Even the monarch is entitled to a day off. The Queen donned a headscarf and glasses for an incognito ride on the footplate of a steam engine.

Visitors to Exbury Gardens in the New Forest had little idea that the pensioner in a raincoat taking the ride was the Queen, 82, exercising her passion for steam engines.

She made a 20-minute journey through the estate of her friend Leopold de Rothschild, who drove the small engine. She beamed with pleasure, at one point riding on the footplate of the locomotive, which she named Mariloo, in a private ceremony.

Four years ago the Queen nipped away to enjoy a trip on another of Mr de Rothschild’s other small engines, Rosemary.

An Exbury Gardens spokeswoman said of the Queen’s latest visit: “Members of the public were around at the time but it seems they didn’t bat an eyelid at the Queen.

“It was a private visit, she came with very few people and was dressed very anonymously — it was certainly as if she was travelling incognito and didn’t want to be recognised.”

Mr de Rothschild added: “Her Majesty very kindly agreed to make a private visit to Exbury to help us celebrate the launch of our marvellous new engine Mariloo.

“She not only gave Mariloo her blessing but also a new tree, which will stand as a tribute to her and the beauty of this garden for generations to come.”

The tree she planted is known as a handkerchief tree or dove tree because of its large white bracts.

Elsewhere, tens of thousands of day-trippers headed for beaches, despite a lack of sun. Up to 120,000 visitors were expected in Bournemouth, where it was overcast and humid yesterday but remained dry with temeratures of 20C (70F).

A pair of Baywatch-style police officers in shorts and T-shirts will patrol beaches in Dorset until the end of September. They are on the lookout for antisocial behaviour, but they have been trained by the RNLI to carry out rescues.

The forecast for today is also for cloudy and mild conditions — the sun is expected to shine only after Britain returns to work tomorrow.

A light-aircraft pilot and his passenger were fortunate to survive when their Piper PA28 crashed and ploughed into a hedge at Micheldever, near Basingstoke, Hampshire. The wings snapped off with the impact and the fuselage split in two. The pilot, 51, and his passenger, a man aged 44, climbed unscathed from the wreckage as fuel leaked from the aircraft.

Crowds watched a £185 million superyacht head out to sea after a secret refit at Devonport dockyard in Plymouth. The 82m (269ft) Sarafsa, built over five decks, has a 16-seat cinema, a £3 million private suite and accommodation for a butler and valets. It is thought locally that she belongs to a Middle Eastern businessman.

Resorts in North Wales were packed yesterday and thousands of climbers had travelled to Snowdonia. The biggest crowds were at Llandudno for the annual Victorian Extravaganza.

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