Fine Gardens of North Devon and South Somerset

3 to 6 July 2008 (3 nights, 4 days)
Staying at The Imperial Hotel, Barnstaple
Starts Ampfield House, Romsey 

£435 
We are sorry, no single rooms are currently available

 Highlights of the tour include a guided horticultural tour of RHS Rosemoor and a full private visit to Hartland Abbey and Gardens accompanied by the owner, Lady Stucley. 

We break our journey to Devon at Hestercombe.  The unique fifty acres of formal gardens, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and planted by Gertrude Jekyll, were completed in 1906.  These gardens have been reunited with Hestercombe’s secret Landscape garden, which opened in the spring in 1997 for the first time in over 100 years.  These are exquisite gardens with a most beautiful Orangery.  Lunch can be purchased and there is plenty of time to explore these extensive gardens before departing for Barnstaple and checking in to the Imperial Hotel.  Dinner is served in the restaurant during the evening. 

After breakfast on Friday we depart for an extensive visit to Hartland Abbey where we will be greeted on arrival by Lady Stucley for a guided tour of the house.  Hartland Abbey is the lived-in home of the Stucley family.  Although it was built in the 12^th century and remained as a monastery for 400 years and passed through the female line three times, it has never been sold.  Consequently, it contains collections of pictures, furniture and porcelain, which have accumulated over several generations.  The story of the Abbey mirrors that of the local history. 

Afterwards a buffet lunch and a glass of wine will be served in the house before we step outside into the stunning gardens which envelope the Abbey.  A guided tour allows us to wend our way through the Baronet’s Bog Garden and woodland gardens with flowering hydrangeas and eucryphias, to four secret 18^th century walled gardens.  Recently replanted the walled gardens contain vegetables and fruit for the house and for sale, many tender and rare plants, summer perennials and shrubs.  Echium pininana, growing to 15ft in a good year flourishes here.  We then return towards Barnstaple and pay a visit to the private gardens of Heddon Hall, one of Exmoor’s finest gardens, a feast of delights for expert and amateur gardeners.  In the last 20 years, garden designers such as Roy Lancaster, Carol Klein and Penelope Hobhouse have had input here and planting schemes are continually being reworked and new varieties sourced. The walled garden has clipped box hedges and cordoned fruit trees, flowers, herbs and vegetables.  Beautiful herbaceous borders, a rose garden, pleached lime trees, mature shrubs and trees and a bog garden are just some of the highlights.  A delicious cream tea is included during your visit and the keen horticulturalist will find an interesting selection of plants for sale. 

On Saturday morning we depart for Marwood Hill Gardens where Head Gardener Malcolm Pharoah will provide an introduction before you explore the gardens.  Malcolm tended the gardens for many years under the direction of the late Dr Jimmy Smart who took over a virtually neglected garden in 1949 and created a showpiece garden in an attractive valley setting.  He will introduce the garden and its wonderful plants, which include The National Collection of astilbes and The National Collection of Iris ensata. A wide selection of plants including hebes, willow, ferns, clematis and wisteria thrive in this valley garden, which is of supreme interest to any knowledgeable gardener.  With three lakes, a bog garden and a rock and alpine scree, the overall landscaping and effect is delightful. In order to appreciate the garden, a lot of walking is required and it is quite steep in places.  Refreshments are included and excellent home-propagated plants can be purchased. 

We then depart for RHS Rosemoor where a visit and guided horticultural tour has been organised.     Discover how the wide-ranging development programme has created good designs, good plantings and an exceptional standard of maintenance.  A “B” road under which visitors may pass separates two gardens at Rosemoor.  Lady Ann Palmer’s garden was created in the early 1960’s and is an intimate woodland garden with informal planting near the house, an excellent collection of trees and shrubs, National Collection of dogwoods, eucryphias, maples, pieris and vacciniums. The other garden is more of a display garden with a formal rose garden, giant border and ornamental vegetable garden.  This garden was created by The Royal Horticultural Society since it became the owner of Rosemoor in 1988.  Lunch can be taken in the self-service restaurant and there is an excellent nursery and well-stocked shop. 

Our morning visit on Sunday is to The Garden House.  This eight-acre garden is centred on an enchanting walled garden created around the ruins of a medieval vicarage.  The historic planting in the walled garden is complemented by newer areas planted in a pioneering naturalistic style such as the South African garden, cottage garden, bulb garden, meadow and quarry garden and acer glade.  The garden blends seamlessly into a timeless Devon landscape and provides vistas of stunning colour throughout the year.  

Later, we depart for Cothay Manor in Somerset. This magical, romantic garden surrounds what is said to be the most perfect example of a small classic medieval manor. Many garden rooms, each a garden in itself, are set off the 200yd yew walk and are at their best in the summer months. The Cottage Garden is full of sweet peas, the herbaceous borders planted with pale colours, The Green Knight Garden is planted with silver and white, The Bog Garden with gunneras and large leafy plants, Emily’s Garden with its single pale yellow paeonia mlokesewitschii and cream and yellow planting and the Cherry Garden opposite where the Prunus “Unon” provides shade for shade loving plants. Teas are served before departing for Ampfield House, Romsey. 

Included

Three nights accommodation with full English breakfast and dinner each evening
All visits as indicated above including a Guided Horticultural Tour at RHS Rosemoor
Services of a Hillier Garden Club host and Brookland Travel representative throughout
Executive style coaching throughout
Buffet lunch with a glass of wine and private visit to Hartland Abbey and Gardens conducted by Lady Stucley
Tea/Coffee and homemade cake at Heddon Hall
GardenAfternoon tea at Cothay Manor 

Not Included

Travel Insurance:  Details are available on request.  Strongly recommended
Lunches and refreshments other that those indicated above

For more details contact:

For more details contact

Brookland Travel
Hazelbank House
Whiting Bay
Isle of Arran
Ayreshire
KA27 8QA
0845 1212863
info@brooklandtravel.com 

Or talk to Tim Mason at Hillier, Tel 01794 368944 or e-mail tim_mason@hillier.co.uk