This route starts and ends at a holiday village which is perfectly placed for exploring the New Forest National Park.
The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England and it remains a habitat for many rare birds and mammals. There are countless opportunities to stop and take photo's so don't forget your camera.
The people of the New Forest are called commoners and have a right to graze their livestock on the open common land, so as well as the wild animals; you will likely encounter cattle, ponies, donkeys and even pigs roaming free and there is a maximum speed limit throughout the park of 40mph (65kph). Who wants to wiz along quickly when you are surrounded by beautiful scenery anyway?

This route will take you to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu that has over 250 vehicles in its world famous collection including the iconic cars from Top Gear. There is a great deal to see here and that is reflected in the online ticket price of £27.00 in advance or £30.00 on the day (2025). If you do not manage to fit everything into one visit, you can return within 6 days for free! Pick up your pass from the Museum Information Desk or Visitor Reception before you head home.

I have suggested a coffee stop at Steff's Kitchen, a family owned café located in the historical village of Beaulieu, set in the heart of a tranquil Garden Centre. Homecooked food featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients - perfect for breakfast, lunch and afternoon treats. Open 7 days a week from 9am

5 minutes down the road from Beaulieu is Bucklers Hard, the 18th century shipbuilding village where ships for Nelson's Navy were built and is worth a visit for anyone with salt in their blood. Admission is free but there is a small charge for parking.

As we approach the coast, Lymington announces its arrival with the sight of yacht masts and the Isle of Wight ferry terminal.
A little further along the coast at Milford on Sea you will have a great view across The Solent towards the Isle of Wight and The Needles. The Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise about 30m out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight.

Next comes the main item of this route, a visit and lunch stop at the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum.
For me this is a must see attraction.
Sammy Miller MBE is a motorcycling legend. 11 times British Trials Champion and winner of over 1400 competition events across various disciplines, all whilst developing and maintaining his own machines.
Throughout his remarkable career spanning 8 decades, he still managed to find the time to restore rare and interesting motorcycles; transforming unrecognisable ‘rust buckets’ into stunning factory condition and perfect working order. These he kept as a private collection until 1980 when he opened his collection to the public to share in the sights and sounds of these iconic machines.
This is a living museum with almost every motorcycle in the museum in full running order.

From here, the route takes you back to Sandy Balls Holiday Village via some magical forest roads and beautiful open heathland.
Please see links below for further information.
Enjoy