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The Royal Oak, Beaulieu
TWO of the biggest tourist attractions in the New Forest are only a few miles apart.
The National Motor Museum, founded by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu in 1972, is a short car ride away from the award-winning Exbury Gardens.
Midway between the two crowd-pullers is a picture postcard pub that stands on the eastern edge of the 7,000-acre Beaulieu Estate.
The Royal Oak, which has been serving pints for more than 150 years, is often visited by people on their way to the museum or the gardens.
The cream-coloured pub overlooks one of the vast expanses of heathland for which the New Forest is renowned.
On a warm evening visitors sitting in the beer garden can study the thousands of lights that illuminate Fawley refinery at night, making it look more like a vibrant city than an industrial site.
However, the sights and sounds traditionally associated with rural life are what makes the pub so special.
The Royal Oak is situated in a popular walking area and people exercising their dogs are always welcome - even if their boots are muddy.
Landlady Kelly Draper, 32, used to work in the oil industry but got tired of life at sea and decided to pursue a new career ashore.
"My parents moved to the area three years ago and I bought the local pub," she said.
Kelly decided to make it child-friendly, dog-friendly and pony-friendly, even going to the extent of building a wooden corral where riders can leave their horses while they enjoy the pub's hospitality.
"We tend to get locals in the evening and passing trade during the day," said Kelly.
"We're a traditional Forest pub, a place where people can pop in for a drink after walking their dog. It's also the sort of pub where you can just sit and talk to each other."
Built in 1848, it was originally a saddler's and blacksmith's and did not become the Royal Oak until 1852.
Two reminders of the past are the pub's resident ghosts - a man wearing a grey military uniform and a figure in black who appears only at night.
Prince Andrew once popped into the Royal Oak during a break from a Royal Navy training course at Seafield Park, Hill Head.
CHRIS YANDELL
10:47am Saturday 16th February 2008
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