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(Note: I had to post this in the Southampton category, because according to Ciao we shall use the nearest existing location rather than creating new categories.)
First of all, how to get there: Beaulieu is located in the Heart of the New Forest, 14 miles south of Southampton. If you ... Read review
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Advantages: offers a lot, attractive for the whole family Disadvantages: none that I can think of
...to post this in the Southampton category, because according to Ciao we shall use the nearest existing location rather than creating new categories.)
First of all, how to get there: Beaulieu is located in the Heart of the New Forest, 14 miles south of Southampton. If you come from London, you best go via the M3, M27 and A326 (approx. 2 hours). By rail, you go from London Waterloo to Brockenhurst and then take a local taxi.
...1999, it was because we had heard about the famous National Motor Museum, and we were surprised to see how much more Beaulieu had to offer.
We parked our car at the large free car park and entered the site via the entrance hall which also includes a shop for buying souvenirs.
Just after the entrance on the right hand side we saw the Rides & Drives part of the park, which attracted the attention of our children immediately. ... more
If you ever have a chance to be in the area, make sure you do not miss Beaulieu. It actually offers a lot: The National Motor Museum, The Palace House and Gardens, Beaulieu Abbey and various Rides & Drives for all the family.
(Note: I had to post this in the Southampton category, because according to Ciao we shall use the nearest existing location rather than creating new categories.)
First of all, how to get there: Beaulieu is located in the Heart of the New Forest, 14 miles south of Southampton. If you come from London, you best go via the M3, M27 and A326 (approx. 2 hours). By rail, you go from London Waterloo to Brockenhurst and then take a local taxi.
When we came here for one day in summer 1999, it was because we had heard about the famous National Motor Museum, and we were surprised to see how much more Beaulieu had to offer.
We parked our car at the large free car park and entered the site via the entrance hall which also includes a shop for buying souvenirs.
Just after the entrance on the right hand side we saw the Rides & Drives part of the park, which attracted the attention of our children immediately. There is a high level monorail which we took to get an overview about the whole site, then there are mini bikes and veteran cars, as well as some indoor driving simulators and radio controlled cars (this was our kids' favorite).
However, the whole Rides & Drives section was quite old, not in a very good state and overall disappointing, especially as we had been to Disneyland, Europa-Park and Legoland before.
You can see that this was built in the 1960s and not much has been renovated since then. Some of it did not even work, but at least we did not have to pay extra, and we could go as often as we wanted, and there was no queueing up at all (we did not see too many visitors, but it was not on a weekend).
We moved on to arrive at the National Motor Museum itself, which is where we spent most of the time this day, and this was really worth to visit, and I can recommend it to all of you.
The museum shows a superb collection of more than 250 vehicles, including some from the very early days of motoring in the late 1890s. We also saw fascinating cars of all the 100 years of motoring history, including the formula 1 car used by Damon Hill when he won the World Championship, some World Speed Record Breaker cars like Bluebird and Golden Arrow, but also a lot of limousines and family cars.
There is a section on motorbikes as well, and we spent a lot of time in the replica of a typical garage which has a lot of tools and articles which were used in the 1930s - it really puts you right into this era.
You should not miss a ride on 'Wheels' (two by two) which will take you through the 100 years of motoring history. Our children actually enjoyed it very much and went on this ride four times during the day.
Especially interesting we found the section with interactive displays where you can discover how a car works.
We then moved on to the Victorian Gardens, a delight on their own, with sections dating back to the 1700s and the 1800s, and then we took the ‘Long Walk’ where we enjoyed lovely views to Beaulieu village.
The Palace House, situated behind the Victorian Gardens, is also worth visiting. You see a lot of interesting portraits, photographs and other treasures of the Montagu family. Household characters of the Victorian era will show you how life was at the time whilst you move along to the Dining Hall and the Lower Drawing Room.
Returning from the Palace House, you pass by the Abbey which was founded in 1204 by Cistercian Monks (of course you should not pass by, but move in to see the famous wall hangings and the exhibition). The history of the Abbey and some insights into Cistercian Monks' life are shown in the exhibition.
When returning towards the entrance, we had to stop again at the Motor Museum (for another ‘Wheels’ ride) and at the Rides & Drives section for another competition on the radio controlled model cars.
If you need a break, want to get a drink or have some food, you can either go the the Brabazon Food Court restaurant, or use one of the picnic areas on the site.
Those interested can actually get some questions and find the answers on a journey through four Time Zones (Museum, Palace House, Gardens and Abbey). If you find the correct answers, you will be appointed honorary Time Lord when you leave.
Entrance fees are GBP 29.95 for a family ticket and this includes everything (Motor Museum, Palace House, Gardens, Abbey, Rides & Drives), and you can even re-enter on a second day (within six days) at no extra costs.
Not cheap, but I think it is worth to visit Beaulieu for a great family day out.
