Gardens of Normandie and Picardie

The Hotel Mercure Rouen Cathedral

THIS TOUR NOW FULLY BOOKED

 

 

Starts Ampfield House, Romsey with a pick up at Horsham

Across the channel in Northern France some of the most beautiful gardens in Europe can be found, the most famous and notable being Claude Monet's garden at Giverny.  The Normandy and Picardie regions are home to some stunning and diverse gardens including Les Jardins de Valloires, which has one of the most important collections of plants in France and is home to a very extensive collection of old-fashioned and wild roses, Clos du Coudray where some 6,000-plant species can be admired, a traditional kitchen garden at Chateau de Miromesnil, the Lutyens designed garden and house which is full of horticultural contrasts.  Travel to France is by way of executive coaching and a short ferry crossing.

We have arranged your visit to Monet’s Garden at Giverny in advance of the normal public opening times so that you can stroll around the gardens before the usual crowds build up.  If you have visited Monet’s garden before, take a stroll in this picturesque village, take coffee and see the beautiful rose garden at Hotel Baudy or visit the Musée d’art Américain.  Giverny became popular with American impressionist painters who flocked to the area to be near the great artist, Claude Monet, and many of their works are on display in the museum gallery.  A light lunch served with a glass of wine is included at the Hotel Baudy

This three-night, four day break is based in central Rouen where Monet painted his most famous series of paintings – 30 in all, capturing the main façade of the cathedral at different times of the day and in different light.

After departing from Ampfield House we continue to Horsham before reaching Dover and boarding a Sea France ferry for the one and a half hour crossing to Calais.  A buffet lunch with wine is served on board and on arriving in France we’ll continue to Rouen with a stop en route at Les Jardins de Valloires in Argoules.  These gardens that surround a magnificent abbey, have over 2,000 species of roses and over 4,000 species of shrubs and rare trees.  On arrival in Rouen we’ll check into the Hotel Mercure.  Situated in the heart of the old city of Rouen and close to the Cathedral, this comfortable 3* hotel with it's own bar, air-conditioned bedrooms with en-suite facilities, telephone and minibar is perfectly situated for exploring the medieval city.  A three-course dinner with wine is included on the first evening.

The following morning, after a full continental breakfast, there will be an early start for Giverny in order that we arrive before the garden opens to the public.  Giverny is a small village on the banks of the Seine between Rouen and Paris and where the impressionist painter, Claude Monet, lived and worked between 1884 and 1926.  Here, he designed a garden ablaze with flowers and colour that would become his favourite model for painting.  Facing Monet’s pink house and studio the Clos Normandy flower garden is a dazzling display of colour.  The highlights in June should include the famous water garden with its wisteria festooned bridge, water lilies, a riot of roses, poppies, lupins, clematis and delphiniums.  June is one of the most popular months to visit Monet’s garden and our pre-booked early entry time will allow you some space to explore before the crowds build up.  You’ll return to Rouen so that you can enjoy the atmosphere of this historic city and dine out in a restaurant of your choice.

The following day our first stop will be at Parc et Jardin du Château de Miromesnil.  A splendid beech plantation shelters the 17th century château where Guy de Maupassant was born.  A fine example of a floral kitchen garden can be discovered within the parkland and this is still cultivated in the traditional way.  The walls support a good collection of clematis and roses and delphiniums line the walks.  We return to Rouen via two private but excellent gardens, Clos du Coudray and nearby Agapanthe. Clos du Coudray is a plantman’s garden where a stream winds through a floral collection of over 8,000 plants.  An excellent nursery sells many of the plants grown in the garden.  At Agapanthe, there will be a tour of the garden created by Alexandre Thomas, a landscape architect in the village of Grigneuseville.  This garden offers something quite different to classic French gardens and is composed of varied elements, - pools, a pergola, terraces, a fountain and luxuriant vegetation, all within a relatively small space. Shrubs, topiaries, a scented garden, collections of clematis and rose bushes and a sunken garden with lavenders are just some of the features of this garden of surprises.

The evening is free so that you can dine in one of Rouen’s many restaurants, which are within a short walk from the hotel.

On the final day of this tour, after checking out of the hotel we travel to Les Bois des Moutiers near Dieppe where the gardens were designed by the architect Sir Edward Lutyens in collaboration with the owner and the renowned landscape architect Miss Gertrude Jekyll. The Lutyens house overlooks walled gardens and courtyards and north towards the sea, terraces and dramatic woodland.  The two large borders leading to the house are typically English, backed by high brick walls and planted in the summer with herbaceous plants.  The white garden reflects the style of Sissinghurst. A tour of the house and refreshments (light lunch) is provided.  The gardens can be explored independently.  We then continue to Calais to check in for the return crossing to Dover, Horsham and Romsey.