I awoke refreshed, the bed was so cosy and comfortable. When we arrived in the breakfast room it was surreal, there being only one other couple in the room (a few others arrived as we were about to leave). We were given a menu of breakfast items that were cooked to order. I enjoyed what I ordered, although Mr C was not completely satisfied with his breakfast.
Before returning to our room, we reported some minor issues with our room; a bedside light was not working, the shower hose did not allow water to flow and the curtain had slipped off the rail. We were surprised when a man from the maintenance team arrived at our room a few minutes after us. He fixed the light immediately; it had been unplugged behind the bedside table where we had not thought to look. He took the other issues away to be repaired later in the day.
Our destination of the day was Beulieu Motor Museum. Mr C’s SatNav did not choose the most direct route. When we arrived near to where we were supposed to be it took us on a circuitous route where we never quite arrived at our destination. The detour gave us the pleasure of driving through the New Forest and seeing the delightful wild horses.
Realising that we were ‘getting nowhere’ we stopped to reprogramme the SatNav, using the town and not the postcode. By this stage we were missing my TomTom with its more accurate and accommodating route directions plus live traffic updates. As we travelled on the more direct route to our destination we encountered a long line of traffic in the opposite direction. The hold up was a random donkey trotting up the road in front of the line of traffic.
We eventually arrived at our destination and parked in one of the few remaining parking spaces.
We chose to visit the Abbey and House before the Motor Museum. Stepping away from the museums and entrance area, the crowds thinned out and we were left with peace and quiet.
The house had items of interest that weren’t part of the experience on our previous visit. The interestingly themed bedrooms and bathrooms were a delight to see, as was the display of photographs and memories of the late marquess that his son the current marquess had personally chosen to share in memory of his father.
We walked back to the café and museum area via the gardens where we didn’t linger long; it was too early in the year for the garden displays. In the café we enjoyed sharing a sandwich which we each followed by cakes of our choice.
We enjoyed the motor galleries and were reminded of some of our favourite exhibits. Afterwards we returned to the café for a drink before our return journey to Winchester. Once again, the SatNav was trying to take us on a weird route. We ignored it, forcing it to take us on a more direct route to our destination.
Eventually we arrived back at the hotel to find that all the maintenance work had been sorted out, although the debris from the faulty shower had been left behind next to the tea and coffee facilities. Room service, which you have to order each day, had been a little half hearted, the bed had not been made up.
We chilled out in the room before it was time to dine in Rick Stein’s Restaurant. The food was delicious. I chose a soft-shelled crab burger, which to my shame, I forgot to photograph. The crab came complete with legs which are completely edible. For a Friday night, the restaurant was not as full as it had been on our previous visits. Probably a sign of the times and prices. This was the most expensive meal we have had in recent times. It was almost as expensive as the tasting menu and wine flight we enjoyed in the Peacock at Rowsley for our anniversary in 2025. The meal at the Peacock included more personal and attentive service, making it a very memorable experience.
After dining we returned to the Crown and Anchor which was lively and noisy in a different way than the previous evening. It was Karaoke night and everyone was having a lot of fun.
