Detailed Itinerary
DAY 1
Thursday: Arrival
On arrival at Heathrow Airport, a private transfer will take you to our overnight hotel, the Castle Hotel. In the evening, join the group for a welcome drink and canapés, followed by dinner.
Meals: Dinner
DAY 2
Friday: RHS Garden Wisley & Great Comp Garden
This morning, we head to RHS Garden Wisley, the Royal Horticultural Society’s flagship garden, gifted to the Society in 1903. Extending over 240 peaceful acres, from beautiful rose and demonstration gardens to tranquil tracts of woodland, Wisley offers a wealth of inspirational ideas on design, innovation and cultivation techniques. The state-of-the-art Glasshouse is divided into three main planting zones representing desert, tropical and temperate climates.
Next, lunch and a guided tour await at Great Comp, an RHS Partner Garden surrounding a lovely 17th-century manor. As one of Kent’s finest horticultural gems, it’s full of stunning plants such as salvias, magnolias, azaleas, rhododendrons and hellebores and also features an Italian Garden, pretty woodland walks plus the Old Dairy Tearooms.
Later, we check into the Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club, where we stay for the next three nights.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 3
Saturday: Great Dixter House & Gardens & Hole Park
We start the day at Great Dixter, home of gardener and gardening writer Christopher Lloyd. The Head Gardener here treats us to a guided tour of the famous gardens, home to a spectacular mix of topiary, mixed borders, an orchard and a wildflower meadow. We also take a peek around the house which, although largely medieval, has several later additions by Edwin Lutyens. Just one highlight is the Great Hall, one of the largest surviving timber-framed halls in the country.
Afterward we continue to Hole Park, a delightful private home situated in a picturesque parkland setting and owned by the Barham family for the last four generations. This afternoon we enjoy refreshments with a guided tour of the garden, admiring the wide range of colors from beautiful blooms such as tulips, roses, clematis, wisteria, rhododendrons and azaleas, bursting with fragrance and set against the far-reaching views over the hills and woodland.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 4
Sunday: Sissinghurst Castle Garden & Lullingstone Castle
This morning we head to Sissinghurst Castle Garden, created in the 1930s by novelist Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson. Set around the ruins of an Elizabethan manor house, these world-famous gardens are laid out as a series of individually-planted ‘rooms’, including a fragrant Herb Garden and Rose Garden, and are a delight to explore.
We then make our way to Lullingstone Castle, one of the oldest family estates in England and even recorded in the Domesday Book. The present manor house was built in 1497 and has been home to the same family ever since. Altered extensively in Queen Anne’s time, the house boasts fine state rooms and beautiful grounds, including a stunning 15-acre lake and the World Garden, home to thousands of rare plants collected from around the world by Tom Hart Dyke, the current heir, planted in their respective continents of origin. Incredibly, the ideas and plans for this garden were started during Tom’s nine-month kidnap ordeal in the early 2000s, a result of rare plant hunting in the Colombian jungle. There are plenty of unique species, including the world’s most dangerous plant, the hottest chilli and the rarest gum tree, and we find out more during our captivating tour with a Blue Badge guide.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 5
Monday: Eltham Palace & Kew Gardens
Our first stop today is the unique Eltham Palace. Once a medieval palace, then highly popular for Christmas celebrations in Tudor times, it was leased from the Crown and transformed by millionaires into an Art Deco mansion in the 1930s. This mesh of architectural movements served as a playground for a young Henry VIII who spent much of his childhood here in the 16th century. Outside, we are treated to a guided tour with the Head Gardener, who shows us stunning areas such as the Sunken Rose Garden, quiet Rock Garden, idyllic wildflower meadow, medieval embankment and the series of garden rooms, bursting with delightful fragrances.
A springtime stroll is the order of the afternoon with a guided walking tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Dating back to the early 18th century as a royal palace, Kew Gardens is now a globally renowned institution for plant-based research. Exploding with color and with no less than 50,000 plants, there is a range of different areas to explore including the Arboretum, the peaceful Japanese garden and the remarkable indoor rainforest climbing within the Palm House.
Later, we check into the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, where we stay for the last three nights of our tour.
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 6
Tuesday: Secret Garden Tour of London
We join our enchanting Secret Garden Tour of London, taking in a host of hidden gems and picturesque green spaces tucked away in the bustling metropolis. We discover the striking oasis of St Dunstan-in-the-East, followed by All Hallows-by-the-Tower, St Mary Aldermanbury Garden, St Lawrence Jewry, Church of St Bartholomew the Great, Postman’s Park and the Grade I listed Guildhall, time permitting.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 7
Wednesday: RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Today we enjoy Member’s Day entry to the Royal Horticultural Society’s most sought-after event, the Chelsea Flower Show, held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Here we take an exclusive first look at the show, discover the finest in garden design, listen to superb expert advice and soak up the unique atmosphere of this world-famous floral extravaganza. The Great Pavilion is the wonderful centrepiece, containing a wide-ranging mix of vibrant displays, while the Show Gardens illustrate the exceptional talent of a handful of carefully selected garden designers, delivering a broad range of design styles and themes. We also indulge in a quintessentially British afternoon tea during our delightful springtime day here.
Meals: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea
DAY 8
Thursday: Departure
A private transfer will take you back to Heathrow Airport for your return flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
Please note: the order of excursions is subject to change and guided tours are subject to restrictions.
Email us today to reserve at BKennedy@Royal-oak.org or call 212-480-2889 ext. 203
