Picture Perfect: Gardens and film sites in London and southwest England
*including the Chelsea Flower Show*
with Marty Wingate
May 20 – June 2 2013
Day-to-day itinerary
Monday, May 20th Depart Seattle on British Airways nonstop to London’s Heathrow Airport. Flight departs from Seattle at 6:45 pm, with an arrival at Heathrow at 11:50 am on Tuesday the 21st.
Tuesday, May 21st Upon Arrival at Heathrow, we will take a 90-minute orientation drive through Central London before arriving at our hotel in Kensington. This evening we’ll meet for a welcome cocktail followed by dinner at the hotel. Overnight London (D)
Wednesday, May 22nd The Chelsea Flower Show is the showcase for the Royal Horticultural Society. Celebrating its 100th birthday, the show will be grander than ever. The gates are open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Some travelers are satisfied with a few hours at this event, while a full day is just a start for others. We have allocated the full day here, but you’re welcome to leave anytime to visit other sites in the city. Chelsea tickets are included, but a credit is provided for anyone not wishing to attend. Overnight London (B,D)
Thursday, May 23rd Today is your free day in London to rest up, fill the time seeing the sites in the capital city or visit one of the many museums or art galleries within reach of the hotel. The Imperial War Museum is a great visit, as is the British Museum and the Tate. Admission is FREE. A visit to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich is a short train ride away. Marty will accompany anyone who wants to take the train to visit Beth Chatto’s Garden in Colchester. A more comprehensive list will be provided closer to departure. Overnight London (B)
Friday, May 24th We have an excursion scheduled today to visit Hampton Court Palace, taking a boat on the River Thames to the palace. We’re taking one of the “Little Ships” of Dunkirk fame. This boat was one of 700 private boats that assisted with the rescue of 338,000 French and British soldiers from the beaches of France in the early years of WWII. Overnight London (B,L)
Saturday, May 25th After a leisurely breakfast, we leave London for the village of Hungerford, our home for the next two nights. On our way, we will stop in Oxford for a tour of the town and university, founded in 1127. King Charles made his headquarters here during the civil war. Authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien lectured here and did much of their writing in the vicinity. Sites around Oxford were used for many Harry Potter scenes and the town is known as the home of Inspectors Morse and Lewis. Overnight Hungerford, West Berkshire (B,D)
Sunday, May 26th Our drive through the Hampshire countryside this morning takes us to Highclere Castle, which everyone knows as the site of the Downton Abbey television series. We have a tour of the house and gardens scheduled. This site is so popular for tours that all available slots were booked within a few days. In the afternoon, we have a private garden tour scheduled nearby. Overnight Hungerford, West Berkshire (B)
Monday, May 27th We are on the way to Cornwall this morning with a stop at Cleave Hill Gardens, a member of the National Gardens Scheme, an organization dedicated to listing and showing private gardens. We’ll have lunch and a tour of this garden before continuing to our base in Fowey, Cornwall. You’ll have the afternoon to walk this medieval Cornish port before we meet for dinner later this evening. The author Daphne du Maurier (“The Birds,” “Jamaica Inn,” “Rebecca”), lived in Fowey. Many of her books are set in Cornwall. The house that inspired the novel “Rebecca” (Last night I dreamt I went to Manderely again”) is in the town. Overnight Fowey (B, L, D)
Tuesday, May 28th After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll visit Bodmin Moor for a guided tour. Bodmin Moor is one of three in the Cornwall/Devon area. The moor is home to unique flora and fauna as well as many Bronze Age monuments, monoliths, cairns, and stone circles. We’ll also stop by the Jamaica Inn, located on the edge of the moor. Tour participants should certainly read this book, but make sure you finish it before you walk in the door as the answer to the whodunit is stamped in the floor of the inn. Our afternoon will take us to Wildside Garden and Nursery, near Dartmoor. Wildside, formerly a Devon cider orchard, has been transformed into a landscape of “naturalistic Planting and expansive color.” We return to the hotel in Fowey later in the afternoon for time in the town. Overnight Fowey (B,D)
