Exercising our Palate at Lime Wood: The Ultimate Foodie’s Retreat

Getting there

The nearest station is Brockenhurst, a 10-minute drive (six miles) away. Trains connect you to Winchester, Southampton, Basingstoke and the city – London Waterloo an a mere 90 minutes away from Hampshire, and the hotel, by rail. Once you arrive, a local taxi firm can take the six miles to the hotel.

However, when you’re staying for a little longer, lugging your suitcases on the train isn’t a great deal of fun. Lime Wood has free valet parking for guests, as well as an additional car park for spa and restaurant-goers. A car’s not essential if you’re weekending here, but for a longer stay you’ll want one to get out and explore.

What to take? We arrived in an Audi S5 Cabriolet, the perfect combination of driver fun, comfort and fuel economy. This is the sporty all-rounder, a great daily driver for when you want to leave the McLaren in the garage, protected from Dorset’s mud-splattered forest lanes.

Under the hood is a raucous 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 engine, pumping out 349bhp as you squeeze the accelerator. With the top down you feel the thrill of open-top driving, it’s squirty, angry engine note boosted by the whine of the turbo. Top-down, even in the winter – it’s the unwritten rule, isn’t it? The roads get twistier the further into Dorset you go and, I must say, the S5 cab does a great job of turning what could be a long and tiring drive into a very fun one.

That said, it is also lovely to sit in. Its plush interior combined with its two luxury front seats – and the drive mode in ‘comfort’ – can make for a rather calming cruise. This is the best of both worlds and a good choice for a weekend away where, to be honest, you’ll be choosing to travel around on two feet (blissful country walks) rather than four wheels.

Lime Wood – Where and How?

Lime Wood is located on Beaulieu Rd, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, SO43 7FZ England. For bookings or to find out more, visit www.limewoodhotel.co.uk or call +44 23 8028 7177.

Lime Wood photography by Amy Murrell.