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12-Day Escorted Tour out of Vancouver, B.C.
Land Package: Thursday, May 24 to Monday, June 4, 2007
Land only: £1,350 (based on 20 persons) approx. $2,800 Cdn
All-inclusive except lunches. The exact Land price (in Canadian dollars)
will depend on exchange at time of payment.
The South of England, and especially the south-east, is one of the most
historic areas of England because of its proximity to both London and
France. And because of the milder climate, the entire south also boasts
some of Britain's most gorgeous, world-renowned gardens—in fact, Kent is
known as the "Garden of England" and the West Country is famous
for its gardens.
The tour is fully escorted by Margaret Rodgers who has
taught Travel courses for Continuing Education in Vancouver and Surrey,
B.C. for several years. She has designed and escorted several tours of
Rural Britain. Margaret has travelled extensively and really knows her
native England.
Included:
Airport transfers in England if arriving or departing with the group
All meals except lunches
Porterage— one bag per person in and out of hotels
Admission to all attractions
Up to 35-seater coach and driver
Escort throughout
Not included:
Airfare and related taxes
All Insurance
Alcoholic beverages
Personal requirements, laundry, etc.
Tips for driver and escort
Single supplement £200
Day 1 (Thursday)
We fly from North America overnight to arrive at Heathrow next morning.
Day 2 (Friday)
We transfer from Heathrow to our hotel in the attractive town of Tonbridge,
Kent, where, after check-in, the rest of the afternoon is free
to explore. Tonbridge is an ancient town in a delightful setting on the
River Medway, dominated by a Norman castle. Jane Austin taught at the
famous Tonbridge School, founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd, a former Lord
Mayor of London.
First of 3 nights — The Rose and Crown Hotel,
Tonbridge, Kent. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 3 (Saturday)
We have a photo stop at the picturesque village of Chiddingstone
en route to
Chartwell, home of Sir Winston Churchill from 1924 to the end of
his life. The rooms remain as they were in his lifetime, with a museum of
his personal memorabilia. Around part of the Rose Garden, planted to mark
the Churchills' golden wedding in 1958, is an enormous brick wall built by
Churchill himself as a relaxation from the frustrations of his life. At
the bottom of the extensive garden is Sir Winston's Studio which contains
many of his paintings. An unfinished painting is still on the easel.
After lunch at Chartwell, we continue to Hever Castle and Gardens,
one of the most beautiful small castles in Britain. It was the home of the
Boleyn family at the time that Anne Boleyn Henry VIII. He seized the house
after her execution and murdered her brother. In 1903 William Waldorf
Astor acquired the castle and invested millions to make massive
renovations and improvements to this fascinating moated castle, creating
ornate gardens, a lake, streams and fountains. He employed 1,000 men,
using 800 just to dig out the 35-acre lake. William Astor was fascinated
by Italian gardens, and brought in many magnificent statues to decorate
his beautiful 4.5 acre Italian garden. He also built a bogus Tudor
village, attached to the back of the castle, to house his many servants
and guests. Also check out the Miniature Houses Exhibition near the
entrance/exit.
Second of 3 nights in Tonbridge. Dinner &
Breakfast
Day 4 (Sunday)
Our first stop is Ightham Mote (pronounced Item), a
beautiful medieval moated manor house with a 13th-century Great Hall,
chapel, crypt and beautiful gardens. An exhibition in the Billiards Room
explains how this came to be the largest building conservation ever
undertaken by the National Trust.
Lunch will be at either Ightham Mote or at our next stop, famous Sissinghurst
Gardens, the 5½-acre connoisseurs' garden created by the late Vita
Sackville-West and her husband Sir Harold Nicolson. It consists of a
series of truly beautiful small, enclosed gardens, many particularly
designed around special colour schemes. The White Garden is of special
note, and its ideas have been copied in gardens all over the world.
We finish the afternoon at Great Dixter, the lovely 15th-century
timber-framed manor house which was the home of world-renowned
gardener/writer Christopher Lloyd for many years until his death in
January 2006. The fascinating house forms a superb backdrop to the truly
wonderful gardens laid out by Sir Edward Luytens and the Lloyd family over
the years.
Last of 3 nights in Tonbridge. Dinner & breakfast
Day 5 (Monday)
Today we travel westwards from the south-east of England. But first, a
visit to Wakehurst Place Gardens, an extension of the 'Royal
Botanic Gardens' of Kew which are located in the lovely Sussex
countryside. They include 500 acres of walled and water gardens, woodlands
and wetlands, and are home to four National Collections which include
exotic plants from both the southern Hemisphere and the Himalayas. The Wellcome
Trust, adjacent to the manor, houses an exhibition on how they aim to
save many seed species of the world's flora from becoming extinct in the
wild.
