By Neil Speight
TAKE one of the most beautiful parts of the UK, throw in a top class military museum and (luckily for us) some great weather and the family and I have found a great way to spend a weekend.
Recently, I packed the tribe up and headed to Dorset, primarily to visit the Tank Museum at Bovington, which proudly boasts the ‘biggest day out’ in history.
Our two night trip meant we needed a family friendly base and the Springfield Country Hotel near Wareham proved an ideal location – not just for the museum, but also to explore the fabulous Dorset countryside and coast.
To be honest, I suspect that it wasn’t my wife’s first choice for a place to visit – big boys toys and all that, but I think at the end of the day she was happy to say it had been an experience well worth undertaking.
The kids, aged three and seven, were a bit young to understand the machinations of world war conflict that is clearly reflected in the vast halls of the museum, but they loved the place – and the interactive experiences and dressing up!
The Tank Museum is the museum of the Royal Tank Regiment & Royal Armoured Corps but it hosts tanks from around the world, brought back to their spiritual home.
The tank was a British invention that changed warfare forever when it was introduced in World War One – and Bovington has been the home of the tank ever since.
From the Somme to Tiananmen Square or D-Day to Desert Storm the tank has played a part in shaping history – and it continues to do so today.
The Tank Museum is the only place where many of these rare and historic vehicles can be seen. Fresh from a £16m investment in new exhibitions and facilities, with almost 200 vehicles on display in six large halls, you will come face-to-face with tanks that have seen action in all the major wars of the 20th century.
There are added attractions, like the World War One trench experience, which really brought home the horrors of that conflict, yet proved strangely fascinating for the kids too.
And at certain times there are ‘live displays, attracting many thousands to watch these beasts of war in action.
To be honest, it’s something right up my street and I could have stayed more than the one day there, strolling around and soaking up the history.
Of course it isn’t the only attraction in that region. Guests I spoke to at the Springfield told me of the other local castles, wildlife parks and railways they had visited – not to mention the odd mini-theme park or two.
It’s a hive of activity around there but the family-run Springfield, with its olde-worldy feel, friendly staff and a general ambiance of care and comfort sits wonderfully in the middle of it.
It’s homely rather than flash – and all the better for it.
It sits in six acres of landscaped gardens at the foot of the Purbeck Hills in the scenic Dorset countryside. Its leisure complex boasts an indoor pool with spa, saunas and a steam room, two full size snooker tables, table tennis and gymnasium with a wide range of exercise machines. There are two squash courts, outdoor tennis court and outdoor swimming pool. And they serve up a nice meal too!
At a time when people are looking more and more to short breaks – and activity themed breaks too, this is a great part of the country to go to.
The Jurassic coastline is spectacular and you really do feel like you are in the garden of old England.