Welcome to the ‘The Gardens & Heritage of Hampshire & the Isle of Wight’ tour. You can view full details of this tour, share this tour with others, pay your final balance before departure and, once you have departed on your holiday, share your group photos and write reviews.
Itinerary
Day 1
We board our executive coach at our designated pick up point and en route to our hotel we enjoy a guided tour at Heale House. Heale House and its eight acres of beautiful gardens lie beside the River Avon at Middle Woodford, near Salisbury. Much of the house is unchanged since King Charles II hid here in 1651. When visitors step into the garden at Heale House they are immediately transported into a magical and varied paradise of running streams and exuberant planting that they return to time and again to experience its many different moods throughout the seasons. Trout filled streams crossing under the authentic Japanese tea house and below the red Nikko bridge meander through the woodland garden, a rich gardener's paradise. From early spring when sheets of aconites and snowdrops carpet the ground, to late summer when the crescendo of unusual planting explodes, the garden is in a constant state of flux. In the vegetable garden decorative apple tunnels separate the beds that still supply the house. Meadows of spring bulbs are home to a new collection of magnolias, and colour-themed borders add contemporary drama to a garden that seems lost in time and is a continual source of inspiration to its owners and the visitors it never fails to charm. This afternoon we visit Salisbury Cathedral, a beautiful historic building, an international symbol of Christianity and a world class heritage attraction. During our guided tour we see the finest of only four surviving original 1215 Magna Carta, sealed by King John at Runnymede, the world’s oldest working clock, and the Rex Whistler Memorial Prism. This exquisite glass prism is a memorial to the artist Rex Whistler who lived in Salisbury's Cathedral Close. We continue to Arundells, a Medieval canonry in the 13th century and probably first used by Henry of Blunston, Archdeacon of Dorset, who died in 1316. Arundells was renovated in the 1960s, and refurbished by Sir Edward Heath when he came to live here in 1985. We then check in at the 4* Norton Park Hotel on the outskirts of Winchester for a four night stay on a half board basis.
Day 2
With our Blue Badge guide this morning we visit the Longstock Park Water Garden, judged to be the finest and most beautiful water garden in the world by the International Water Lily Society. During our visit we admire beautiful secluded crystal clear lakes surrounded by beautiful plants, shrubs and trees. Rhododendrons in May start the season, and end with Autumn colours. This afternoon we visit the National Trust’s Mottisfont Abbey Garden, House and Estate. Set amidst glorious countryside along the River Test, this 12th century Augustine priory is now a handsome house with an interesting collection of modern art and the grounds offer a magnificent collection of trees, walled gardens and a National Collection of old fashioned roses.
Day 3
Our Blue Badge guide meets us at our hotel this morning and accompanies us throughout the day. This morning we take a Wightlink ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Fishbourne. We firstly visit English Heritage’s Osborne House. When Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne and its estate in 1845, the old house was demolished and a new three storey pavilion was built. Later this afternoon we visit Ventnor Botanic Gardens for a guided tour. The unique garden is protected from the cold northerly winds by chalk downs, and is unrivalled for its collections of subtropical plants grown unprotected outside. We continue to Fishbourne where we board a Wighlink ferry crossing back to Portsmouth.
Day 4
This morning we visit Exbury Gardens with our Blue Badge guide. Exbury Gardens are famous for their unique collection of rhododendrons and azaleas, creating a kaleidoscope of colour throughout the gardens’ 200 acres each spring. This afternoon we enjoy a guided tour at Winchester Cathedral. Originating back to the 7th century when a Christian church was first built on this site, Winchester Cathedral has played a fundamental part in the life of this ancient city and a role in the history of our nation. The rest of the day is at leisure in Winchester.
Day 5
After checking out of our hotel and en route home we enjoy a behind the scenes tour at Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, near Whitchurch. The tour includes a visit to the propagation house, where our guide will tell us more about the propagation of the peat free herbaceous perennials, a walk through the polytunnels, and a look inside the potting shed. This is a rare opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of the nursery where Rosy Hardy continues to grow RHS Gold medal winning plants for her own floral displays and for other garden designers’ projects. We continue to Loseley Park Gardens near Guildford. Comparable with gardens considered national treasures, the Walled Garden covers 2.5 acres and is divided into ‘rooms’ each with its own unique planting system and personality. We then return back to our original pick up point.
NB: Please note we reserve the right to alter the above itinerary if required for operational reasons. Given the historic nature of the places visited, a certain degree of walking will be involved, and this holiday may not be suitable for those with mobility problems.
Featuring
4* hotel
Half board accommodation
All excursion travel & guided tours included
Entrance fees to non-National Trust properties included
Blue Badge guide on Days 2 to 4
Executive coach throughout
Return ferry crossings to the Isle of Wight
Heale House & Gardens – guided tour
Salisbury Cathedral – guided tour
Arundells
Longstock Park Water Garden
Mottisfont Abbey Garden, House & Estate
Osborne House
Ventnor Botanic Gardens – guided tour
Exbury Gardens
Winchester Cathedral – guided tour
Winchester
Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants – behind the scenes tour
Loseley Park Gardens
Hotel
We stay four nights at the 4* Norton Park Hotel (https://www.nortonparkhotel.com/) located in a countryside setting on the outskirts of Winchester. Facilities at the hotel include a restaurant, bar, indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, sauna and a steam room. All rooms are en suite and feature a hairdryer, television, telephone, and tea & coffee making facilities. A set 3 course dinner without drinks is included in our hotel on the first night. A choice 3 course dinner without drinks is included in our hotel on the remaining three nights of our tour.
Extras
Insurance (including Covid cover) £38
Single room supplement £119
Entrance fees to National Trust properties (free to NT members)
Gratuities
Lunches
Optional Excursions
All excursion travel & guided tours included
