English Gardens Tour outline description
8 days touring through England to visit some of the finest gardens that we
have. Our tours tie in seeing Britain at her very best as British Tour Plans
provide you with travel guide itineraries and driving directions for your self
drive tour. Combine this tour with a few days in London and you will remember
this trip forever. This self drive tour is also easily extendable.
English Gardens Tour preview itinerary
Day 1
Your English Gardens Tour starts with the Royal Horticultural Society Garden
at Wisley is our first stop. Over half a million visitors every year can attest
to the quality that this magnificent 240 acre garden covers. It is said that
this is Britain’s best loved garden. We then continue west for our first
overnight stay at Salisbury. The cathedral has the tallest spire in Britain
and the city is composed of many Queen Anne and Georgian facades to the buildings.
The old town has narrow alleys full of medieval houses and quaint inns.
Day 2
Our English gardens tour diverts slightly this morning so that we do not miss
the opportunity of visiting Stonehenge, the major pre-historic stone circle
in England. We continue touring to the National Trust property of Stourhead
gardens. This garden is an outstanding example of an English landscape garden
and dates from the mid 1700’s and designed by Henry Hoare II. It is said
to be the greatest surviving garden of its kind. Sharing the car park but totally
separate – including separate entry fee’s – is the Stourton
House Flower Garden which is also worth visiting. We continue west into Devon
and Cornwall to spend the night so that we are positioned for the tour tomorrow.
Day 3
Our first stop on the tour today is at the Eden Project, based in an old china
clay quarry and begun in 2001. The site is dominated by two huge biodomes which
form the largest greenhouses in the world. The first dome recreates the humid
tropics for lush rainforest plants from Amazonia, Malasia,West Africa and Oceana
while the second recreates a warm temperate zone for Mediterranean plants. The
popularity of this complex is illustrated when I say that 1.8 million visitors
come here every year, making this the third most visited attraction in Britain.
The tour continues to The Lost Gardens of Heligan which although started in
the 18th century became totally neglected during the early part of the 20th
century only to be rediscovered and the gardens restored to their present glory.
We overnight in this area for an early start in the morning.
Day 4
The Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Rosemoor Garden is our first stop
today with its huge collection of plants and flowers that were left to the RHS
by its former owner Lady Anne Berry. After leaving this important garden we
tour north through the Cotswolds with charming English villages to spend the
night at Stratford upon Avon, renowned as the birthplace of the famous English
playwright William Shakespeare
Day 5
Our tour continues with another National Trust property today as we start with
a visit to one of the most famous gardens in England, Hidcote Manor Garden with
its 10 acres of formal outdoor ‘rooms’ with dramatic plantings and
its series of sculptured hedges. We overnight either in Stratford again or in
Warwick with its magnificent Castle.
Day 6
Touring south today to see Woburn Abbey which includes 42 acres of stunning
gardens and deer park. We then continue south to spend the night in Kent –
the ‘garden of England’.
Day 7
Today is spent at Sissinghurst Castle Gardens which is celebrated the world
over. It is set beside the ruins of a large Elizabethan house and forms a romantic
garden whilst still being formal. If time allows we will also visit Great Dixter,
a medieval house with glorious gardens and perhaps Bodiam Castle which is not
far.
We return to London to conclude the driving tour and return the vehicle.
Day 8
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is 300 acres of delight. It is easier to
visit Kew on the London Underground system because having a rental car in London
is not necessary and can be a liability in the city. We provide all the details
that you need for a successful and rewarding visit.
The RHS Chelsea flower show is magical if you coincide your visit with the show
dates. We provide the details that you need for a great visit. 
The English Gardens
Tour concludes in London
The self drive tour consists of 96
pages. Approx file size 4 mb
