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Newby Hall
(photo copyright: Jeff Sainsbury)
Join
us on this intimate tour of the wonderful gardens of
northern England, a region blessed with some of Britain's
most majestic and unspoiled natural scenery. In all we will
visit a total of 17 wonderful gardens,
many of which have the natural beauty of the Peak District,
the Yorkshire Dales or the Lakes District as a breathtaking
backdrop. Some of the gardens we'll visit, like Chatsworth,
Studley Royal,
and Levens Hall, are justly famous the world over, but we
also get off the beaten track to search out the region's
delightful hidden gems -- gardens such as York Gate,
Parcevall Hall, and Sutton Park. We will also visit a
sprinkling of elegant private gardens which will open
especially for our small group. Throughout
the tour we will stay in charming, historic inns and country
hotels; enjoy the famed warmth of northern hospitality;
explore delightful villages and towns and the magnificent
walled city of York; and have adequate leisure time for
individual sightseeing or relaxation.
Land Tour Price:
10 Nights -- $4395.00
Single supplement: $675
Meals included: all Breakfasts (B), 1 Tea (T), 4
Dinners (D)
Limited to: 18 members
ITINERARY
September 1 (Monday) ---
Depart
Board the plane for the overnight flight to Manchester,
England.
September
2 (Tuesday) -- Arrive, Peak District, and Fanshawe Gate Hall
After a morning arrival in Manchester, we drive to our hotel
in the scenic Peak District National Park, an unspoiled
landscape of rolling pastures, dry stone walls, and
harmonious stone villages. Rest or sightsee on your own,
before an afternoon visit to the 700-year-old Fanshawe Gate
Hall, a private two acre garden with topiary and fine mixed
borders. We enjoy tea in the garden with the owner, then
return to our hotel and meet later for a welcome dinner. (T,D)
September
3 (Wednesday) -- Chatsworth House and Haddon
Hall
This morning we make the short drive to Chatsworth
House to explore its magnificent 105 acre park, containing
many important historical and horticultural features from
the last five centuries, including rose and cottage gardens,
a yew maze, and the famous 300 year old Cascade. Later we
travel to nearby Haddon Hall, once described as the 'most
romantic house in England.' The fortified medieval manor
stands on a limestone bluff overlooking the lovely River Wye,
while the garden, laid out in a series of stone-walled
terraces, is noted for its extensive collection of climbing
and rambling roses. Return to our hotel. (B).
September
4 (Thursday) -- Private
Garden and York Gate
On leaving the Peak
District, we head north, stopping mid-morning at a wonderful
farmhouse where, since 1995, the owners have created a
beautifully planted water garden, double borders, and a
romantic rose garden. We continue to York Gate, a one-acre
garden tucked away behind the ancient church in Adel.
Created by the Spencer family during the second half of the
twentieth century, it is a garden of immense style and
craftsmanship, widely recognized as one of the most
innovative small gardens of the period. We continue to our
hotel in the scenic Yorkshire Dales. (B,D)
Studley Royal
(photo copyright: Jeff Sainsbury)
September 5 (Friday) --
Fountains Abbey, Studley Royal and Newby Hall
Today's excursion takes us to sites near the old city of
Ripon. First we visit Fountains Abbey, the largest and most
complete Cistercian ruin in Europe, beautifully set in a
hidden wooded valley of the River Skell. Linked to the
Abbey are the magnificent 18th century water gardens at
Studley Royal, a series of formal water features embellished
with garden buildings. After a lunch stop at a country pub,
we visit Newby Hall, an award-winning 25-acre formal garden
with wonderful double herbaceous borders backed by clipped
hedges and flowering shrubs. We also visit the 18th century
house before returning to our hotel. (B).
September
6 (Saturday) --
Harlow Carr Gardens and Parcevall Hall
After a leisurely
breakfast, we make our way to the Royal Horticultural
Society's display gardens at Harlow Carr. Started in the
1950s, the gardens contain a wide range of moisture-loving
and cold tolerant plants, which are attractively arranged
over 58 acres of a shallow valley. A recent addition is
the Gardens through Time display, which commemorates the
Bicentenary of the RHS and comprises seven fascinating
historical gardens spanning two hundred years, from the
Regency period right through to a contemporary 21st century
garden. Later in the day we visit Parcevall Hall, buried
deep in the wonderfully unspoiled Yorkshire countryside.