Our next stop is Wilton House, near Salisbury, one of Britain's
ten Treasure Houses, which has been the country seat of the Earls of
Pembroke for over 400 years. The house itself is remarkable and contains
some exquisite collections reflecting the lifestyle of the mid-18th
century. The renowned gardens were originally designed in the 1600s by the
then-fashionable landscape artist, Sir Isaac de Caus. The 9th Earl
designed the elegant Palladian bridge over the river, a copy of which
appears in several other gardens around the country.
We continue to our hotel in Frome.
First of 2 nights — The Mendip Hall Hotel, Frome.
Dinner & Breakfast Day 6 (Tuesday)
Our first visit today is to Great Chalfield Manor and gardens.
This medieval, moated manor house is a fascinating look back to the 15th
century. After two centuries of neglect, it was fully restored in 1912 by
a Major Fuller. His family still live in the house and manage the property
and its beautiful grounds.
We continue to the heritage village of Lacock, for both lunch
and time to explore this attractive village, the architecture of which can
never be changed.
Our last destination of the day is Bowood House and Gardens,
purchased in the 18th century by the 1st Earl of Shelburne, and restored
and improved upon ever since. Many famous architects and landscape
gardeners were employed, including Robert and James Adam for the house,
and 'Capability' Brown for the gardens. The latter developed a stunning
landscape park which included wonderful formal gardens, cascades, a rock
garden and cave, a pinetum and arboretum. The 2nd Earl of Shelburne was
Prime Minister of England from 1782-1783, and given the title 1st Marquis
of Lansdowne, which title has been passed down to the 9th and present
Marquis of Lansdowne who opened the house and gardens to the public in
1975. Since then, he has worked tirelessly at improving Bowood's many
features, with the addition of several new ones such as the Italianate
Terraces. The general 'Capability' Brown ideas remain much the same.
Last of 2 nights in Frome. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 7 (Wednesday)
We start today by driving to Wells for a walk in to see the
Vicars' Close and Wells Cathedral, before continuing to visit Lytes Cary
Manor, near Yeovil, which remained in the Lytes family for over 500 years
until they sold it in 1748. It then fell into disrepair until 1907, when
it was rescued by Sir Walter Jenner (son of the Victorian physician) who
created a beautiful formal Elizabethan garden in addition to planting
clipped hedges surrounding a series of outdoor 'rooms'. When he died he
left it to the National Trust.
Our last garden of the day is Stourhead, described as "the
best example of a garden inspired by the great landscape gardeners of the
17th century." It was established by a wealthy banker, Henry Hoare
II, who was greatly influenced by works of art in Italy and several
Italianized French landscape painters. Henry inherited the estate in 1741
and dammed the River Stour to make the lake in 1744. He surrounded the
lake with landscaped gardens and walkways, and added classical features
such as the Temple of Flora, the Partheon, the Temple of Apollo, a
Palladian bridge, and Gothic ruins, all positioned to provide magnificent
views and walks for his many guests. Henry became known by his family as
'Henry the Magnificent.' We continue to our hotel in the city of Wells.
Wells is the smallest city in England — the definition of a 'city'
being one that has a cathedral; and Wells Cathedral is one of the most
spectacular cathedrals in England. Chance to visit the Bishop's Palace
and, either tonight or tomorrow night we should be in time to attend
Evensong in Wells Cathedral.
First of 2 nights — The Swan Hotel, Wells.
Dinner & Breakfast
Day 8 (Thursday)
We travel via Glastonbury to Barrington Court Garden. Barrington
Court is a Tudor house well known for its wonderful formal gardens which
were influenced by the famous garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. It is noted
for its layout in a series of walled rooms — especially the White
Garden, Rose Garden, Iris Garden, Lily Garden, and the Kitchen Garden. The
latter provides produce for its lovely restaurant. There are fine examples
of espalier — the horticultural technique of training trees
by grafting and pruning to create formal two-dimensional patterns using
the branches of the tree. This is not only for decoration but it also
gives a tree access to more sunlight with less mass, especially if it is
planted next to a wall. It especially allows fruit to mature more quickly,
thus Barrington has fine examples of espaliered apple, pear and plum
trees.
Although the house at Tintinhull is interesting
architecturally, it is the garden which is the main attraction, being one
of the most carefully thought-out and harmonious small gardens in Britain.
