CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW
England
is a land of gardens. From the tiniest of terrace houses to the grandest of
Stately Homes, the British tend their gardens with love and affection.
Our Garden and Great Houses tours
include a selection of some of the finest formal and planned gardens dating from
the 16th century onward. We also see award-winning modern creations, and gardens
that perhaps don't receive the praise they should (like those in the photography
above).
In addition to magnificent gardens, we
also include a range of Stately and other great houses and homes. You can chose
from one of three tours; one featuring the county of Kent, another the southern
counties of Wiltshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, or one combining all.
Our Kent portion concentrates on some of
the more classic and better known sites while our Hampshire and Isle of Wight
section introduces you to a range off the main tourist path, but exquisite in
their own way.
Further, each tour has the added
distinction of including one of the Royal Horticultural Society prize shows -
the well-established Chelsea Flower Show. Finally, we also include visits to
some London Homes and gardens, 'a String of Pearls', that are often passed by
but are jewels not to be missed.
TENTATIVE
ITINERARY
NIGHTSTOP
DAY
ONE
Wisley RHS, Chartwell (with Nymans a
possibility)
Our 2007 tour begins with two of the most popular and iconic of England’s homes
and gardens. Does Winston Churchill's home of Chartwell require an
introduction? What makes it such a memorable visit is not only the view from the
garden (that inspired his painting) but the fact that the interior is almost as
he left it. You can almost smell the cigars. And Wisley, of course, equally
requires only a brief introduction as this famed centre for the Royal
Horticultural Society is known the world over.
If there’s time then our last stop of
the day will be at Nymans, one of the great gardens of the Sussex Weald. The 30
acre garden was created over nearly three-quarters of a century from 1885 by
Ludwig Messel and his son Leonard. During this time they assembled a remarkable
collection of trees, shrubs and plants from all over the world. However, they
ensured that the garden retained its intimate charm and it is the combination of
the rare and exotic with a simple and friendly garden that is so remarkable.
Sevenoaks
DAY TWO
Ightham Mote, Knole, Scotney Castle
Ightham Mote, deservedly one of the most popular small gardens in the region.
Here you can explore 650 years of history in the most complete examples of a
mediaeval moated manor house.
Scotney Castle has been termed England's most romantic garden with Victorian
terraces covered in a riot of coloured shrubs overlooking a 14th century moated
castle.
The garden is set on the side of a
valley at 500 feet but is sheltered by the magnificent woods of the Sussex
Weald.
Finally, a climatic finish to our first
day with a visit to Knole. This is one of England great 'treasure houses'. Home
of the Lords Sackville since 1603, the property has much to offer including
Royal Stuart furnishings and a fine art collection of English masters. Knole was
the birthplace of Vita Sackville-West (whose own garden creation we'll see
later) and was used by Virginia Woolf as the setting for her novel 'Orlando'. A
visit here is like stepping back in time.Sevenoaks
DAY THREE
Groombridge Place, Hever Castle,
Sissinghurst
We travel the short distance to the fabulous Sissinghurst Castle. Vita
Sackville-West's world famous garden is another that requires no introduction to
garden enthusiasts. You'll have plenty of time to explore this intimate and
intricate garden and to visit those parts of her home open to the public
.
Hever Castle is the jewel in our day. Hever is many people's idea of what a
'real' castle should look like, from its gateway and courtyard to its
surrounding moat. It is the most fairy-tale like. Though dating back to 1270,
and being the family home of one of Henry VIII's ill-fated wives (Anne Boleyn),
it also has a relatively contemporary feel provided by the Astors who took over
and restored the castle in the early part of last century. With a 30-acre
garden including a unique Italian garden filled with roses and statues, there's
plenty to admire here.
Our final garden today will be Groombridge. This has the added attraction of an
attached house and Sherlock Holmes fans will enjoy discovering the connection
here to the great detective. We also need to leave some flexibility for
'serendipity' today as we'll no doubt find some attraction en route that is
unplanned but which we simply must stop for. Well, it wouldn't be a Back-Roads
tour if that didn't happen!
Sevenoaks
DAY FOUR
Bodiam, Great Dixter, local informal
gardens and your choice!
On a Back-Roads Touring Co. tour we like to leave room for adaptation;
adaptation to the weather, the local conditions, and most importantly,
adaptation to the desires of tour participants. Thus, on today’s programme we’ll
leave space for you, in consultation with the guide to decide on at least one
visit. This region is blessed with homes and gardens; Penshurst Place,
Leonardslee, Pashley Manor and Emmetts, to name but a few that have wonderful
qualities. This morning the choice will be yours.
Another iconic garden and house is that of Great Dixter. This is the largest
half-timbered house in England but it's the garden that really grabs the
attention with it topiary, wild meadows and famed Long Border. It is one that
cannot be missed.
