GREAT GARDENS OF BRITain

Day 1 | Friday 12 June
Arrive Edinburgh
We meet in our hotel this afternoon for introductions and a welcome talk, followed by a short walk around Edinburgh. We’ll reconvene in the evening for a welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Edinburgh (D)

Day 2 | Saturday 13 June
Little Sparta
Following a talk in our hotel this morning, we depart for Little Sparta, an enchanting and thought-provoking landscape on the southwestern slopes of the Pentland Hills. This internationally acclaimed garden by Ian Hamilton Finlay – Scottish artist, poet and gardener who lived here for the last 50 years of his life until 2006 – is set across seven acres of a wild and exposed moorland site. Individual poetic and sculptural elements, in wood, stone and metal, are sited in relation to carefully structured landscaping and planting. In this way, the garden in its entirety is the artwork. Recently, it was voted Scotland’s most significant work of art. Head gardener George Gilliland will lead our private tour of the grounds. Arriving back at the hotel in the afternoon, the remainder fo the day is at leisure to explore Edinburgh. Overnight Edinburgh (B)

Day 3 | Sunday 14 June
Carolside House & Abbotsford
Following a morning lecture in the hotel, our first stop for the day is Carolside House, a late 18th-century mansion set in beautiful parkland; its former deer park flanked by wooded hills, nestling in a bend of the River Leader in the Scottish Borders. It has one of the most romantic and beautiful of gardens, best known for its collection of historic roses. Over many years, the garden has evolved into a series of rooms, each with a unique atmosphere and planted in different colours but each still filled with roses. After lunch together here, a short coach journey brings us to Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scott’s glorious ‘Palace of the Imagination’. Abbotsford, still furnished exactly as he left it, is a testament to Scott’s creation of our romantic notion of Scottish identity. It is a rare, surviving example of a Regency Garden layout – designed to provide a harmonious transition between the luxury and comfort of the interiors of the house with the wonders of nature in the wider estate through a series of three secluded, richly detailed and sheltered ‘rooms’. Returning to Edinburgh by late afternoon, the evening is then at leisure. Overnight Edinburgh (B, L)

Day 4 | Monday 15 June
Dumfries House
Leaving Edinburgh this morning, our destination is The Grand – a delightfully situated country house hotel in Grasmere in the English Lake District, with a dramatic backdrop of fells and beautiful lake vistas. On the way, we’ll be stopping at Dumfries House. In 2007, Dumfries House was bought by a consortium, headed by the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, to save both the house and its contents from being auctioned and split up. Preserved, for example, is a collection of priceless 18th-century Chippendale furniture that had been made specifically for Dumfries House. Integral to the restoration and redesign of the grounds is the magnificent five-acre Queen Elizabeth II Walled Garden, opened by Her Majesty in 2014. It is now one of the largest walled gardens in Scotland featuring a unique 12 metre drop from north to south. It includes a variety of handcrafted garden structures developed on-site, including the Gothic belvedere designed by His Majesty, which is positioned on the top terrace and offers a spectacular view over the garden below. Before leaving, there will be free time for lunch in the Coach House cafe, and on the way south, we’ll be passing through Gretna Green, famous for its elopements and under-age marriages ‘over the anvil’. We arrive at Grasmere in the early evening, with time to freshen up before a relaxed dinner in the hotel. Overnight Grasmere, Lake District (B, D)

Day 5 | Tuesday 16 June
Dalemain House & Lowther Castle
After a talk in our hotel this morning, our first stop is Dalemain House, where owner Jane Hasell-McCosh welcomes us for a personal introduction to her own historic garden. Set in the middle of the Lake District UNESCO World-Heritage Site, Dalemain is world-renowned for two things – its blue Himalayan poppies (meconopsis grandis ‘Dalemain’) and its annual Dalemain World Marmalade Awards. It also has one of the most gloriously situated and beautiful gardens in Britain which includes over 200 old-fashioned roses (which will be in bloom) and Britain’s largest silver fir (abies Cephalonica), a gift from Joseph Banks in the 1840s. Our next stop is nearby Lowther Castle, one of the most romantic ruins in Britain. In the 1950s, the roof was removed from its 365 rooms and its interior walls knocked down, all to avoid paying crippling death duties. The grounds, used for tank-warfare training during WWII, were turned over to pig and chicken battery farming, and to timber plantations. In 2008, it was decided to save the grounds and to re-create the famous gardens. The transformation, under the leadership of gardening great, Dan Pearson, has been staggering. After exploring the beautifully restored gardens of the castle with the head gardener, we return to Grasmere for an evening at leisure. Overnight Grasmere, Lake District (B)

