Holidays and tours for garden lovers
Holidays Welcome to our 2010 programme of tours to the worlds most beautiful gardens and visits to the very best of the garden shows.
If you like the idea of a holiday spending some time visiting beautiful gardens, in the company of garden lovers, then 'Beautiful Garden Holidays' was designed with you in mind!
Our most popular tours continue to be the gardens of England, particularly the south of England, such as "St.Ives and the gardens of Cornwall", "Gardens of the Cotswolds", and "St.Mawes plus Eden Project". New this year are the terrific 5 day tours to the Gardens of South Wales, including the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Call our reservations staff for details of departure points for this tour.
Tours with limited departure dates should be booked early, and if single rooms are required or peak dates on any tours, early booking is strongly advisable. Only a deposit will be required until 8 weeks prior to departure.
For our programme of visits to the famous Garden Shows such as Chelsea Flower Show, Tatton Park and Gardeners' World Live, and also for tours to gardens in Europe and Worldwide, please click on the respective box on the left.
Our main programme of U.K garden holidays is listed below. We look forward to welcoming you on one of our holidays, sharing the company of garden enthusiasts such as yourself whilst enjoying the very best of the worlds gardens. Your journey into the world of gardens begins here.....
St.Ives and Gardens of Cornwall from £389
The golden world-class beaches of St.Ives, scented sub-tropical gardens, cobbled streets painting a colourful past and stunning Cornish countryside. Add the fascinating Scilly Isles and you have the makings of a holiday to remember.
A lovely 8 day tour of Cornish & Scilly Isles gardens, and so popular that departures are now weekly until September 25th, on a Saturday. Included are 3 full day excursions to the fascinating Eden Project the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which includes a guided tour, and Tresco Abbey Gardens on the beautiful Scilly Isles.
Prices start at only £389 in March and rise to £529 during high summer. We frequently offer a discount for early bookings. The prices include luxury coach with joining points all over the U.K, 7 nts dinner, room and breakfast in St.Ives and all garden visits.
Stunning St.Ives enjoys a beautiful setting at the south western tip of Cornwall, and boasts crystal blue waters and golden sands, as well as sub-tropical temperatures, which help to promote the growth of more unusual plants and shrubs. Our hotel, the St.Ives Bay Hotel, enjoys panoramic views of the beach and bay. Theres a lounge area with bar and small dance floor and entertainment most evenings. We welcome individuals, couples and groups/societies.
Single room supplement £14, advance registration for these also being taken for 2011 to ensure availability. Sea view supplement £35.
Cotswolds gardens from £299
The beautiful Cotswolds, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, epitomise the idyllic rural life of a bygone era, and we explore some of the country's finest gardens which are found in this delightful setting.
Visit the beautiful gardens of the Cotswolds, now with 8 departures from May to October for 5 days, which includes 1 day at leisure.
Enjoy a stroll at the celebrated Hidcote Manor Gardens. Admire the magnificent gardens at Sudeley Castle, once home to Queen Katharine Parr. Step back to the 18th century in the flamboyant Painswick Rococo Gardens and absorb the colours and scents at Snowshill Manors lovely terraced gardens set on a Cotswold hillside. From only £299 incl. luxury coach, 4 nts dinner, room and breakfast and all 4 garden visits over two full days, these garden tours promise to be a delight.
We stay at the Barcelo Cheltenham Park Hotel, set in beautiful landscaped gardens facing Lillybrook golf course. With its Egon Ronay recommended lakeside restaurant, lounge bar and leisure complex with indoor pool, gym, sauna and steam room this attractive AA 4 star hotel (2008) in the heart of the Cotswolds is a firm favourite.
DATES: May 10 £299 May 24 £299 Jul 19 £349 Aug 2 £309 Aug 16 £349 Sep 13 £349 Oct 11 £349
Our prices are based on sharing twin rooms. Limited single rooms may be available on request (supp.£8) but we strongly advise early booking for these. Not all departures are available from all joining points so please check with our reservations staff which dates apply from your local area.
St. Mawes plus Eden Project from £299
A holiday in one of the most exclusive waterside villages within Cornwall. St. Mawes, full of character and colour is simply scenic and a superb place from which we can go exploring the Cornish countryside
An inexpensive 5 days to glorious Cornwall, boasting some of the most picturesque coastlines and landscapes in the country. Our base in the pretty harbour village of St. Mawes provides the perfect setting for a leisurely break with a full day tour included to the awesome Eden Project. These giant 'biomes', big enough to contain the Tower of London, act as the world's climate zones, containing thousands of important and beautiful plants from every corner of the world.Zones such as the Tropical zone and the Mediterranean zone reproduce exactly the climate and growing conditions of these parts of our planet, and to be able to walk between such diverse environments within a few minutes is truly an experience for the garden enthusiast not to be missed!
A half day visit to the historic town of Truro is also included, dominated by its three-spired cathedral. Enjoy its varied architecture, explore its many shops or relax by the river.
Theres plenty of time to immerse yourself in the nautical atmosphere of the Cornish Riviera back in St.Mawes, and to unwind back at your hotel-the Ship and Castle. Set in an enviable position right by the harbour, the bar lounge overlooks the sea and holds entertainment most evenings of a relaxed fashion in an intimate atmosphere. Some stunning sea-view bedrooms are available for a £20 supplement (please book early for these). Single rooms incur a supplement of just £8.
Departures leave regularly throughout the season every Monday from March 29th through to September 27th, returning Fridays. Prices start from only £299 and rise to £339 -£20 lower than last years prices! This includes Half Board for 4 nts sharing twin rooms, return coach from your choice of departure point, and the Eden Project and Truro excursions.
Not all dates are available from all joining points so please check with our reservations staff for dates available from your local area.
WA Shearings
All these tours are once again operated by WA Shearings luxury coaches, and offer a wide choice of joining points around the U.K. Subject to minimum numbers there may be direct services from the Blackheath SE3, Greenwich SE10, Eltham SE9 and Chislehurst BR7 areas.
Self drive and Rail: Should you prefer to make your own arrangements for travel to and from the hotel base by car or train, we can omit the return coach travel and you may then join the group for the full itinerary.
Air Travel: For those wishing to travel to our hotel base by air, please call the Flightcentre for flight information and reservations.
Should your travelling partner not share your passion for gardens, our comfortable hotels are in attractive settings, such as St.Ives, where there will almost certainly be enough to keep them occupied whilst you are garden visiting!
Holidays to gardens coming soon!
Forthcoming holidays include the gardens of Yorkshire and Hampton Court within the U.K, and France, Holland, North Thailand and South Africa. For details on these, or any holiday destination where you would like to visit gardens during your stay, please contact our reservations staff. Holidays to destinations featured in the television series 'Around The World In 80 Gardens' can also be arranged by our experienced travel staff.
Thank you so much for your interest in our garden holiday programme for 2010. We look forward to seeing you on one of our holidays to the worlds prettiest gardens soon! and as 'Alan T' used to say 'Whatever the weather- enjoy your garden!'
Bookings and Brochures
Tel: 020 8858 6677 Fax: 020 8853 0257
Post: Beautiful Garden Holidays, 95 Old Woolwich Rd, Greenwich, London SE10 9PP. U.K
Email: derek@flightcentregreenwich.co.uk
For general holidays, cruises and flights worldwide please visit our Flightcentre site at www.flightcentregreenwich.co.ukUseful Websites to visit