We've an opportunity of a slight change of pace and period for today's final
visits. You'll have the choice of seeing the magnificently preserved 15th
century Bodiam Castle, the Abbey connected with the famed 1066 Battle of
Hastings or, perhaps, Kipling's house, Bateman's. Dinner is not included tonight
to allow some flexibility for attending London theatre.
London
DAY FIVE
Chiswick House, Ham House, Kew
Our London day concentrates on some of the gardens and stately homes that run
along the banks of the Thames to the west of the city like a string of pearls.
Robert Adams ‘Osterly Park’, Gunnesbury
House, the municipal gardens of Walpole House in Ealing are all deserving of
attention but supreme amongst them is Syon House with its Tudor connections and
National Trust arboretum.
A short distance away, close to Marble
Hill House and under the watchful eye of Richmond Hill, sits Ham House. This
magnificent 16th century pile boasts on of the last formal Dutch gardens. Our
method of reaching the house, by rowed ferry across the Thames adds a special
dimension to the visit!
Last, but certainly not least on our day
is the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew.
Dinner tonight will be taken in an
historic Thames riverside pub.
London
DAY SIX
Chelsea Flower Show
The World famous CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW is our central feature of the
day. There’s an afternoon option to visit Chiswick House for those who don’t
want the whole day at Chelsea. Chiswick is a pleasant garden and ‘party’ home
created by Lord Burlington and architect Inigo Jones at Chiswick. This public,
neighbourhood space delights all visitors with its informality and its well
tended and colourful flower beds.
Dinner is not included on the tour this
evening to give flexibility to those who wish to stay as long as is possible at
the Chelsea Flower Show.
London
DAY SEVEN
The Rothchilde's Waddesden
Manor, hidden villages of the Chiltern Hills and Cliveden.
Today we visit a region of the UK that can truly be described as 'unrecognised'.
Perhaps we could even use the phrase, 'the UK's hidden secret' without it being
just the tired old cliche. The Chiltern Hills are a supreme delight.
In this smallish area of gentle hills
and sudden valleys, we find impossibly pretty villages. Some might be
recognisable from popular films and BBC TV shows but it's a surprise to find
they are real not just sets. Amongst the gems to discover are the 'Marharishi's
Well', an Indian Prince's garden gift, the Astor's magnificnet counrty gardens
at Cliveden, and the Rothschilde's sumptuous, Loire chateau-like, Waddesdon
Manor.
Add to this some stunning private
gardens, picturesque parish churchyards, a memorable retail 'garden centre' and
a 1000 year old pub for lunch, and you have an exquisite and unique day.
Dinner is not included this evening to
allow flexibility for those wanting to attend theatre, walk besides the nearby
Thames, or perhaps enjoy Chiswick, this very English of neighbourhoods.
London
DAY EIGHT
Southside House & Hatchlands or Claredon
or Polesdon Lacy
Our first visit of the day is a very special one; to a home described by
connoisseurs as an unforgettable experience, Southside House provides an
enchantingly eccentric backdrop to the lives and loves of generations of the
Pennington Mellor Munthe families. Maintained in traditional style without
intrusive refurbishment and crowded with the family possessions of centuries,
Southside offers a wealth of fascinating family stories and associations with
Queen Natalie of Serbia and her son Alexander, Nelson’s Lady Hamilton and
others. Our visit has that special touch in that we have ‘family connections’!
Polesden Lacey, our next stop,
represents the Regency period (1820s) in our historical panorama. Sumptuous?
Certainly sumptuous enough to have attracted King George VI and wife Elizabeth
(our beloved and much missed Queen Mother) to spend part of their honeymoon
here. In addition to the magnificent interior, there's the lovely walled rose
garden to walk through.
Finally, we'll look at Hinton Ampner.
This is one of the great gardens of the 20th-century. It is a masterpiece of
design by Ralph Dutton, 8th and last Lord Sherborne, uniting a formal layout
with varied and informal plantings in pastel shades. It boasts a 12-acre garden
of year-round interest with scented plants and magnificent vistas over parkland
and rolling Hampshire countryside. Alternative gardens offered today are
Hatchlands and Claredon. Hampshire/New
Forest
DAY NINE
New Forest to IOW, Mottistone Manor,
Osborne House
The Isle of Wight sits a short ferry crossing from Portsmouth and offers us a
unique day out with some fabulous sightseeing opportunities. The jewel in
today's crown is Osborne House. This was where Queen Victoria chose to spend her
Summers. The house and gardens are national treasures. Here, inside, you'll see
how Queen Victoria lived (and also sneak a look 'beneath stairs' to see how her
staff worked and lived). In the wonderful 50 acre gardens that sweep to the
Swiss Cottage & its garden, you'll walk amongst magnolias,. Lebanon cedar,
azaleas and other in-season blooms. There's also a perfect Victorian walled
kitchen garden.