Day 6 | Wednesday 17 June
Levens Hall & Gresgarth Hall
We depart Grasmere this morning, stopping en route at Levens Hall, a manor house in the Kent valley. The Hall started life in the late 13th century as an imposing fortified border tower. Much added to over the centuries, it has the oldest surviving topiary garden in the world. Begun in 1694, it was designed by Guillaume Beaumont who worked at both Versailles and Hampton Court. Head-gardener Chris Crowder will explain the perils and joys of creating and maintaining topiary as well as showing us the extraordinary giant beech hedges, beautiful herbaceous borders and one of the country’s first ha-ha’s. We enjoy a break for lunch at the Hall before continuing onto Gresgarth Hall, home for the past 45 years of celebrated garden designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd and husband Mark. Its 12 acres have been transformed into an Italian-style garden of exquisite taste, as terraces descend from the Gothic house to the beck. The herbaceous borders are an absolute wonder of Jekyllean planting. We arrive in the Roman city of Chester in time for an orientation stroll through this picturesque town, followed dinner in our hotel. Overnight Chester (B, D)

Day 7 | Thursday 18 June
Alderley Edge Allotments
After a talk in our hotel this morning, we rejoin our coach for a visit to a great English institution, an allotment, specifically the Alderley Edge Allotments in the heart of the Cheshire countryside. The English allotment is an extraordinary phenomenon dating back to the development of ‘common land’ in Saxon times. Enshrined in law to protect them, the now often highly-desirable development land is instead owned and gardened by Allotment Associations all over the country. We’ll be met by the local association’s chairperson, Stella Heap, who will introduce us to many of the allotment holders all keen to show us what they’re growing. Following champagne and home-grown strawberries at Stella’s allotment, we’ll be sitting down to a proper English afternoon tea in the allotment hut. On return to Chester in the late afternoon, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Chester (B, AT)

Day 8 | Friday 19 June
Bodnant Garden
Following a talk in the hotel, we make our way through the beautiful Welsh countryside to the country-house Tyddyn Llan restaurant in Corwen, where we’ll be welcomed with Pimms and canapés in the drawing room before sitting down to a gourmet lunch. We then continue on to Bodnant Garden. In 1949 Bodnant became the second garden, after Hidcote, gifted to the National Trust and is today one of the most beautiful of all Trust properties. Set in the valley of the Conwy River in North Wales, with views across to the Carneddau Mountains, it was created in 1874 and developed by five generations of the same family. Amongst the magnificent features are no less than five terraces of gardens. The evening is at leisure on our return. Overnight Chester (B, L)

Day 9 | Saturday 20 June
Coughton Court & Kelmscott Manor
This morning we depart Chester for Oxford, stopping enroute first at Coughton Court. Framed by the Tudor facade of the historic house, the gardens here unfold in a series of distinct ‘rooms’ that blend formal structure with romantic abundance. Highlights include the tranquil walled garden, a formal knot garden, an exuberant rose labyrinth with over 200 varieties in bloom, and a wildflower meadow that bursts into colour in summer. Maintained in partnership with the National Trust, the gardens are both a testament to English garden design and a living legacy of the Throckmorton family, who have called Coughton home for over 600 years. After a break for lunch at the onsite cafe, we continue on to Kelmscott Manor, the delightful and much-loved country home of William Morris from 1871 until his death in 1896. Situated on the Thames, Kelmscott’s Arts & Crafts garden had a profound effect on Morris, a place where he found endless inspiration. From the enchanting gardens and rustic barns to the quiet dovecote, meadows and meandering stream, he drew from these surroundings to create enduring designs, with several of his fabrics based exclusively on its flora and fauna. Today the house contains an outstanding collection of the possessions and works of Morris, his family and his Arts & Crafts associates, including furniture, original textiles, pictures, carpets, ceramics and metalwork. Arriving at Oxford in the early evening, we finish the day with dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight Oxford (B, D)

Day 10 | Sunday 21 June
Rousham & Buscot Park
Our first stop today is Rousham, William Kent’s 18th-century Arcadian Landscape masterpiece. The house and garden are unique, as they remain almost unchanged and in the hands of the same family since the 1730s. Original sculpture, buildings, rills, ponds, hedges, lawns and eye-catchers make this one of the most historically important gardens in Britain. After a break for lunch, we continue on to Buscot Park, the much-loved and highly idiosyncratic home of Lord Faringdon. Buscot was built in the 18th century as an Italianate country house in the style of Palladio. Radiating out from the house, geometric paths lead into the surrounding gardens which include: the original kitchen garden now home to the Four Seasons Garden with its magnificent herbaceous borders and pleached hornbeam; the water gardens designed in 1904 by Harold Peto (of Iford Manor and Ilnacullin fame) linking the house with the lake; 17 full-size Terracotta Army warriors lining a path which come as a complete surprise; and a magnificent outdoor swimming pool. The evening is at leisure on return to our hotel. Overnight Oxford (B)