Created in 1927, the little known gardens combine Arts and
Crafts influences, lovely plants, and dramatic views over
the Dales. Return to the hotel. (B)
September 7 (Sunday) -- Sutton
Park and York
This
morning we pay a visit to Sutton Park to see its formal
flower gardens, fine trees, and splendid 18th century park.
Then we journey to the historic city of York, for an
open-top bus tour followed by free time for individual
sightseeing or shopping. Among the city's many attractions
are the magnificent York Minster, England's largest Gothic
building and home to the world's largest medieval stained
glass window; the Shambles, a picturesque street with
overhanging timber framed medieval houses; and the 13th
century Walls, along which it is possible to walk. Return to
our hotel. (B)
September
8 (Monday) -- Levens Hall and the Lake District
We journey through the
Yorkshire Dales to Levens Hall, a magnificent Elizabethan
mansion with a rare and spectacular 17th century topiary
garden and unchanged since that time. There is also a rose
garden, a nuttery, fine herbaceous borders, and a fountain
garden laid out with pleached limes in 1994 to celebrate 300
years of the gardens at Levens Hall. From here it's a short
journey to our hotel in the Lake District, one of Britain's
most picturesque regions. (B,D).
Yorkshire
Dales
(photo copyright: Jeff Sainsbury)
September 9 (Tuesday) --
Lake District: Rydal Mount, Rydal Hall, and Holehird
Today we explore the southern lakes region, an area
associated with the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge, who were
inspired by the magnificent natural landscape. We visit
William Wordsworth's former home at Rydal Mount to see the
well-maintained informal gardens that the poet himself laid
out. We then walk to the recently renovated Italian-style
gardens at nearby Rydal Hall, designed at the beginning of
the twentieth century by Thomas Mawson, the noted Arts and
Crafts landscape architect. In the afternoon we visit
Holehird, the Lakeland Horticultural Society's spectacular
ten-acre hillside gardens with fine views of Lake Windemere.
Return to our hotel. (B)
September 10 (Wednesday) --Holker
Hall, Cartmel, and Yewbarrow House Garden
We take to the back roads this morning en route to Holker
Hall, where we see formal beds and inventive planting in a
garden with a distinct Italian feel. Then we enjoy time
wandering the unspoiled streets of Cartmel, a delightful
village with a elegant stone houses and a 12th century
priory, before visiting the modern garden at Yewbarrow
House. Packed with exotic and unusual plants, this
innovative garden is divided into a series of walled garden
rooms overlooking Morecambe Bay. Return to our hotel. (B)
September
11 (Thursday) -- Private
Garden, and Chester
This morning
we journey to the delightful private garden of a celebrated
garden designer, then continue south to the ancient city of
Chester, where we'll have time for sightseeing or last
minute shopping. We check into our hotel gather later for a
farewell dinner. (B,D)
September
12 (Friday) Depart
Following breakfast, we make the short journey to Manchester
airport for the flight home. (B).
Included in the tour price:
-- 10 nights accommodation in inns and comfortable
hotels with private bathroom
-- tour coach throughout with P.A. system and
air-conditioning
-- entry to all gardens and sites as per the itinerary
-- all breakfasts and other meals as indicated in the tour
itinerary
-- services of tour manager, usually Jeff Sainsbury, from
Manchester Airport until departure of return flight
-- tips for hotel porters, bellmen, doormen, waiters at
tour meals, and sightseeing guides
-- arrival and departure transfers (certain restrictions
apply; please ask for details)
Not included in the tour price:
-- airfare and airport taxes
-- excess baggage charges
-- personal expenditure such as room service, telephone
calls, drinks, and optional activities
-- meals other than those specified in the itinerary
-- tour manager and driver gratuities
-- travel insurance
-- any other items not specifically included |