A second visit for the day takes us to
Mottistone Manor, a garden noted for its colourful herbaceous borders, grassy
terraces planted with fruit trees and its sea views. The 16th- and 17th-century
manor house, which is tenanted, lies at the heart of the Mottistone Estate,
which offers delightful walks between the Downs and the coast.
We'll spend the rest of our day soaking
up the atmosphere of this lovely little corner of the British Isles and
exploring its coastline and resort towns. If we've time, and the inclination
amongst group members, we might also see Morton House.
Hampshire/New Forest
DAY TEN
Highclere Castle, The Heale
Gardens, Stourhead
We've several magnificent properties on today's visit schedule.
Stourhead is a celebrated 18th-century
landscape garden and Palladian mansion with enchanting temples, monuments and
rare planting around a tranquil lake and set in mature woodlands with a
collection of exotic trees. A highlight is the stunning views you get from the
top of Alfred's Tower, one of the finest garden follies you'll ever see.
Next, Highclere, one of England's most
beautiful Victorian Castles set amidst spectacular Parkland. We have the risk
the cliché and say that this building can only be described as ‘breathtaking’.
It is the largest mansion in Hampshire with a history going back over 500 years.
It lies in a perfect park, the work of Capability Brown during 1774-7 but which
also has remnants of the gardening activities of early monks who inhabited the
place when it belonged to the Bishop Of Winchester.
Finally, we visit The Heale Garden. After the formality of our first two stops,
this 8 acres of surprise and colour offers a sharp contrast. There’s a confusion
and cluttering that excites the eye and fires the imagination. Most visitors are
inspired as everywhere there’s a pocket of riches that one feels can be
recreated in one’s own humble patch!
Hampshire/New Forest
DAY ELEVEN
Stonehenge, Wilton House, Mottisfont,
Winchester
First to Wilton House, truly one of the country's treasure houses. Here, amidst
nearly 500 years of history, you will experience living history at its very best
as you wander through its magnificent rooms, marvel at its architecture, soak in
its fine paintings or be swept off your feet by its spectacular gardens.
Another marvel nearby is self-selecting as an inclusion on our tour. Though not
having any connection with a home or garden, we cannot drive by the amazing
Stonehenge with at least a photo-opportunity stop!
Last on today’s formal programme is the magnificent cathedral city of
Winchester. The cathedral grounds are a delight and a walk beside the gentle
river and it’s adjoining meadows reminds us that nature needs little help in
giving us her own natural gardens.
Our journey back into London may offer a final opportunity for stopping at the
gardens of Selbourne. Surely, no garden tour can be complete without at least
the brief ‘tipping of the hat’ towards one of the great early gardeners and
naturalists, Gilbert White.
You are dropped in London at your central hotel of choice, or at our recommended
base.
Accommodation and dinner not included
tonight.
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You have three
tours to choose from:
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Option 1 |
11-day tour / Saturday to
Tuesday
Includes homes and gardens of Kent, Hampshire & Isle of Wight, the
Chelsea Flower Show and London's gardens |
Option 2
Kent segment |
7-Day tour / Saturday to
Friday
Includes homes and gardens of Kent, the Chelsea Flower Show and London's
gardens |
Option 3
Hants segment |
7-Day tour / Wednesday to
Tuesday
Includes the Chelsea Flower Show, the Chilterns, Hampshire and Isle of
Wight |
DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES
FOR YEAR 2008
|
Tour Code |
Depart
London |
Return
London |
Cost Twin p/p
|
Cost single
|
|
CFS |
|
|
|
|
|
CFS 01 - option 1
|
Sat, 17 May
|
Tue, 27 May
|
£1195
|
£1385
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CFS 02 - option 2 (Kent)
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Sat, 17 May
|
Fri, 23 May
|
£865
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£965
|
|
CFS 03 - option 3
(Hants)
|
Wed, 21 May
|
Tue, 27 May
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£865
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£965
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What your
tour price includes
Your accommodation for all
nights while on the tour is included in your tour price, and this includes both
full breakfasts and dinners
Your price also includes all entrance fees to attractions,
transportation, services of driver/guide-companion and all taxes and tips other
than those you may wish to give your guide
Airport transfers are not included pre or post tour, except on option 1
Accommodation is not included on the nights before the first day, or on the
evening of your return to London. You may book this independently or at
Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd London-base hotel at a specially discounted price.
___________________________________________________________
Please note: while we
will do our utmost to include all of the properties mentioned as central visits,
we reserve the right to change an attraction should it become impossible to
deliver a planned visit due to changes in opening days or times that we could
not have been aware of at the time of loading this tour to our website.
