I should confess I’m a petrolhead, so for me car museums are like a Cordon Bleu class for a keen home cook. But, as with castles, cathedrals and art galleries, there is such a thing as TOO many.

(British Motor Museum)

And so, heading off for a driving tour around the United Kingdom, I had to pre-warn ‘himself indoors’ that divorce was a real possibility should he think EVERY museum was on the must-visit list. Fortunately, the two we chose were worth the effort.    

It would be fair to say that while the British car industry is enjoying a second coming of sorts, the British car museum industry has never died – and perhaps it's not really surprising. After all, while Britain gave us Leyland and all the memories that name conjures up for Australians (P76 anyone?), it also gave us Jaguar and Aston Martin and Bentley – automobiles so lipsmackingly gorgeous, it makes sense there are temples to worship them.

First choice was the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu and there’s a certain irony in that it’s parked in a bucolic setting (Brockenhurst, Hampshire) where Robin Hood would feel at home and where there is already plenty of horsepower on offer. Brockenhurst is in the New Forest, and some of the famous ponies are lurking near the gates as we arrive.

The beauty of Beaulieu is that when it plugs itself as much more than just a motor museum, it’s true. There is plenty on offer for the non-automotive fan, so it’s worth allowing a full day – or two – there, to take in the ruins of the Abbey (a victim of Henry VIII’s vendetta against the Roman Catholic Church), the elegant and historic Palace House, and the beautiful grounds, as well as the cars.

But it was cars we had come to see and we were not disappointed. The display focuses on what the Brits have achieved in the field of automotive and motorsport, with plenty of information available for those not fortunate enough to have the walking encyclopaedia I was travelling with – and the presentation is excellent.

Aside from a wide selection of the cars, we loved the 1920s garage in all its glory, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (showing our age) and seeing the old cars and a penny-farthing bicycle in action around the property, under the control of staff members in appropriate costumes.

A side display is The World of Top Gear, featuring many of the star vehicles from the famous TV show. The reviews are good, but as we’re not Jeremy Clarkson fans, it was easy to pass on that!

However, friends who love the show say the exhibition is very good, and certainly there was plenty of enthusiasm in evidence when we eavesdropped on others’ conversations over tea and scones at the excellent café.

Another point to note when you are planning your visit, is that Beaulieu hosts many special automotive exhibitions on top of the standing display. For example, it’s Summer Living History from July 22 to September 3, and Simply Japanese (July 30), among others, so if you have a specific interest, check the website to see if you can time your stopover perfectly.

For a host of reasons, we didn’t get to Beaulieu until early afternoon, and it was soon clear we would not get to see everything. That’s when we discovered the generous return visit scheme – free return within six days.

Suddenly, our entry price of £25 (advanced purchase is cheaper) seemed very good value, and two days later we returned to look at the house, the Abbey and the gardens. So glad we did.

Interestingly, while the other half knew about Beaulieu long before me, I heard about it from someone who is definitely not a car buff and she loved it. That was a good enough recommendation for me to be enthusiastic about its inclusion on the itinerary. Booking on the website provides the best deals.

Our second must-visit was hardly surprising, given my husband once worked for Leyland. It was the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire, originally set up by British Leyland as its own Heritage Museum.

Back then, it predominantly featured Leyland models; now it bills itself as the world’s largest collection of historic British cars. That would be fairly accurate, especially if you visit not just the Museum itself, but also what is housed in the separate Collections Centre building. There you can see restoration work being carried out and drool, as I did, over the magnificent selection from the Jaguar Heritage Collection.

The genuine car ‘nut’ will be fascinated by all the prototypes on display – think Mini, Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover, and the marvellous Morris 850 – and at £14 entry fee, it is reasonably priced for what is potentially a full day of entertainment. There’s a good café too, for refuelling between sorties to the displays.

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Other British car museums that come highly recommended include:

Somerset: Haynes International Motor Museum at Sparkford, home to more than 400 cars and motorbikes.

London: London Motor Museum at Hayes near Heathrow, is home to some stunning and unique collectables, as well as cars from movies – including some Batmobiles.

Surrey: Brooklands Museum in Weybridge on the site of the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit, where it all began for British motorsport.

Leicestershire: Donington Grand Prix Exhibition at Castle Donington in Derby, is another motorsport mecca: home to the world’s largest collection of Formula One cars.

Cumbria: Lakeland Motor Museum at Ulverstone in the Lake District. It features a tribute to speed record star Donald Campbell who died during a water speed attempt in the area.

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©Liz Swanton