Despite getting a pretty good night’s sleep last night, the 8:00 am alarm this morning was still less than welcome. Still, we had to get moving this morning because we had booked in for clay-pigeon shooting at 10:00 am. We headed down to breakfast at around 9:00 am.

Breakfast.
Breakfast.
Breakfast.
Breakfast.
Breakfast.
Breakfast.

After a nice breakfast, we were taken on one of the hotel’s carts to a field on the hotel grounds to meet David, our clay-pigeon shooting instructor.

Andrea getting some instruction from our shooting instructor, David.
Andrea getting some instruction from our shooting instructor, David.
Keith ready to go shooting.
Keith ready to go shooting.
Andrea ready to go shooting.
Andrea ready to go shooting.
Andrea taking aim.
Andrea taking aim.

We had a lot of fun shooting and not many clay pigeons were harmed in the process! After about an hour of shooting, we were picked up and we headed back to the hotel’s main building to pack up and check out.

We left the hotel around lunchtime and headed off to our first stop, the Beaulieu Estate, a drive of about 30 minutes northeast of Chewton Glen.

The Beaulieu Estate was once a royal hunting lodge and the property of the Crown. In 1204, King John gifted the land to monks of the Cistercian order. The estate abbey flourished, growing in size and status until the 1530s when Henry VIII launched the dissolution of the monasteries as part of his split from the Roman Church (after Pope Clement VII refused to grant him an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn). Today, very little remains of the abbey as a result of Henry VIII’s edict to destroy religious buildings beyond the possibility of restoration.

Our primary reason for visiting the Beaulieu Estate was to see the National Motor Museum, a wonderful collection of cars, motorbikes, and motoring memorabilia.

Andrea at the National Motor Museum.
Andrea at the National Motor Museum.
Keith at the National Motor Museum.
Keith at the National Motor Museum.
Andrea at the National Motor Museum.
Andrea at the National Motor Museum.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the National Motor Museum.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the National Motor Museum.

We had a very nice tour around the museum, before heading across the estate’s grounds to Beaulieu Palace House, the 13th-century house that was originally the abbey’s gatehouse.

Gardens on the Beaulieu Estate.
Gardens on the Beaulieu Estate.
The Beaulieu Palace House.
The Beaulieu Palace House.

We had a very enjoyable look around the house. We were especially taken by the set of bells downstairs in the kitchen that were used to call staff to the many rooms of the house.

Bells in the Beaulieu Palace House used by the residents to call the staff.
Bells in the Beaulieu Palace House used by the residents to call the staff.

We left the house and continued walking around the estate.

Looking across the mill pond to the town of Beaulieu.
Looking across the mill pond to the town of Beaulieu.
A view of the Beaulieu Palace House from the side.
A view of the Beaulieu Palace House from the side.

We continued looking around the estate before stopping at the cafe on the way out for an ice-cream.

We got back on the road around 4:30 pm and drove about 4 kilometres south to Buckler’s Hard, a hamlet on the Beaulieu River, which is also part of the Beaulieu Estate. Buckler’s Hard grew to prominence for its shipbuilding prowess. More than 40 ships were built at Buckler’s Hard, including three that were used in Nelson’s navy in the Battle of Trafalgar.

Andrea at Buckler's Hard.
Andrea at Buckler's Hard.
Looking down to the river at Buckler's Hard.
Looking down to the river at Buckler's Hard.

Our next stop was the little town of Beaulieu. We were quite surprised by the number of horses and donkeys that roamed freely though the town!

A donkey roaming the streets in Beaulieu.
A donkey roaming the streets in Beaulieu.
Looking back from the town of Beaulieu to the Beaulieu Palace House.
Looking back from the town of Beaulieu to the Beaulieu Palace House.
Looking across the mill pond in Beaulieu.
Looking across the mill pond in Beaulieu.
A thatch-roofed house in Beaulieu.
A thatch-roofed house in Beaulieu.

We considered having dinner in Beaulieu but the options were scarce, so we decided to get back in the car and head to our next destination, the cathedral city of Winchester.

Winchester Cathedral.
Winchester Cathedral.
Winchester Cathedral.
Winchester Cathedral.
Keith at Winchester Cathedral.
Keith at Winchester Cathedral.
Andrea in Winchester.
Andrea in Winchester.
Winchester Cathedral.
Winchester Cathedral.

After a very nice walk around Winchester, we decided to stay and have dinner there. We found a very cute little pub called “The Willow Tree”, where we enjoyed dinner of fish and chips.

The Willow Tree.
The Willow Tree.
Fish and chips at The Willow Tree.
Fish and chips at The Willow Tree.

By the time we had finished dinner, the rain had set in. We got back into the car and drove about 40 kilometres up the M3 to the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, just outside the tiny town of Dogmersfield (about 80 kilometres southwest of London).

We arrived at the hotel just before 9:00 pm, checked in, and went upstairs to our room.

Our room at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire.
Our room at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire.
Snacks in our room at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire.
Snacks in our room at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire.
Snacks in our room at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire.
Snacks in our room at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire.

After a big day, we were in bed by about 10:00 pm and hoping for a good night’s sleep. It looks like the weather could be a bit ordinary tomorrow, so we’ll assess our options for the day in the morning.