Garden tours of England, Chelsea Flower Show, Hampton Court Flower Show

FLOWER SHOW TOURS 2005 DATES & PRICES
featuring the Chelsea Flower Show and the Hampton Court Flower Show

TENTATIVE ITINERARY - CHELSEA	NIGHTSTOP

DAY ONE - FRIDAY

Arrival day. You'll be met on arrival at the airport and transferred to our London hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to relax and unwind but we also recommend taking the ten-minute walk from our hotel base to the nearby Chiswick House. This classic, Inigo Jones designed property boasts several acres of lovely gardens and a leisurely visit makes a fitting start to this tour. This evening, all tour participants will gather for our welcome dinner, hosted by your guide.	London

DAY TWO- SATURDAY

We leave London behind us as we head to the Garden of England, Kent. Our first stop today is at Down House, the home of evolutionist Charles Darwin. One wonders if any of his revolutionary theories came to him while watching his flowers grow! Hever Castle, originally owned by Anne Boleyn's family and restored by the wealth of the Astor family, is our next stop. A short drive away is the home of Winston Churchill, Chartwell. One can almost smell the great man's cigars. We'll end today's explorations at Emmetts, a hillside garden originally laid out around the turn of the century and now owned by the National Trust, if time - before making our way to our base for the next three nights.	Royal Tunbridge Wells

DAY THREE - SUNDAY

Today we will concentrate on Great Dixter, a Lutyens medieval reconstruction. There'll also be Scotney Castle and hopefully, if time allows, we'll also visit Batemans, home of one of England greatest story-tellers and Victorian/Edwardian poets, Rudyard Kipling. Naturally, between these major stops we'll be seeing some of the splendid Kent and Sussex countryside and perhaps stopping to see private gardens en route.	As above

DAY FOUR - MONDAY

Our last day in this southeast corner of England finds us exploring three more magnificent gardens. We'll begin at Leonardslee Gardens, started by Sir Edmund Loder and well-known for its rhododendron collection. From here we'll drive the short distance to Nymans, one of the great South Weald gardens - thirty acres of rare and beautiful trees, shrubs and plants collected from all corners of the world. Finally, we'll end today at Sheffield Park Garden, a highly impressive one hundred-acre garden with five lakes, laid out in the 18th century by 'Capability' Brown.	As above

DAY FIVE - TUESDAY

As we travel westwards today, we'll take time to visit some of the lesser-known and more unusual gardens of the area. First today is the garden at Highdown, created by Sir Frederick Stern from a bare chalk pit in 1910. We then move onto Denmans where we'll see a gravel garden which needs no mowing - plants grow informally from gravel in a vast greenhouse, in a walled garden, and along a dry winding riverbed. We'll end the day with a visit to Mottisfont Abbey Garden. Here we'll find the national collection of old-fashioned roses housed in the walled garden of the 12th century Augustinian Priory.	Salisbury

DAY SIX - WEDNESDAY

Winchester, the ancient Saxon capital of England, is first on today's itinerary. Here we'll visit the Great Hall, birthplace of modern democracy and see King Arthur's Round Table. We'll then head south to discover the hidden delights of the New Forest. If we have time, we'll visit Wilton House, stately home to the Earls of Pembroke for 450 years, and explore the house and gardens before making our way back to our base for the night.	As above

DAY SEVEN - THURSDAY

This morning will be spent exploring the delightful cathedral city of Salisbury. As we head back to London we pay our final visit of the day to Savill Garden, one of the finest woodland gardens anywhere, or the Royal Horticultural Gardens at Wisley. Depending on time spent at Salisbury there may just be time to visit either Windsor Castle or Hampton Court to round off a perfect couple of days outside of London.	London

DAY EIGHT - FRIDAY

THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW You've a full day to explore the show. Getting there early will give you time to see the show and perhaps to leave in mid-afternoon to do some final last minute shopping at nearby Harrods. Dinner is taken independently this evening in case any tour participant wishes to attend a West End theatre production.	As above

DAY NINE- SATURDAY

Return airport transfer. Perhaps you'd enjoy staying a day longer and exploring one or two of London's own historic homes and gardens? You could also combine this tour with one of our four-day, mini-tours to Wales or the Heart of England, both of which feature a selection of other homes and gardens.

