Day 1 - Arrive London, England
Upon arrival, you are met and transferred to your luxury
hotel set among gardens. Enjoy a private welcome dinner at
this historic manor house.
Day 2 - West Sussex
Journey to Storrington for a private tour of the 16th-century
Parham House and its landscaped Pleasure Grounds. Stroll
Veronica’s Maze and The Walled Garden, learning how
they are organically maintained. After lunch at Parham
House, visit nearby Borde Hill Garden, set on 200 acres of
traditional English landscape.
Day 3 - Sissinghurst & Great Dixter
Today, enjoy a private tour of the late Christopher Lloyd’s
garden at Great Dixter, conducted before opening hours.
Built in the Arts and Crafts style, it mingles vegetables and
flowers, a large orchard with pockets of wild flowers and a magnificent herbaceous border. Later, drive to Sissinghurst
Castle and stroll its garden. Learn how Harold Nicolson,
a diplomat and author, laid down its main lines, while his
wife, Vita Sackville-West, a poet and gardening writer,
handled the planting. View the influential White Garden,
which exemplifies Gertrude Jekyll’s idea of using color
themes.
Day 4 - Hampshire
Drive north to the quaint and charming Cotswolds area,
pausing in a wooded corner of North Hampshire for a
visit to the gardens of West Green House. Learn how
acclaimed designer Marylyn Abbott fused neoclassical
and contemporary influences as you tour the grounds with
the senior gardener. Enjoy lunch with West Green House’s
owner. Later, toast your day with a Scenic Sundowner
before dining at your hotel.
Day 5 - The Cotswolds
Enjoy a private visit to Kiftsgate Court Gardens and stroll
the harmonious, color-schemed upper gardens. Continue to
nearby Hidcote Manor — one of England’s greatest gardens
and a real Arts and Crafts masterpiece — for a guided
tour through a series of unique outdoor “rooms.” Nestled
in the Cotswolds, a range of hills known for their beauty,
the garden offers stunning panoramas across the Vale of
Evesham. Afterward, drive to the lovely town of Chipping
Campden to visit its High Street, Jacobean Market Hall and
impressive Church of St. James.
Day 6 - The Cotswolds
Visit the storied grounds of Abbey House, home to a
historic estate and five acres of mature Cotswold gardens. The estate’s owner greets you before opening hours for a
privately guided tour of the garden. Tended in the shade of
Abbey Church for some 1,300 years, the garden marks the
final resting place of England’s first king. Continue inside
the estate for a tour of the house itself. After lunch on the
grounds, enjoy a private visit to Badminton House, country
home of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort. Explore the
house and gardens, pausing for a quintessentially English
Chef’s Table experience, a traditional cream tea.
Day 7 - Blenheim Palace
Drive to Blenheim Palace, a magnificent edifice set in
2,100 acres of beautiful parkland landscaped by Lancelot
“Capability” Brown. Enjoy a special talk and tour focused on
the life of Sir Winston Churchill, who was born here in 1874.
Examine the breadth of his talent and achievement, from
bricklayer to the “Greatest Briton.” After lunch at leisure,
continue to London.
Day 8 - The Chelsea Flower Show
Attend the world-renowned Chelsea Flower Show on an
exclusive, Royal Horticultural Society Members’ Day. Enjoy
a four-course luncheon and an open bar, as well as morning
and afternoon tea, in an exclusive Royal Horticultural
Society hospitality area. Walk countless exhibits showcasing
the finest examples of English gardening and some of the
most avant-garde show-garden designs in the world. Return
to the hotel in the late afternoon, gathering in the evening for
a farewell dinner.
Day 9 - Depart London
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and depart.