history concerns the Second World War. More than 3,000 SOE agents were trained in Beaulieu, Hampshire, in the south of England, before undertaking daring and dangerous missions behind enemy lines. The Secret Army Exhibition explores Beaulieu as a top-secret training facility for Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents. The Abbey’s history and SOE training thus represent two different historical periods.

Vehicle exhibitions with different focuses

“We Had One Of Those” is a permanent interactive exhibition featuring some of the most popular cars from the 1960s through to the 2000s and beyond. “The Motorcycle Story” explores motorcycles in their historical and cultural context. The exhibition links technological developments with changing trends in fashion, style and sport. The difference is one of perspective: one exhibition traces the history of cars across several decades, while the other places motorcycles in their technological and cultural contexts.

Little Beaulieu includes a wooden replica of Palace House. This connects the name of the house with another exhibit, without focusing on the same historical perspective as the Abbey Exhibition or the Secret Army Exhibition.

Combination ticket, monorail and pathways

A combination ticket includes access to the National Motor Museum, “We Had One Of Those”, Palace House & Gardens, Little Beaulieu, Beaulieu Abbey and the Secret Army Exhibition. Unlimited monorail rides are also included. Check the current ticket terms before your visit, as they may change.

The Beaulieu Monorail follows a one-mile circuit through the attraction. A network of footpaths runs through the grounds and gardens. These offer two different ways to get around: a circuit on the monorail and paths through the garden and park areas. Which you choose depends on how you want to plan your visit.

Tours on the Beaulieu River

Activities on the Beaulieu River also differ in how they are organised. Family Kayaking is a guided river tour. Canoe Explorer is a guided canoe trip through the Beaulieu River Nature Reserve. Kayak Hire, by contrast, offers a self-guided kayaking trip on the Beaulieu River. The key consideration when choosing is whether you prefer a guided tour or a self-guided kayaking trip. For Canoe Explorer, the Nature Reserve is also specified as the destination.

Getting to Beaulieu

Beaulieu is in the New Forest, Hampshire. Visitor information is available for travelling by car, bicycle, bus and ferry. If you’re planning to take the ferry, check the timetable for your travel date. The different visitor attractions and travel options can help you plan your trip around your own interests.

Discover more destinations: Eversley, Micheldever, St Mary Bourne, Lee-On-The-Solent, Botley, Stroud, Brockenhurst, Gosport

For the main travel overview: Hampshire.