Lord Montagu's estate at Beaulieu in Hampshire is best known as the home of the National Motor Museum, but even without that it's a lovely place to visit.

The Palace House (above) was originally the abbey gatehouse. It's large obviously, but not on the scale of the grandest stately homes, and is still very much a family home. You can still see quite a lot of The Abbey, and the gardens are lovely.

We've visited in August and March and see different aspects of the gardens at their best.

Click on the picture to look at our photos.