Bluebells & Manor Gardens Tour of England
April 17th - 27th, 2018
Our ten night trip features a three-day stay in London, where guests can sightsee, taking advantage of the included Hop-on Hop-off Double Decker Bus Tour ticket; visit museums, including the V&A and the Museum of Garden History, housed in Lambeth Palace; and enjoy the world renowned Kew Gardens in the suburb of Richmond.
From London we move south into the countryside, visiting Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn and following that up with time at Great Comp Garden, considered one of the finest in Kent.
More garden visits follow, with pilgrimages to two of England's most iconic properties: Vita Sackville-West's Sissinghurst Castle and Edward Lutyen's Great Dixter.
After two days in Kent, we had out to Bath, but not before a woodland walk amongst the bluebells and a Sunday pub lunch. The best of England!
An English Sunday afternoon wouldn't be complete without a ramble. We'll wander amongst the menhirs at Stonehenge before ending our day at Stourhead House, one
of the most important in the
history of the English landscape
garden.
Finally, we'll wind up in Bath,
our home for the next few nights.
Bath, though known to many from the stories of Jane Austen, has been a popular destination since Roman times. The thousand year old hot spring baths which they built can still be visited, as can the Georgian Assembly Rooms which Austen frequented. Don't forget to drink the water! It has medicinal properties!
We'll have plenty of time to explore Bath during our stay, including the Royal Crescent and the Jane Austen museum and tea room, where we'll enjoy a classic High Tea.
Over the next two days we'll visit three gardens - The Courts and the 15th Century Great Chalfield Manor, which can are linked via an ancient footpath through the fields - and Hestercombe House, undoubtedly the most complete and perfect of the Gertrude Jekyll-Edwin Lutyens' gardens open to the public.
We'll wind up our wonderful tour with a three night stay in the Cotswolds. These villages, with their mellow stone and thatch cottages and rolling green hills, are quintessentially English. The 18th Century gardens of Rousham House and the rooms of Hidcote Manor Garden are favorite stops for garden lovers.
We won't give short shrift to the great cities of the Cotswold Valley, either, with visits to Oxford, the city of the dreaming spires, and Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon.
The cost for the ten day trip is $3,300 per person and includes ten night's lodging; transport throughout the tour; guide services by Michele; all admissions; all breakfasts; Sunday Roast Pub Lunch; High Tea; a farewell dinner; and a goodie bag of English tidbits.
The tour is fully customizable so contact Michele Marden to create your perfect trip.