STATELY HOMES &
GARDENS TOUR
4 days / 3 nights
- Saturday to Tuesday
England is blessed with
palaces, castles and great country houses displaying unrivalled opulence and
refinement. Treasure houses in every sense. And then there are gardens, gardens
and more
flower-filled gardens, formal and informal, large and small, planned
and wild, all bursting into riots of color and overloading the senses with
fragrant smells and sights.
We've chosen to show you a balanced
selection, including some almost legendary, iconic places that are virtual
shrines for the home and garden enthusiast, and others that might escape ones
attention unless shown them.
And knowing that one's partners don't always share the
enthusiasm, please note that other of our our mini-tours often run over the same
four days allowing couples to follow their own interests in the company of other
kindred souls!
'Early in
August 2004 a friend and I took one of your tours. We are finally back home and
I wanted to write and let you know what a great time we had. We were on the
Homes and Gardens tour led by Polly Chapman. Polly did an excellent job of
getting us to a variety of places and giving us enough time so we did not feel
hurried. She kept things organized but not rigid, and she was always concerned
about what we were interested in seeing rather than what was scheduled. She
found out there was an outdoor performance of "Fiddler on the Roof" and took
those of us who wanted to see it.
In addition
to being very knowledgeable about English history, she has a talent for dealing
with a diverse group of people. I had not realized the significance of your
company name until we were on the tour. It was wonderful to be on small roads
and pass through beautiful English villages. Every so often we would get a
glimpse of a large motorway, and I was really grateful that I was in a van with
a few other people rather than on a large, impersonal tour using major highways.
It really was a memorable experience.'
Susan Scrivner, Aug 2004
TENTATIVE
ITINERARY
NIGHTSTOP
DAY ONE -
Saturday
RHS Wisley/ Polesden Lacy/ Clandon Park or Nymans
We start our tour
discovering these magnificent gardens the Royal Society Gardens at Wisley. Here
you can not only enjoy a garden with something for everyone but a well-stocked
bookshop means you have no excuse for not taking home a few ideas for
remodelling your own backyard!
Polesden Lacey 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.
We've a choice of either Clandon Park or neighbouring Hatchlands Park to visit
next (dependent on time) and you'll have an opportunity of deciding which
depending on tour participants' interests. The former is a Palladian pile,
acclaimed for its collection of porcelain and tapestries. The latter boasts
wonderful Robert Adam interiors and the Cobbe collection of historic keyboard
instruments including those owned and played by Bach, Mahler and Chopin.
Our
alternative garden is Nymans. Tour participants can decide on the day. After
all, it's your tour! Kent
DAY TWO -
Sunday
Chartwell / Knole / Scotney Castle & Quebec House
Does Winston Churchill
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!
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.
Then
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 tomorrow)
and was used by Virginia Woolfe as the setting for her novel 'Orlando'. A visit
here is like stepping back in time. Kent
DAY THREE
- Monday
Ingham Mote / Penhurst Place / Hever Castle
Penhurst Place is
another of our finest family-owned stately homes with a history stretching back
six and a half centuries. Perhaps its most memorable feature is the 60-foot
high, chestnut-beamed mediaeval hall. It doesn't take much imagination to see
the feast of old being enjoyed here! In addition to the fine 'objects d'art',
furnishings and paintings displayed inside, Penhurst has a lovely garden,
uniquely divided into 'rooms' by yew hedges.
Then
to Ingham Mote, deservedly one of the most popular small gardens in the region.
Hever Castle is the jewel we leave to climax 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. Kent
DAY FOUR -
Tuesday
Sissinghurst/ Great Dixter / Bodiam Castle & Battle Abbey
We travel the short distance to the fabulous Sissinghurst
Castle. Vita Sackville-West's world famous garden 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.
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.
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, Batemans.
Our tour returns to London at
approximately 6pm.
DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES FOR YEAR 2008
|
Tour Code |
Depart
London |
Return
London |
|
HNG |
Saturday |
Tuesday |
|
HNG 01
|
19 Apr
|
22 Apr
|
|
HNG 02
|
17 May
|
20 May
|
|
HNG 03
|
14 Jun
|
17 Jun
|
|
HNG 04
|
28 Jun
|
01 Jul
|
|
HNG 05
|
09 Aug
|
12 Aug
|
|
HNG 06
|
06 Sep
|
09 Sep
|
Additional Dates Added:
25 April, 23rd May and 20th June
Price: GBP £460 pp twin
share / GBP £495 single room
What your
tour price includes
Your accommodation for 3 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 and accommodation pre and post tour is not included but
can be reserved at a specially discounted price.
This tour departs from central London hotels below
It is your responsibility to be there in plenty of time.
|
The
Royal National, Bedford Way
The Corus Hotel, Hyde Park
The Grosvenor Thistle, Victoria Station
The Holiday Inn Forum
The Chiswick Hotel, Chiswick
|
08.15
(underground Russell Square)
08.25 (underground Lancaster Gate)
08.30 (underground Victoria Station)
08.40 (underground Gloucester Road)
09.00 (underground Turnham Green) |
Note: this tour can be combined with
various other of our Explorer tours departing from London, Manchester, Glasgow
or Ireland.
