Review: Halloween at Beaulieu
October half term has arrived and with it comes some fun, Halloween themed days out.
We were invited to the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu to see what spooky events they had on offer.
We love Beaulieu anyway, as it has such a great variety of activities to keep the kids entertained, from the Top Gear exhibition to the Motor Museum, from Beaulieu Abbey to Palace House, the Monorail to the old bus and of course, their large play park – Little Beaulieu.
Our first activity was making potions in the vegetable gardens to help discover which herbs the Monks believed would cure which ailments when they lived here many centuries ago.
It was a really well thought out activity and there was information about which herbs could be used to cure which ailments.
The kids then got to grind up their herbs with a pestle and mortar and add them to and stir the potion.
Once we finished our potions, we then headed to Palace House, where we listened to spooky ghost stories from the rich history of the stately home, which included a ghostly maid who fell down the stairs with a full tray of crockery and a ghostly dog that nips at the heels of ladies wearing perfume.
In the Victorian kitchen we met Lord Montagu’s cook, Mrs Hale, who was baking in traditional Halloween Soul Cakes, which were actually really tasty. We have brought the recipe home so we can make them ourselves.
Exploring the gorgeous grounds of Beaulieu is a must and during half term and you will find Lord Montagu’s falconer in the atmospheric ruins of Beaulieu Abbey, where he gives a talk about the age-old skill of falconry at 1pm. Then at 3pm, you can see his magnificent birds take flight around the Palace House lawns.
In the museum itself, look out for the hidden ghostly ghouls and see how many you can find to win a prize. There are ten to be found.
For history lovers there is also a new special exhibition within the Secret Army exhibition which commemorates two Beaulieu-trained agents who served in France as members of the Special Operations Executive. Francis Suttill (code name ‘Prosper’) headed the biggest SOE network in France, while Yvonne Rudellat (code name ‘Jacqueline’) was one of his couriers. The display recounts what happened to them after they finished their training at Beaulieu and were sent into Occupied France to undertake clandestine warfare.
Beaulieu isn’t just a great day out for car fans, it is a fabulous day out with something for everyone.
Disclaimer: We were guests of Beaulieu for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own