TENTATIVE ITINERARY - HAMPTON COURT	NIGHTSTOP

DAY ONE - FRIDAY
Arrival day. You’ll be met at the airport by your Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd representative and be transferred to our London hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax and unwind. This evening, all tour participants will gather for our welcome dinner, hosted by your guide-companion for the tour. It’s a great opportunity for getting to know one another and for your guide-companion to run through our programme and for you to let them know your interests and visit priorities. We’ve tried to create a balanced programme of visits for the next 10 days, combining the more formal and better-known gardens with some lesser-known properties. In many places there’s a house (often a stately home) to also explore and we've tried to present a mix of differing garden styles. It is possible that you’ll not be able to see every single garden listed on the tour as the weather, or the group’s preferences, may dictate that we spend longer in particular properties than anticipated and have to omit others. There will be other visits to smaller private gardens (members of the National Garden Scheme) not mentioned here as their limited opening times are not published at the time this tour is designed.	London

DAY TWO - SATURDAY

We leave London behind and head into the beautiful Cotswolds countryside and the first of our garden visits. Sudeley Castle, with its connections dating back 100 years or more, has seven enchanting gardens. Amongst these are a Tudor Knot garden with water features and a delightful mosaic, and a lovely rose garden (which may be in bloom). Seizencote is one of the most English of parks with a distinct feel of Repton influence. It’s an ideal garden for our first day. Highlights include an orangery and an exotic oriental water garden.	Cotswolds village

DAY THREE - SUNDAY
Another of the areas many pretty gardens is Kiftsgate Court near the lovely Cotswolds village of Chipping Campden. This will also afford us the opportunity of spending some time in the village itself. Like many of these honey-coloured, picture postcards scenes, life appears to have stood still. One of the village's main advantages is its proximity to Hidecote Manor Gardens - one of the most delightful in England. Created by horticulturist Major John Lawrence, this garden consists of a series of small gardens within the whole, separated by walls and hedges of different species. It's famed for rare shrubs, trees, herbaceous borders, and interesting plant species.	As above

DAY FOUR - MONDAY
Today, we have two 'formal' gardens, some informal ones and as a contrast, a visit to the wonderful mediaeval city of Gloucester. We'll enjoy a late start to the day, with perhaps some local scenic touring before visiting Painswick. This is a most attractive Rococo garden; a unique 18^th century restoration in a hidden 6 acre Cotswold's combe (valley). Thence to Gloucester where we'll lunch and tour the magnificent cathedral. This afternoon we'll concentrate on one of the earliest formal water gardens laid out in England at Westbury Court Gardens in Westbury-on-Severn. Hopefully, there will also be a number of informal gardens visits today. We'll make our decision based as to which based on the weather and which private gardens are open today as part of the National Gardens Scheme.	Dorset

DAY FIVE - TUESDAY
Our first visit is a private one to see a recreation of George Washington's Mount Vernon garden at Claverton Manor. We'll also take the opportunity of enjoying a brief tour of that jewel of Georgian architecture, Bath. Our next two days are spent discovering homes and gardens in two of England's more 'hidden' counties, Dorset and Wiltshire. This lovely corner of Britain was where Thomas Hardy set many of his novels and it not only retains a timeless feel but some exquisite sightseeing opportunities. It's a wonder that it's not overrun with the tourist herd, but thankfully apart from Stonehenge, it isn't and we'll enjoy unhurried visits at the sights we choose. However, en route, we'll stop at the marvellous Barrington Court. Here there's the magnificent white garden, influenced by Gertrude Jekyll, iris garden and rose garden. It has also a working kitchen garden. Forde Abbey provides for our last visit. Founded by Cistercian monks over 900 years ago, you can enjoy real peace in over 30 acres of garden featuring an arboretum, 5 lakes and a Bog garden.	As above

DAY SIX - WEDNESDAY
We've something of a choice today; in fact, we're spoilt for one. Athelhampton House and Gardens is a 15^th century manor house surrounded by one of the great architectural gardens of England. This is a garden of vistas and glorious surprises. Mapperton is a Jacobean (1660) house with an Italianate garden. Parnham House is interesting as much for its interiors and exhibitions of contemporary work in glass, textiles and wood, as it is for its garden. Minterne Gardens is a landscaped garden of over 30 acres with rare rhododendrons, magnolias, stream and water cascades. We've also Thomas Hardy's cottage to consider and the ancient town of Dorchester! This is probably a day when some advice and guidance from your guide-companion will be welcome!	nr Salisbury

DAY SEVEN - THURSDAY
Stourhead has a landscaped garden laid out between 1741-80. There are classical temples, lakes, rare trees and plants. The house is another that tempts us with examples of Chippendale furniture and many fine paintings. There's only time today for one other property as both demand our full attention. The second is the magnificent Wilton House. Here there's one of the finest art collections in Europe (including Rubens, Van Dyke, Breughel) housed in magnificent state rooms. Outside, there are 21 acres of landscaped parkland.	As above

DAY EIGHT - FRIDAY
HAMPTON COURT FLOWER SHOW Our main highlight of the tour is kept for the last wonderful day. We spend today at The Royal Horticultural Society flower show at Hampton Court. This superb show, growing in international importance and prestige year on year, could not be run in grander settings than Henry VIII’s Thames-side palace. In addition to the show itself, Hampton Court boasts several historical garden styles, one stands out in particular its authentic renovation having only comparatively recently been completed.	London

DAY NINE - SATURDAY
Alas, it’s time to bid farewell to fair England. All good times must come to an end and you’ll be transferred to an appropriate airport – unless, of course, you’re staying on to join another memorable Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd tour!