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IRISH & ENGLISH HOUSES & GARDENS TOUR
12 DAYS
A Limited Edition Tour, SMALL GROUP GARDEN TOUR - LIMITED TO 15 PERSONS
See Irish architecture at its finest; visit some of the most beautiful English gardens in the world. We have a special opportunity to view private gardens which open exclusively for this event and garden lovers can converse with the owners who delight in sharing their expertise.
Tour Size/Guides Tour sizes vary, but operate with a minimum of 8 guests, and no more than 15 - virtually guaranteeing that all tours will operate. Numbers will normally be limited to ensure that the group remains small and personal.
Day 1 DEPART USA
Day 2 - GEORGIAN DUBLIN Arrive in Dublin by 10AM and we will be meet you at the airport. Dublin's fair city greets you upon arrival to the Emerald Isle. The day is free to relax and explore Dublin's parks and Georgian squares. Its brick row houses are famous for their glass laced doors. Afternoon visit to a Helen Dillon's city garden. Helen Dillon is a world-renowned plantswoman, writer, lecturer and broadcaster. With her husband Val, she has created a garden that is considered to be one of the gems of the horticultural world. This widely acclaimed garden is a mix of startling design and perfectly grown plants - many of them rare and unusual. The view of the garden from the windows of the elegant drawing room is in the lexicon of most photographed scenes in contemporary gardening. A dominant feature in the garden is a canal set in Irish limestone, bordered on each side by superb borders - one mainly in red and the other in shades of dreamy blue. Behind the borders pathways lead into garden rooms. Change is a feature of this magnificent garden. Evening free to relax.
Day 3 - DUBLIN PRIVATE GARDEN Your tour of Dublin takes you to Trinity College to see the illuminated "Book of Kells" and to visit a private garden. Knockrose is situated 500 feet above sea level nestling on the shoulder of The Scalp, a geological feature formed by the melting waters of a glacier. Tom and Trish Farrell are the owners and custodians of this beautifully cultivated unique garden, which is backed by an old mixed forest. Attached to a traditional farmhouse and buildings, it has been evolving over the last seventy years. The garden is packed with cottage garden plants, shrubs and trees interspersed with areas of lawn, a vegetable plot and secluded seating. Late May sees the scented deciduous azaleas in bloom and late June/early July is heavenly perfumed by roses and philadelphus. Old granite mushrooms, stepping stones and standing stones along with a variety of sculptures feature throughout. The evening is free to enjoy this bustling city and friendly people. (B)
Day 4- DUBLIN/WICKLOW- THE GARDEN OF IRELAND An incredible day awaits! The hills and valleys of Wicklow yield quaint villages, classical mansions and beautiful gardens. We visit an unrivaled variety of private gardens.Welcome to the Wicklow International Gardens Festival, celebrating its 22nd year in 2011. The festival offers an extensive choice of more than forty gardens of outstanding natural beauty and diversity, each one distinctive in terms of mood and theme. Offering an unrivalled variety of gardens, with unique flowers and plants due to its temperate climate, Wicklow is aptly known as "The Garden of Ireland". The hills and valleys yield quaint villages, classical mansions and beautiful gardens. The Festival allows visitors a special opportunity to view private gardens which open exclusively for this event and garden lovers can converse with the owners who delight in sharing their expertise. The festival also offers a great opportunity to visit some of Ireland’s finest Historic Houses and Gardens, including Killruddery House and Gardens, Powerscourt House and Gardens, and a private garden. Private gardens open at different times during the Festival. These change with each departure, exploring those that are at their peak during our visit. (B)
Day 5- WICKLOW GARDENS FESTIVAL We visit more private and public gardens. These vary with each departure. (B)
Day 6 - TO ENGLAND Transfer to Dublin, and arrive at Heathrow by 10AM. We continue through charming countryside to our home village for the next six nights, a delightful market town , with many fine antique shops, art galleries, gift shops and crafts and is a center for walking the Cotswolds countryside. Visit a local garden, Abbotswood has massed plantings of spring bulbs, heathers, flowering shrubs and rhododendrons in dramatic, landscaped hillside stream gardens; fine herbaceous planting in elegant formal gardens with lily pond, terraced lawn and fountain created by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Dinner this evening to meet your fellow guests. (B, D)
Day 7 - HIDCOTE MANOR GARDEN, CHIPPING CAMDEN & KIFTSGATE Nestled in the Cotswolds with sweeping views across the Vale of Evesham, Hidcote is one of England's great gardens designed and created by the horticulturist Major Lawrence Johnston in the Arts & Crafts style. This garden is internationally renowned and is a series of smaller gardens each with its own theme. Johnston designed Hidcote as a series of outdoor 'rooms', which combine sensuous masses of colour with traditional garden crafts such as topiary. Each room has its own distinct atmosphere and character. Visitors will discover rare shrubs and trees, outstanding herbaceous borders and unusual plant species. The garden changes in harmony with the seasons, from vibrant spring bulbs to autumn's glorious Red Border. It is one of the most inventive and influential gardens of the 20th century.
