Small Group Tour: 2013 Chelsea Flower Show & England's finest Gardens

Meet up with your fellow floral enthusiasts this morning (approx. 8.30am) at the Royal Garden Hotel, (Address: 2-24 Kensington High Street London, W8 4PT) and get ready to see some of southern Englands best horitcultural examples and fine manor houses and estates. (It is recommended to arrive at the hotel at 8am if you have not overnighted here).

Your Small group multi-day tour begins with a shared transfer from London to Hampshire via Painshill Park, where you will enjoy the tranquil beauty of this carefully restored 18th century landscaped park and garden in the heart of Surrey.

Then make your way to Chawton House, a 17th century house where Jane Austen once lived. Here, you will find a Jane Austen collection with objects including letters written by Austen and many of her music books with pieces transcribed in her own hand.

Enjoy a delicious welcome dinner with the other members of your tour.

The Isle of Wight offers you a unique day out with some fabulous sightseeing opportunities. Your first visit is to Ventnor Botanic Garden. This unique garden is unrivalled for its collections of subtropical and exotic plants grown unprotected out of doors.

Next, you travel to Queen Victoria's summer retreat - Osborne House. Take an intimate glimpse into Queen Victoria’s family life as you tour the private rooms and royal apartments. Wander amongst the extensive grounds and visit the Queen’s private beach.

Today you will head first to Heale House, set in eight acres of beautiful gardens beside the River Avon in Middle Woodford. Highlights include the 20th century arts and crafts garden, the tranquil Japanese garden and a landing stage by the River Avon where you may catch a glimpse of trout swimming by.

Next, you make your way to Mottisfont, a garden noted for its colourful herbaceous borders, grassy terraces planted with fruit trees and stunning views. 

Your last visit of the day is to Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, with 180 acres of grounds and over 42,000 plants this garden offers plenty to discover and enjoy.

Visit Wilton House, one of England’s great houses. Wilton House has been lived in continuously by successive generations for over 460 years. It has been welcoming film crews for many years and films shot here include Sense and Sensibility, The Madness of King George, Mrs. Brown, Pride and Prejudice and The Young Victoria. You will have time to explore the house and its extensive grounds before we continue on to Houghton Lodge, a picturesque 18th Grade II Historic House. Explore its glorious gardens including its beautiful herb garden, rose arbour, avenue of old apple trees and tranquil riverside walks.

The world famous CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW is on your afgenda today! Organized by the Royal Horticultural Society, The Chelsea Flower Show is the most prestigious flower shows in the world. Held in the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital every year since 1913, apart from gaps during the two World Wars, it is the flower show most associated with the Royal family, who attend the opening day every year. See award winning gardens, learn new gardening tips and admire the magnificent flower displays in the Grand Pavilion.

Savill Garden near Windsor is one of Britain’s greatest ornamental gardens, enjoyed by horticulturalists and enthusiasts alike. Explore its 35 acres of contemporary and classically designed gardens and exotic woodland. The Savill Garden mixes native and exotic species and has bred many important garden hybrids.

Then travel to Cliveden House, known particularly for its links with the Astors. Surrounded by 376 acres of magnificent formal gardens and parkland the Cliveden offers wonderful panoramic views over the River Thames.

Begin your day in the famed Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew, which is responsible for the world’s largest collection of living plants. These living collections include more than 30,000 different kinds of plant. A world heritage site, the gardens and magnificent glasshouses are located in 121 hectares of stunning vistas, set in a beautiful landscape beside the Thames. Highlights include the Treetop walkway, the Water Lily House and The Princess of Wales Conservatory.

In the afternoon you will visit Ham House, one of Europe’s greatest 17th century houses. Discover its outstanding collection of furniture and textiles and explore the famous cherry garden and orangery.

Leaving London you head first to Wisley, the world-renowned home of the Royal Horticultural Society, where you will have plenty of time to explore the spectacular and varied gardens. Explore the beautiful Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden, the picturesque orchard and the huge cathedral-like glass house with its world class tropical plant collection.

In the afternoon you will visit Hever Castle, set in the Kent countryside and once home to Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife. This historic castle with its double moat and 125 acres of spectacular gardens offers visitors plenty to discover.

Today you will travel to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, created by novelist Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson in the 1930's. This outstanding garden showcases strict geometry and an intimate atmosphere. Visit the rose garden, the white garden, the cottage garden and parts of the house open to the public.

This afternoon, visit Ightham Mote, deservedly one of the most popular small gardens in the region. Built nearly 700 years ago this house has been owned by medieval knights and courtiers to Henry VIII. Highlights include the Great Hall, the Tudor painted celling and the peaceful garden with an orchard, lake and woodland walks.

Pashley Manor has been described as the very essence of an English Garden. Surrounding a wonderful timber-framed Tudor house dating from around 1550, the gardens are a fabulous blend of romantic landscaping, imaginative plantings, fine trees, fountains and springs, displaying many eras of English history.

Then travel a short distance to Merriments Gardens, blessed with delightful homes and gardens. Merriments Gardens is, in the words of the RHS Garden Finder, “one of the best show gardens in England”. It boasts a stunningly beautiful four acres of densely-planted borders, where the plants grown in the nursery can be seen in an imaginative garden context. Highlights include the ponds and tropical border, the wild area and the blue gravel garden.

Another icon is Great Dixter, the largest half-timbered house in England. It is the garden however, that really grabs the attention with its wild meadows and famed Long Border. A fabulous mix of yew topiary, meadow flowers, natural ponds and the wonderful Exotic Garden, it is one that cannot be missed.

This morning you will visit Scotney Castle, a fourteenth century moated castle surrounded by picturesque gardens and over 770 acres of woodland and parkland. Voted among one of the best gardens in England, it boasts a suburb display of rhododendrons and azaleas.

Winston Churchill's home of Chartwell requires no introduction. What makes it such a memorable visit is not only the view from the garden which inspired his painting, but the fact that the interior is almost as he left it. You can almost smell the cigars! Churchill loved the house, especially the view over the Weald of Kent, and he transformed the grounds with new lakes and brickwork built with his own hands.

Your Small Group Tour ends this afternoon upon arrival at The Royal Garden Hotel at approximately 5.30pm. Bid farewell to your Guide and fellow travellers as you close the chapter on this part of your travels.

Please note that since there will be various small group departures around this event all starting and ending at the same time, each mini-coach will follow a different itinerary in order to maintain the small group feel of your trip. Whilst all of the gardens and stately home listed above will be visited, the days in which they are visited and the order of the visits will vary from what has been published.

Meet your driver at your hotel and be taken to Heathrow Airport by a private transfer.