2016 Tour of Gardens and Castles of England & Wales

with Charlie Nardozzi

Registration Information

Day 1 – July 9, 2016 – RHS WISLEY GARDENS

After landing in London and clearing customs, meet our local guide, Charlie and Deb and board the coach. We’ll travel directly to our first garden, the Wisley Gardens, where we’ll enjoy traditional tea and scones. Wisley features hundreds of feet of perennial flower borders, a majestic glasshouse with three different climatic zones surrounded by more annual and perennial flower gardens, ponds and tree and shrub walks.
Afterward we’ll enjoy an orientation tour of London and check in to our hotel. Tonight a welcome dinner is planned at our hotel.

Meals included: Tea & Scones, Dinner

Overnight: London

Day 2 – July 10, 2016 – RHS HAMPTON COURT PALACE FLOWER SHOW

Today we’ll have the entire day to enjoy the internationally renowned RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Celebrating its 26th year, the Hampton Court Flower Show is now the largest flower show in the world with over 600 exhibitors and gardens featuring a range of gardening ideas. The Hampton Court Flower Show is only one week long, is also home to the British Rose Festival and tickets sell out quickly. The evening is free to enjoy London with its incomparable nightlife.

Meals included: Breakfast

Overnight: London

Day 3 – July 11, 2016 – KEW GARDENS/CHISWICK HOUSE & GARDENS

We’ll travel to the suburbs of London to visit the Kew Botanical Gardens. We’ll see one of the largest surviving Victorian conservatories, Kew Palace and Royal Kitchens. Other gardens include a water lily house, alpine house, Chinese garden and Japanese pagoda garden. This large botanic garden is best viewed from above. Enjoy the gardens from the 60-foot high treetop walkway, which spans 600 feet between the estate lake and the Palm House Conservatory.

Afterward we’ll continue to the smaller and more intimate Chiswick House and Gardens. This villa and garden has recently been restored back to their 17^th century grandeur. The gardens inspired the English Landscape Movement, which includes curved garden beds, open vistas, open lawns and border gardens. The evening is free to explore more of London independently.

Meals included: Breakfast

Overnight: London

Day 4 – July 12, 2016 – Optional Tour Day ~ SISSINGHURST CASTLE & GARDEN & LEEDS CASTLE & GARDEN

Enjoy a day in London exploring the city.

Optional Tour: For those interested, enjoy a full day excursion to Kent. We’ll travel outside of London to the artist’s refuge of Sissinghurst Castle & Garden. Poet and writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband, diplomat and author, Harold Nicolson, transformed this vast estate in the 1930’s. The gardens, nestled among 450 acres are varied in their content and colors and range from wilderness to English geometric rose gardens and fragrant herb gardens.

Our next stop is Leeds Castle & Gardens. Leeds Castle is over 900 years old and prides itself as being “the loveliest castle in the world”. Gardens include a classic English cottage garden and a Mediterranean Terrace Garden.

Meals included: Breakfast

Overnight: London

Day 5 – July 13, 2016 – SAVILL GARDENS, WINDSOR CASTLE & DOWNTON ABBEY

We’ll check out of our hotel in London. Our first stop will be the Savill Gardens.

Started in the 1930’s by Sir Eric Savill, the Gardens are part of 35 acres of interconnecting gardens and woodlands known as The Royal Landscape. A four-season paradise, the Savill Gardens also includes a new rose garden opened by the Queen in 2010.

After the visit we’ll enjoy time for lunch (paid individually) and then visit Windsor Castle & Royal Town with a local guide. This castle has been home to the British monarchy for almost 1000 years and is the largest and oldest inhabited castle in the world.