Day 11 | Monday 22 June
Oxford Botanic Gardens & Highgrove
Today begins with a visit to the Oxford Botanic Gardens, situated in the heart of Oxford, a short walk from our hotel. The Gardens were founded in 1621 and are the oldest in Britain. Its monumental arched gateway was designed by Inigo Jones (1573-1652) and is one of the earliest Classical structures in Oxford. Today, with its nearly 5,000 different plant species and in their delightful setting, the gardens are a source of inspiration for design, research and conservation. The remainder of the morning will be at leisure to explore Oxford. In the early afternoon, a delightful drive through the countryside then brings us to Highgrove – the private gardens of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Begun in 1980 and now run on the organic and sustainable methods of which the King is such a passionate advocate – it is better to work with nature than against it – the gardens include wild, formal, and kitchen gardens. Leading garden designers such as Julian and Isabel Bannerman, and Sir Roy Strong have all contributed to this masterpiece. Our guided tour is followed by a champagne cream tea. We return to Oxford in the late afternoon with the evening at leisure. Overnight Oxford (B, AT)

Day 12 | Tuesday 23 June
RHS Garden Wisley
Departing Oxford mid-morning, our journey continues into the heart of Sussex, where our final stay will be enjoyed in a luxury country house hotel in the middle of the Ashdown Forest  – the woodland that inspired the Winnie The Pooh stories. En route we stop at RHS Garden Wisley, the showpiece garden and headquarters of the Royal Horticultural Society. Today it is one of the UK’s most cherished gardens and home to some of the largest plant collections anywhere in the world. Following our guided tour, we continue to Sussex and finish the day with dinner in our hotel. Overnight Ashdown Forest (B, D)

Day 13 | Wednesday 24 June
Great Dixter & Sissinghurst Castle
Today’s travels take us into Kent, ‘the garden of England’, first stopping at Great Dixter for a private tour through the house and Arts & Crafts style gardens. It was made famous in 1993 when Christopher Lloyd announced he was going to dig up his father’s Sir Edwin Lutyens-designed rose garden, and replace it with exotics! Lloyd, one of the greatest British gardeners of the past 50 years, always did things differently and Great Dixter is his legacy. Following a private tour of the gardens, there’s free time for lunch at Dixter’s excellent café before we then travel to Sissinghurst Castle. Sissinghurst is a garden ‘museum’ retaining the structure and planting of its famous creators, garden writer Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat and author husband Harold Nicholson, both of whom were heavily influenced by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. It is justifiably called ‘one of the most influential gardens ever made’. We arrive back at our hotel in the early evening. Overnight Ashdown Forest (B)

Day 14 | Thursday 25 June
Hever Castle & Town Place Garden
Following a talk in the hotel, we head to Hever Castle for a tour of both the castle and gardens. The ancestral home of the Boleyn Family, Henry VIII visited here when he was courting Anne. In 1903 it was bought by one of the world’s richest men, William Waldorf Astor. Astor made many alterations to both the castle and the landscape, most especially in the creation of a lake and an Italian Garden which includes, uniquely for Britain, Roman and Medieval sculpture. Together with the Italian Garden, the Rose Garden, the Herbaceous Border, the topiary and the loggias will all be at their best for the famous ‘Hever in Bloom’ festival which will be on when we visit. Following a break for lunch within the grounds of Hever, the afternoon is spent at Town Place Garden, set around a 17th-century Sussex farmhouse. We will be welcomed by owners Anthony and Maggie McGrath who will explain how over the past 35 years they have transformed a two-acre site into a Jekyllian masterpiece with planting and sculpture. In 2000 they bought a neighbouring field and planted it with hornbeam which, now nearly 20 foot high, has been clipped to resemble a ruined Romanesque church complete with buttressing, windows and a cloister. We return to our hotel with the evening at leisure. Overnight Ashdown Forest (B)

Day 15 | Friday 26 June
Wakehurst Place & Gravetye Manor
After a morning talk in the hotel, we make our way to the Jacobean mansion Wakehurst Place, home to Kew Garden’s arboretum. Situated on over 500 acres of diverse landscapes in the High Weald of Sussex, here we find the largest stand of Wollemia nobilis in the UK, as well as trees from around the world. The gardens are also home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest and most diverse wild plant species genetic resource in the world. We return to our hotel to unwind and freshen up before our tour culminates this evening at Gravetye Manor, the home of William Robinson, who, along with Gertrude Jekyll, is the most influential British gardener of the past 150 years; between them they championed the use of hardy perennial plants in what were to become known as herbaceous borders. Today Gravetye is a Michelin-starred restaurant and one of the most beautiful gardens in Britain. As such, it is a fitting end to our tour which concludes with pre-dinner cocktails served in the garden and a grand evening of private dining. Overnight Ashdown Forest (B, D)

Day 17 | Thursday 27 June
Departure
After breakfast this morning we travel by coach to London’s Gatwick Airport and then to Victoria Station. (B)