IT’S not often that you would want to hear a holiday destination described as “Dickensian”.
Conjuring images of bleak workhouses and coal-clogged air, it is hardly the stuff of holiday brochures.
Yet I headed off for a one-night stay inspired by a landscape used as the backdrop to the BBC’s recent adaptation of Charles Dickens classic Great Expectations, starring Olivia Colman as one of literature’s most famous characters, Miss Havisham.
In numerous scenes, the drama’s hero Pip, a blacksmith’s apprentice, played by Fionn Whitehead, scurries down to the docks in the Kent Estuary to sell manacles and chains to the prison ships in port.
But in reality those evocative scenes were filmed at Buckler’s Hard, a tiny historic hamlet on the banks of the Beaulieu River in Hampshire.
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I am something of a Dickens nut, I even called my daughter Estella inspired by the name of Miss Havisham’s ward.
But I was relieved to discover in reality this tranquil, picture-perfect spot shares none of the misty menace conjured for the BBC’s latest Dickens drama.
As I learned at Buckler’s Hard fascinating museum, the village was first built as a free port for trade with the West Indies.
But it became famous for shipbuilding in the early 18th century and some of the Royal Navy’s greatest vessels, including three that fought at the Battle of Trafalgar were constructed at this private shipyard.
During World War Two, the village was used to build motor torpedo boats and the river was a base for hundreds of landing craft for the Normandy invasion.
Nowadays Buckler’s Hard operates as a tourist attraction telling the story of its rich maritime history and the people who lived in the tiny village on the riverbank.
The grandest home was the Master Builder’s House, now transformed into a smart hotel with commanding views of the peaceful Beaulieu River, in the heart of the beautiful New Forest, where we spent the night.
Uniquely tranquil
Our room Agamemnon is named after Lord Nelson’s favourite ship, which was built at Buckler’s Hard in 1781.
As its first captain, Nelson sailed HMS Agamemnon to Naples in Italy where he met his long-time mistress Lady Hamilton.
And this grand room is the perfect place to ponder these seafaring stories with huge windows offering beautiful views on two sides of the small private yachting marina which now sits on this historic inlet.
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Tastefully decorated with plenty of nods to its naval past, the Master Builder’s House is a lovely place to spend a night or two, with a cosy bar and lovely sloping lawns down to the river, perfect for a drink on a sunny day.
We also enjoyed delicious meal in the Riverview Restaurant, rounded off with a not-to-be-missed chocolate pudding.
In the morning we hopped aboard the small vessel which offers cruises up and down the waterway from Buckler’s Hard.
The Beaulieu River is uniquely tranquil as one of the world’s only privately owned estuaries, belonging to the Beaulieu Estate.
Just a short drive away is the National Motor Museum at Bealieu, which is well worth a trip.
Switching gears to dry land, it tells the story of Britain’s motoring history including everything from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to the all-terrain Mr Nippy Ice Cream van driven by Paddy McGuinness on Top Gear.
Your ticket also allows you to roam the estate’s stately home, gardens and ancient abbey.
And those with younger visitors in tow will love Little Beaulieu, a truly innovative children’s playground.
With peaceful surroundings and fascinating history, our expectations for a great getaway to Buckler’s Hard were more than met.