Afterward we’ll travel to the famous Highclere Castle where the BBC’s production Downton Abbey is filmed. We’ll enjoy an exclusive private tour of the house and gardens for our group only, and tea and coffee with a member of the household. Afterward we’ll continue on to Buckinghamshire where we will overnight. Dinner is served this evening at our hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Buckinghamshire

Day 6 – July 14, 2016 – WARWICK CASTLE & GARDEN ORGANIC & DAVID AUSTIN ROSE GARDEN

This morning, after breakfast, we’ll check out of our hotel and travel to Warwick Castle. Located on the river Avon, Warwick Castle was originally built in 1068. Having a varied history, in the mid 18th century the castle was converted to a country home. At that point Lancelot “Capability” Brown was commissioned to landscape the gardens. In 1986, after the Tussauds Group purchased the estate, the rose gardens were restored and opened by HRH Diana, Princess of Wales. We’ll tour the Castle and Gardens.

Then we will head to Ryton to visit the Garden Organic, the largest organic gardening group in England. They have 10 acres of demonstration gardens covering topics such as bee pollination, herb growing, fruit orcharding, vegetable gardening and children’s gardening.

We’ll continue on to see the David Austin Rose Garden with over 700 varieties of roses on two acres, divided into multiple smaller gardens and considered one of the most beautiful rose gardens in the world.

Tonight we’ll check into our hotel and enjoy a group meal at our hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Conwy

Day 7 – July 15, 2016 – BODNANT GARDENS & CAERNAFON CASTLE & PLAS CADNANT GARDENS

Today our first garden visit is the Bodnant Gardens. This 80-acre garden has cultivated rare plant life for over a century and is world-famous for its botanical collections.

After our visit we travel to Caernafon to see the castle. A brute of a fortress, Caernarfon Castle’s pumped-up appearance is unashamedly muscle-bound and intimidating. Picking a fight with this massive structure would have been a daunting prospect. By throwing his weight around in stone, King Edward I created what is surely one of the most impressive of Wales’s castles. In 1969, the investiture of the current Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Charles took place here.

Afterward we’ll visit the nearby hidden gardens of Plas Cadnant. The house, cottages and gardens have been rediscovered after 70 years of neglect and renovated in 1997. Three different gardens have been discovered, including an unusual walled garden with curving walls and pool, a secret valley garden with three waterfalls and river, and an upper woodland garden with stone outcrops and the remains of a 19th century folly. Tonight dinner awaits in the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Conwy

 

Day 8 – July 16, 2016 – SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK – PLAS BRONDANW GARDENS

After breakfast we’ll explore the Snowdonia National Park (weather pending) with an optional train ride to the top of the tallest mountain in England and Wales.

After, we’ll see the masterpieces of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. We’ll visit the Plas Brondanw Gardens, which were given to Sir Clough by his father in 1902 when Clough was 25. Although not as famous as Portmeirion (which we’ll visit following), this estate, which was Clough’s home for over 70 years, is considered his most beautiful creation.

Portmeirion is a village Clough built on his private peninsula in northern Wales on the edge of the Snowdonian national park. Clough built Portmeirion to show the development of a naturally beautiful site need not lead to its ruin. Clough was an advocate of rural preservation, town planning and design and colorful architecture, all of which are evident in this town.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Conwy

Day 9 – July 17, 2016 – PRIVATE GARDEN TOUR

For our last day in Wales we’ll have a more leisurely, relaxing time by visiting two local private gardens. The Northern Wales Garden Scheme is a program, similar to our Garden Conservancy, where private homeowners open their gardens to the public for a small fee, which is donated to local charities.

Through our connections with the president of the garden scheme, we’ll be able to view and talk to garden owners about the joys and challenges of gardening in Wales.

Afternoon is free to relax.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight: Conwy

Day 10 – July 18, 2016 – DEPARTURE

This morning, after breakfast, we’ll check out of our hotel and travel to Manchester for our flight home. Depart from Manchester International

Meals included: Breakfast

Please note: Goodspeed & Bach, Inc. reserves the right to alter the order of events or to make changes in the itinerary deemed necessary for the comfort, convenience and safety of the participants. Every effort will be made to adhere to the printed itinerary, but weather conditions and transportation difficulties may arise beyond the control of Goodspeed & Bach, Inc. and local suppliers could force the cancellation or substitution of events or specific services.

Registration Information