Join the Kew for 10 great gardens
From Highgrove to chateaux and even the Caribbean ... great green-fingered breaks
YOU can visit some of the world’s most beautiful gardens as part of a holiday or a short break. Here is CAROLINE HENDRIE’s pick of ten of the best trips to book now…
1 CYCLE TO GRAND FRENCH CHATEAUX IN THE LOIRE
Cycle at your own pace through orchards, parks and vineyards in the Loire Valley, known as the Garden of France. Chateau de Villandry has Renaissance-style gardens and Chateau de Rivau has 12 gardens inspired by fairytales. Seven-night, self-guided trips including flights, B&B hotels, bike hire maps and luggage transfers, depart from May to September, costing from £1,295pp. bespoketours.com, 020 7471 7750
2 A TOUCH OF GLASS WITH THE BEST OF BRITISH
Learn more about three influential gardens on an England’s Great Glasshouses For Solo Travellers trip. On the four-night break, based near Denham in Buckinghamshire, you’ll be guided by a horticultural host to Kew, Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park, and RHS Wisley. Depart on July 30. From £529pp including half board, talks and excursions. travel.saga.co.uk/ specialinterest, 0800 092 0803
3 ZONE OUT WITH SOME COPENHAGEN ZEN
The long days of the Scandinavian summer are perfect for viewing gardens, and on a five-day Gardens Of Copenhagen And Zealand guided tour, you’ll see nine. These include the King’s Garden and Ostergro, an organic kitchen roof garden in Copenhagen. Away from the capital you’ll visit a Zen Garden and the Botanic Gardens at Vordingborg. From £1,475pp for departure on August 7, including flights and meals. brightwaterholidays.com, 01334 657155
4 COTSWOLD HAVEN FIT FOR A PRINCE
A guided tour of Prince Charles’s beloved gardens at Highgrove is a highlight of a new Gardens Of The Cotswold break. The four-day trip, based at Heythrop Park Resort Hotel, also includes a tour of Painswick’s rococo gardens, designed in 1740 to be theatrical settings for decadent parties. Departures on August, 6, 13 and 27. From £424pp, including coach travel and half board. shearings.com, 0344 874 8220
5 LAKESIDE CASTLES AND CHAPELS ON SWISS BORDER
On a one-week Castles And Gardens Of Lake Constance escorted tour you’ll see impressive sights on the German and Swiss sides, staying at the head of the lake in Konstanz. You’ll visit the baroque gardens and vineyard at Salem Castle, take a tour of Arenenberg Castle, the teenage home of Napoleon III and its medieval garden, see the chapel and gardens of Ittingen Charterhouse Carthusian monastery and go to Mainau Flower Island. September. From £1,189pp including flights, half-board hotel stay and guided tours. inghams.co.uk/lakes-mountainsholidays, 01483 791116
6 FRENCH SPLENDOURS ON THE COTE D’AZUR
Like so many great artists, gardeners were drawn to the South of France by its climate and beauty. On a five-night Gardens Of The Riviera tour departing on September 23, you’ll be guided round many of the finest on the Cote d’Azur between St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the Italian border. These include Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Serre de la Madone, and Hanbury Gardens at La Mortola in Italy. From £1,698pp including flights, B&B at four-star Hotel Napoleon in Menton and three dinners. kirkerholidays.com, 020 7593 2283
7 AUTUMN IN CRETE FOR MOUNTAIN WALKS
After the hot summer in Crete, autumn brings wild cyclamens, crocuses and narcissi to life. You’ll find them on guided botanical walks in the mountains based in the Venetian port of Chania. Visits to Roman and Minoan sites are on the itinerary, too, on the one-week holiday departing on October 16. From £1,195pp including flights from Gatwick, B&B hotel accommodation, lunches and the services of an expert botanist. naturetrek.co.uk, 01962 733051
8 DIG IN WITH THE NATIONAL TRUST
Roll up your sleeves and get tips working alongside the National Trust’s gardeners, replanting the parterre at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire with thousands of bedding plants. On a break you can join a guided tour of the grand Victorian house and gardens. Three-night working holidays begin on October 14 and 21. The cost of £95pp covers bunk house accommodation and meals. nationaltrust.org.uk/ workingholidays, 0344 800 3099
9 CARIBBEAN DELIGHT ON SPICE ISLAND GRENADA
See where the exotic blooms for the 14-times Chelsea Flower Show gold medal-winning Grenada gardens come from on a tour to the Caribbean island. Suzanne Gaywood, who designed many winning exhibits, will accompany the oneweek trip on November 19. From £1,979pp, including flights and B&B at Blue Horizons Garden Resort. Individual Holidays, 01753 892111
10 AND, OF COURSE, TIPTOE THROUGH THE TULIPS
Book now for a Steam Trains And Tulips Of Holland tour next spring. You can tiptoe through the tulips at the Keukenhof Gardens and learn about the 400-year history of tulip cultivation in the Historical Garden. Another highlight of the five-night trip, based in Delft, is a steam train trip through the West Frisian countryside. Trips via Eurostar are from March to May 2019, from £895pp. greatrail.com, 01904 734155