This is a preliminary itinerary for your group.
May 19, 2010 Overnight Flight
Depart from the USA.
May 20, 2010 Bath
Arrive in London and meet your 24 hour Travel & Company Tour Manager. Board your private touring bus and head out west towards the lovely town of Salisbury with its magnificent cathedral. Enjoy time to stretch your legs, have your first cup of tea and a bite to eat before we continue to Stonehenge for a visit of the mysterious site. This afternoon arrive in Bath and check-in to your hotel. Join us for a welcome cocktail reception and an array of canapes. (D)
May 21, 2010 Bath
Join your Tour Manager for a morning walking tour around Bath, highlighting the exquisite Georgian architecture, the beautiful Abbey and entrances to the Roman Baths. This afternoon a short drive takes us to Lacock Abbey and village, dating from the 13th century. Visit the Abbey and it's Victorian woodland grounds with a stunning display of spring flowers, as well as the botanic garden of Fox Talbot. Return to Bath for an evening at your leisure. (B)
May 22, 2010 Plymouth
Head southwest through Somerset and into Devon, where you visit RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Garden Rosemoor. Gifted to the RHS by Lady Anne Berry, Rosemoor's 65 acres offers a Formal Garden, extensive herbaceous borders, a Foliage and Plantsman's Garden as well as extensive stream and lakeside plantings. Continue to your hotel in the area of Dartmoor National Park, just north of Plymouth and enjoy a delicious dinner. (B,D)
May 23, 2010 Plymouth
Visit Cotehele this morning, a Tudor manor house where time has stood still, the property housing suits of armour, tapestries, brass and pewter fixtures and old oak furniture. Its gardens offer formally planted terraces, a medieval stewpond, lily ponds and a peaceful upper garden. This afternoon we visit The Garden House, the former home of the vicars of Buckland Monachorum. Here you will enjoy the South African Garden, Cottage Garden, Bulb Meadow and Wisteria Bridge to mention just a few of the many highlights. Return to your hotel for dinner. (B,D)
May 24, 2010 Hampshire
Driving back west towards London, we stop for a visit at Stourhead in Wiltshire. Laid out in the 18th century by Henry Hoare, the gardens are adjacent to a Palladian mansion and reflect the return to classical style and formality. Greek temples, Renaissance inspired grottos and even an obelisk are woven into the fabric of the grounds. As a more mature landscape, trees form a vital element, as evidenced in the Fir Walk and the Shades. There are even giant redwoods mixed in, reflecting the 18th century fascination with the flora of the New World. Continue to your hotel in Hampshire for dinner and the overnight. (B,D)
May 25, 2010 London
En route to London, visit Wisley, the flagship garden of the RHS this morning. The 200 acre site has been developed into a vast array of styles, collections, ideas, and inspiration for any gardener. The recently opened Glasshouse echoes some of the vast Victorian greenhouses and houses the more delicate collections. Arrive in London and check-in to your hotel before dinner. (B,D)
May 26, 2010 London
Experience the impact and spectacle of the Chelsea Flower Show on Members' Day, before it is opened to the public. You will have unprecedented access to the displays, show gardens, inspirational small gardens, and vibrant horticultural displays that make up the world's most famous flower show. Return to central London for a lecture by Fergus Garret, head gardener at Great Dixter and Chelsea Flower Show judge. Free evning. (B)
May 27, 2010 London
Today an expert local guide will introduce you to the highlights of London including entrance to St. Paul's Cathedral and The Changing of the Guard. This afternoon entrances are included to London's Garden Museum. This evening your friends from the Chicago Flower Show host a cocktail reception with delicious canapes. Afterwards, tickets are included to one of the West End's top shows. (B,D)
May 28, 2010 London
Visit Sissinghurst and Great Dixter today. At Sissinghurst, writer Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat husband Sir Harold Nicolson, spent a lifetime building a series of gardens that reflected both classical and romantic themes. The gardens are ingeniously harmonious with the historic buildings they surround and are set up as 'rooms' with differing themes. At Great Dixter, enjoy a specialist lecture that will enhance your appreciation of the topiary, mixed borders, meadows and mixed levels found here. Return to London for a special farewell dinner. (B,D)
May 29, 2010 Departure
Depart for the USA. (B)