Advantages: Accessible, pleasant environment, wide range of shops, plenty of parking Disadvantages: Disappointing food terrace, slightly poor layout, not a self-contained centre
...known) has most certainly improved Southampton as a shopping destination.
Before the opening of the West Quay Centre, Southampton's shopping area consisted of a very long, partly pedestrianised street, which was home to the majority of the usual High Street stores, together with a couple of modestly successful arcades (Bargates and the Marlands). I always found shopping there completely exhausting as you had to cover such a lot of ground in order ... ...Southampton shopping, unless I was feeling particularly energetic and ready for a day-long event!
But then West Quay opened and all that changed…
West Quay at first appears to be almost an out of town shopping centre. It is easily accessible from the M27, and from the other main routes into Southampton and you drive through a retail park, which runs parallel to the docks, to get to the car park. The whole road system has actually been redesigned ...
Pumpkin 05.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Southampton in General
Advantages: great shopping, all day entertainment Disadvantages: you will spend all your money
...shopping in Southampton.
Well Southampton is a large city on the south coast of England. Large city means large shopping area! It is home to no less than four shopping malls: West Quay, the Marlands Center, the Bargate Center and the East Gate Shopping Center. As well as these three malls, there is a sizeable outdoor shopping area.
***PARKING***
There is plenty of parking around the city and the fees are the same for all car parks. This is a price ... ...visited all the shops in Southampton and it is now time to collect your little children and struggle back to the car with all your purchases! I hope you have enjoyed your virtual shopping trip, and that you will one day take the time to visit this shopping paradise! I promise you it is well worth it, and I will be glad to eat my hat if you think otherwise! ...
hanbag 26.01.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Southampton in General
Advantages: Loads of shops under one roof, plenty of places to park Disadvantages: Parking can be expensive, Gets very busy around Christmas time
...West Quay is situated in Southampton Town Centre and is home to well over 150 shops, restaurants, bars and cafes, (detailed below). The shopping Centre opening hours are as follows. Monday 9.00am - 6.00pm Tuesday 9.00am - 6.00pm Wednesday 9.00am - 6.00pm Thursday 9.00am - 8.00pm Friday 9.00am - 6.00pm Saturday 9.00am - 6.00pm Sunday 11.00am - 5.00pm Some store opening times may vary - if you wish to visit a specific store it may be worth checking ... ...many car parks dotted around Southampton City Centre as parking at West Quay can be expensive. The minimum car park charge is £1.40 and you can park for up to 2 hours for that. The car park fees are reasonable up to about 5 hours but be warned once you exceed 5 hour mark the fees climb very steeply. Male, Female and Disabled toilets are located on Level P3 of the Podium Car Park, there is also a baby changing room. Now into the shopping centre - ...
junkboxjules 07.05.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Southampton in General
Advantages: All under one roof, designer shops, dedicated food floor Disadvantages: Expensive car parking, only 1 escalator to each floor.
I live in Southampton and although I think it’s a great place to live, it has hardly been the most exciting place for shopping. There are 2 smallish shopping malls, The Bargate Centre and the Marlands, which never appear to have a full quota of occupied shops in which to shop in. Above Bar is the pedestrian precinct, housing the bulk of your run of the mill stores such as BHS, Next, Woolies, Top Shop/Man, McD’s etc. Ocean Village, another white elephant ... ...shopping mall to help boost Southampton out of the shopping relegation zone and into mid table (a bit like their football team!) Southampton has suffered 3 long years of closed roads, building chaos and watching a concrete building rise out of the ground like a phoenix in flight. But it’s finally here…West Quay. I think it’s been well worth the wait. How do you get to it? What is it like? When does it open? What shops are there? If you read on I’ll ...
fluffy-bubblegum 24.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Southampton in General
Advantages: large, airy, easy access Disadvantages: not enough variety
...but hideous statue that cost Southampton several £m! Why?
It appears to be of two people upto no good!
It is over run with coffee bars and food outlets. Do we really need that much choice just for a coffee? Or a meal? Sooner or later I would expect some more outlets to close just as Arby's did, due to too much competition up there! As for the shops there are a good selection of shops in the centre including a Waitrose, a fair sized Clinton cards, ... ...Waterstones with its own cafe, and many more big names. There is no shortage of clothing shops, mobile phone shops or jewellers. There is only one shoe shop- Schuh.
If you want to know more about the shops in West Quay and there location then use the touch screen displays in the centre.
I'm sure all men can relate to spending hours outside ladies toilets waiting for their partners to return the black hole commonly called 'The Ladies Loo'. For this ...
jameylidd 05.02.2002 (07.02.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Southampton in General
Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
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Advantages: Malaysia~~the land of Great Cuisine! Disadvantages: Too hot to handle for some! :)
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Advantages: Beautiful, peaceful, calm and good transport links Disadvantages: N/A
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