Wednesday, May 29th We’re on the way to the western side of the Cornish Peninsula this morning where we have arranged a tour with a local guide of Port Isaac. This port and fishing village may be more recognizable as the fictional site of Portwenn, home to Doc Martin of the British television series. This series, originally planned for just two seasons, will begin filming their 6th season in the Spring of 2013. Port Isaac is located on the Cornwall coast, on the shores of the Celtic Sea. After lunch we’ll visit a private garden near town before returning to the hotel in Fowey for our final night in Cornwall. Overnight Fowey (B)
Thursday, May 30th After breakfast, we drive to the northeast to Somerset. En-route, we will make a stop to visit the garden of Cothay Manor in the village of Greenham. This garden achieved two stars in The Good Garden Guide and is listed in the Daily Telegraph’s “top twenty gardens in Britain.” We’ll enjoy a “ploughman’s lunch” in the manor prior to seeing the garden. From here, it’s a short drive to our hotel in Taunton, which has been an important crossroads since Roman times. Your afternoon is free to see the town and do a bit of shopping. Overnight Taunton, Somerset (B,D)
Friday, May 31st Two gardens are on the schedule today, beginning with the Special Plants and Nursery, located in Wiltshire. Special Plants Garden was created from a derelict barn and the surrounding lands in 1996. We’ll have a guide tour of the garden before departing for lunch in the historic Cotswolds village of Cirencester. 
In the afternoon, we’ll have a cream tea at Barnsley House, former home and garden of Rosemary Verey. The home has been converted to a country hotel and the gardens have been maintained for tour and hotel guests. We’ll take a guide tour of the gardens after tea. Overnight Taunton, Somerset (B)
Saturday, June 1st We have a visit planned to the organic farm and garden called The Holt Farm. After our visit, we’ll travel to the Cathedral town of Wells to break for lunch and provide time to see the town and the Cathedral. After lunch, we’ll be visiting the National Trust garden of Stourhead, a 350-year-old landscaped garden on the River Stour. Make sure you have disk space available on your camera. We’ll have our farewell dinner this evening. Overnight Taunton, Somerset (B,D)
Sunday, June 2nd We’re on our way back to Heathrow right after breakfast. Our flight departs mid-afternoon and our expectation is to arrive for check in about 1:00 pm. (B)
Tour includes:
Round trip airfare from Seattle to London, nonstop on British Airways
Motor coach transportation from London/Heathrow Airport to London Hotel
12 nights accommodation in three and four star hotels
4 nights London
2 nights Hungerford
3 nights Fowey, Cornwall
3 nights Taunton, Somerset
City orientation tour of London on arrival day
Membership in the Royal Horticultural Society (one per room)
Admission on Members Day to the Chelsea Flower Show
Thames River Cruise to Hampton Court with tour of the Palace
Evening classical concert in London
Private tour of Westminster Abbey
London transit card for transportation on London Buses and the Underground rail system
Tour of Highclere Castle and Garden, film location for Downton Abbey
Walking tour of Oxford
Tour of Bodmin Moor
Port Isaac, location for the Doc Martin television series
Garden tours to include:
National Trust gardens Stourhead, The Courts
Rosemary Verey’s former garden, Barnsley House
Special Plants Garden
Wildside Garden
*Other private gardens to be determined
Meals to include 7 dinners, 3 lunches, and breakfast each morning
Price is $6890 per person, based on double occupancy. Supplement for single occupancy is $1100. If you choose to pay by check for the package, your discount is $240 per person for double occupancy or $275 for single. Your deposit and final payment (at due date) must be paid by check. Acceptable credit cards are Visa/Mastercard.
Credit for air transportation, should you decide to meet the group in London, is $1330 per person. In order to confirm your reservation, an initial deposit of $1200 per person is due. The balance is due February 7th, 2013.
If you should need to cancel after your reservation is confirmed, please note that payments are non-refundable. I will attempt to fill your reservation with another party, which may involve change fees. Due to the fees associated with cancelation, I recommend travel/trip cancellation insurance.
The following data is required to confirm your reservation:
Full name as it appears on your passport
Passport number, place of issue, date of issue, and expiration date
Travel questions? Contact Brad Cilley, brad@nwtravel.com
Send deposits to:
Northwest Travel Service
4271 257th Place SE
Issaquah, WA. 98029