Nearby is one of the most distinctive gardens - Kiftsgate Court Gardens is a series of interconnecting gardens each with its character and secrets. The garden is the creation of three generations of women gardeners. Started by Heather Muir in the twenties, continued by Diany Binny from 1950 and now looked after by Anne Chambers and family. (B)
Day 8 - SNOWSHILL & HIGHGROVE Snowshill Manor is full to the brim of Charles Wade's collection from all over the world. The charming cottage style garden is set in 2.5 acres and is organically run. The garden has stunning views. Located at the village of Snowshill, 5 minutes by car from Broadway. The garden at Snowshill Manor was designed by M.H. Baillie Scott - a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement.
Visit Highgrove, the family home of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Highgrove House near Tetbury in Gloucestershire is often pictured with its striking cedar of Lebanon. (B)
Day 9 - SUDELEY CASTLE The history of Sudeley Castle and its award-winning gardens spans over a thousand years and contains many varied tales of royal associations, wars and periods of neglect and subsequent restoration. Sudeley’s glorious gardens are amongst the very best in England, from the centrepiece Queens' Garden, billowing with hundreds of varieties of old fashioned roses, to the Herbal Healing Garden. Sudeley was home to Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr – two of Henry VIII’s wives. The house was renovated by the Victorians and the garden is one of the best in the country. (B)
Day 10 - SULGRAVE MANOR Sulgrave Manor, home to George Washington. One of the most attractive features of the Manor is its grounds. To the east is the knot-garden, in the centre of which has been placed a sundial dating from 1579. Around this, lavender flourishes and many thousands of bags of Sulgrave lavender have crossed the Atlantic since the house was opened. On the terrace beneath this wall fly the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes. Sulgrave Manor is also home to The Herb Society who maintain the National Herb Garden and their Chelsea prize winning exhibit within the grounds. (B)
Day 11 - MALMESBURY Wiltshire has some delightful old market towns including Malmesbury, Marlborough, Devizes and Bradford on Avon.There are hidden villages that are waiting to be discovered, perhaps an old country pub or two or the unexpected distant sighting of a White Horse carved into a chalk hillside. Malmesbury is famous for its 7th century abbey and the Abbey Gardens including its extensive collection of roses. With the abbey as dramatic backdrop its five acres feature more than 10,000 plant varieties spread between formal gardens dotted with fish ponds and a wilder section that cascades into a valley cut through by a tributary of the River Avon. (B)
Day 12 HOMEWARD FROM HEATHROW Return flights from Heathrow should be booked after 2PM.
What's included in all of these programs, Irish/English Garden Tours above include:
- Round trip airfare may be added at extra cost.
- Deluxe motorcoach transportation
- Driver/guide throughout
- Accommodations for 10 nights, including private bath/shower.
- Breakfast daily.
- One dinner
- All taxes (Value Added Tax VAT)
- Admission charges and entrance fees to: private gardens in Ireland, Kilruddery Gardens, Powerscourt gardens, Hidcote Manor, Kiftsgate Court, Snowshill Manor, Sulgrave Manor and Sudeley Castle
Your 4/5*first-class hotels:
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Dublin Merrion Hotel
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4 nights
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Cotswolds Banbury or Wroxton House
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6 nights
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2012 Ireland & Britain Garden Tour
| 2012 |
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LAND |
Departs
To Dublin |
Returns
From London Heathrow
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Est.
Air/Land JFK/
BOS/
EWR* USD |
ONLY |
| May 17 |
May 26 |
TBA |
2999 |
| May 28 |
June 6 |
TBA |
2999 |
| June 2 |
June 11 |
TBA |
2999 |
Single Supplement per person $1299.
Please Note: Because of the impossibility of knowing a year in advance exactly what the state of any garden will be we reserve the right to visit alternative gardens to those listed following up to date advice from local guides. This policy ensures that clients only see those gardens which are in their prime at the time of the tour.
This tour is operated by Lynott Tours
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