English Culture Express

* NEWS & VIEWS *

27 July 2004 issue number 88

The James Bond Experience at Beaulieu

By Diane Earhart

He's suave and debonair! He gets all the girls! He has the cars! He has all the gadgets! We love James Bond! We want to be James Bond!!

From now until December 2004, you can see some of these fantastic cars and relive movie memories at a special exhibit at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu. As you enter the separate Bond Experience building, you must gain recognition for entry. Once you place your hand in the designated spot, the light turns from red to green... if you are approved to continue! Along one side of the exhibit, you will see original props and memorabilia from various Bond movies, from Connery to Brosnon. You will learn bits of trivia ranging from Moneypenny's dress to movie maggots. Overhead are television monitors, which play clips of some of the Bond movie excitement. On the other side of the exhibit are the vehicles that will set the pulse of all Bond fans racing. Here are the original Q Road Boat speedboat and the AMC Hornet that did barrel rolls through the air in Diamonds are Forever and the submarine car and many more vehicles. This exhibition was created in association with the Ian Fleming Organisation.

The Bond Experience is part of your day ticket to the Beaulieu grounds. A ride on the monorail will take you from one end of the compound to the other, whether you want to visit the Montagu family ancestral home or the National Motor Museum , full of vehicles from the very earliest to the very fastest. See Cars of the Stars, from Uri Geller's car covered with bent spoons and forks to Mr. Bean's Mini. Or take a leisurely stroll through the grounds to explore the ruins of Beaulieu Abbey, which was closed in 1538 by King Henry VIII. Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it on the beautiful grounds, unless you'd rather eat in the restaurant on the premises. Allow plenty of time - a full day is not enough to see it all!

But the Bond Experience is only there for a limited time!

Open daily except Christmas Day. Telephone: 01590 612345. www.beaulieu.co.uk .

About the author: Diane Earhart (pictured above) is an American Air Traffic Controller and Flight Instructor and is a frequent visitor to the UK . When she's not at her job in the airport control tower, she devotes her time to aviation safety education and various charities. She has won awards for her work as an Aviation Safety Counselor and for her work with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Her story was featured in an inspirational book about living with MS. Diane has a varied and chequered past, present, and future. To find out everything you didn't even realise you needed to know about her, visit www.DianeEarhart.com

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