In 1933 the property was purchased by Captain and Mrs. Reiss who gave it
to the National Trust in 1954. It was Mrs. Reiss who was primarily
responsible for the garden you see today. She was an inspired lady who
created pictorial compositions using flowers and foliage, texture and
colour, and never repeating her various schemes and patterns. The borders
are of particular interest, and the garden shows how to tackle what is
essentially a long narrow plot. The garden is known as "a tranquil
oasis of small pools, secluded lawns and beautiful borders, all neatly
enclosed within walls and clipped hedges."
Last of 2 nights in Wells. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 9 (Friday)
We transfer northwards to Cotswold Country. Our first stop is Sudeley
Castle, which is steeped in history, especially the history of Henry
VIII, as it was once the home of Catherine Parr, his sixth and last wife.
After Henry's death, Catherine married her previous sweetheart, Sir Thomas
Seymour of Sudeley, and it is here that she died and is buried in the
chapel within the grounds. There followed a long history steeped in
intrigue, during which the castle frequently changed hands, and Sudeley
fell into ruin, until 1837 when it was bought by John and William Dent of
the famous glove-making company. It is to their descendents, especially
Emma Dent, that we owe the wonderful restoration we see today — a
mixture of superb interiors, impressive ruined walls and the start of the
now magnificent gardens.
The gardens were winners of the Historic Houses Association-Christie's
Garden of the Year award in 1996. The Queen's Garden is a model of the
original Tudor parterre, with strong topiary features, old-fashioned roses
and herbs. The 14 acres of gardens are managed on organic principles, with
dedicated areas of wild planting to complement the formal gardens. A
Heritage Seed Library Garden, laid out as a Victorian Kitchen Garden, is
working in conjunction with the Henry Doubleday Research Association to
help preserve rare and traditional varieties of vegetables. In 2004
Sudeley Castle opened a new Pheasantry and Wildfowl Area, now home to 15
species of rare and endangered pheasants.
We continue to Snowshill Manor, located in one of the most
charming of all the Cotswold villages — a photographer's paradise.
The house has a chequered history from as far back as 821 AD, and is now
an incredible collector's house with a lovely garden. In 1919 an eccentric
architect, Charles Wade, bought the house, restored it, and filled it with
some of the most fascinating collections imaginable. He had begun
collecting from the age of seven and the collecting fever never stopped.
He stated "a garden is an extension of a house, a series of
outdoor rooms. The plan of the garden is more important than the flowers
in it ... to use the effects of light and shade, to use steps to change
levels, to have terraces, still and running water, and statues in the
right place." In 1951 Charles Wade married a lady who wasn't
interested in sharing a house crammed with treasures, so he gave it all to
the National Trust. He must have got the love bug in a big way to give up
his precious house — or perhaps he became tired of dusting!
Overnight — The Holt Hotel, Steeple Aston, near
Bicester. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 10 (Saturday)
An early start so that we can be at the world-famous Royal
Horticultural Society Garden at Whisley, just south-west of London,
at opening time. Covering 240 acres, as one of Britain's best-loved
gardens Whisley offers everything that any gardener could wish — a
fascinating blend of beautiful, practical and innovative. There is no way
we can do it justice in such a short time, so it is a difficult choice to
continue for the afternoon to equally famous Kew Gardens on the
south bank of the River Thames at Richmond. As well as a beautiful garden,
Kew functions as a botanical research centre and maintains the largest
plant collection in the world. Various climate-controlled greenhouses
display plants from across the world, and a Grass Garden displays over 600
varieties of grasses. This day will end far too soon.
First of 2 nights - Renaissance Marriott Hotel, near
Heathrow. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 11 (Sunday)
Our final exciting day starts in the Savill Garden within
Windsor Great Park. George V and Queen Mary originally gave a plot of
scrub and marshy ground to Eric Savill, Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great
Park in 1932. It was originally named The Bog Garden until 1951 when
George VI asked that it be renamed in honour of Eric Savill, who was later
knighted in 1955. The garden is now considered one of the finest woodland
gardens anywhere in the world. The Valley Gardens have been described as
the hidden jewel in the Great Park, the most famous being the Punch Bowl,
a natural amphitheatre of multicoloured azaleas.
Our finale is Windsor Castle which needs little explanation. One of the
three official residences of the Queen, the Castle is the oldest and
largest inhabited castle in the world (over 900 years). We will also visit
the State apartments providing that the Queen is not in residence at the
time. After our visit, we will have a farewell meal at a restaurant in
Windsor so that we may still be there in time to see the castle lit up at
night.
Last night in London Hotel. Dinner & Breakfast
Day 12 (Monday)
End of Land tour. Drop-off at Heathrow Airport for departure to Canada,
or to continue on with private arrangements.
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