A Very Sad Family Occasion brought an Opportunity the Day Before.

We had to travel to the New Forest on Thursday to be there early for the Friday Service at the small   Village Church in the heart of the Forest.

Our Overnight Accommodation was at The Master Builders Hotel at Bucklers Hard near to Beaulieu.

http://www.themasterbuilders.co.uk/

The following Photos were taken during a quiet walk along the Beaulieu Riverside.

 We traveled there  in 'The Green Growler' for this trip as there were three of us plus suit bags etc. The Hotel Entrance is just behind the cars above.

 The Hotel is situated at the end of this row of cottages.

 The Garden & Terrace

 The Garden Bar and Barbecue

The Hotel Lounge

The Best Room in the House for a good night's sleep.

The Beaulieu River and the Old Ship Building Basins.

What makes Bucklers Hard so special? Rather than try and explain myself I have cribbed this perfect piece straight from the files of  'Wikipedia', complete with its links to other info.

"The hamlet, originally called Montagu Town, was built by the second Duke of Montagu, and was intended to be a free port for trade with the West Indies.^[1]

Bucklers Hard was the birthplace of many British naval vessels, including many of Admiral Nelson's fleet, using the timber of the New Forest. The Hard, under the control of Master shipbuilder Henry Adams, was responsible for building many famous wooden ships during the late 18th century and early 19th centuries. 

These included HMS Euryalus, HMS Swiftsure and HMS Agamemnon, all of which fought at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.^[2] The industry declined in the nineteenth-century and today the hamlet is given over to tourism, with a small maritime museum, and a modern yachting marina. 

During World War II, the village was used to build motor torpedo boats and the river was a base for hundreds of landing craft for the Normandy invasion, Operation Overlord. 

Bucklers Hard was where Sir Francis Chichester began and finished his single-handed voyage around the world in his famous sailing yacht Gipsy Moth IV."

In the bar of the hotel is a complete list of the names of the ships built there.

The Marina, just around the bend in the River.

 Where the Old Ships were built

Remnants of the Last Slipway

And then there is this strange craft being used to encourage a visit to the nearby famous Beaulieu National Motor Museum

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

Can you believe it?

The evening was lovely and warm so we decided to take a walk along the riverside using the footpath which may be used to walk all the way back to Beaulieu if you so wish. we were to go just under half way before turning back to get ready for our evening meal.

 A Much Better view of the Marina with its typical Static Boat Show..

 This little family basking in the sunshine.

Aw! I do like a good scratch!!

Mmmm. This 'Eau de Bucklers Hard' is tasty.

Just along the pathway is the 'Dukes Bathhouse' where an earlier Duke of Montagu built a Sea Water Bath for his Arthritic Son to 'Take to the Waters' as it were.

 This little piece of restored history is actually someones home.

It must be tiny inside.

This Training Catamaran had just moored as we arrived.

 You wont get far on those legs. Expensive! 

 A View Up River

 The rest of the Family heading towards Beaulieu.

 On this walk we only saw a Sea Trout and it was a 'Big One'

 Manicured Trees in a riverside garden.

A closer look.

 A Bridge Too Far?

 Now you can see the House as well.

 Across the Marsh

 Being a Tidal River the water is now falling away fast to reveal the Mud Flats.

This is as far as we go and we can just see the Baily's Hard inlet in the distance.

I missed this one on the way out.

Arriving back at the village we decided to walk to the Maritime Museum which we knew would be closed by now.

Next door to the Hotel is this tiny chapel, also closed for the night.

The view through the window.

 Maritime effects through this office window.

 The Maritime Museum Entrance and Shop.

The Figurehead from HMS Gladiator taken through the Shop Window. 

 The New Prince George is also named after the same Earl 'Louis' Mountbatten of Burma. Prince Charles's favorite Uncle, later killed by the IRA.

Solid enough, but probably a replica?

So that was our visit to Bucklers Hard. It is just a pity that the occasion was not a happier one.

Frank.