TRAVEL with Alan
Join expert gardener and author Alan Titchmarsh as you tour the magnificent gardens of the Isle of Wight
Visit the Isle of Wight
GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS
Osborne House & Gardens Ventnor Botanic Garden The Garlic Farm Morton Manor Mottistone Manor Nunwell House
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
Three nights’ dinner, bed and full breakfast at the 4-star Royal Hotel, Ventnor, and three lunches Return ferry crossings between Portsmouth and Fishbourne Comfortable coach travel Guided tour of Osborne House & Gardens, and visits to Shanklin Village & Gorge, Nunwell House, The Garlic Farm, Ventnor Botanic Garden, Morton Manor and Mottistone Manor
Special appearance by Alan Titchmarsh at Osborne House, including talk and Q&A session Services of a Brightwater Holidays tour manager
YOUR ITINERARY
8 September You will depart from the designated pick-up points and head to Portsmouth, to board a ferry to Fishbourne. On arrival at the Isle of Wight a comfortable coach will then take the party to Shanklin to visit the gorge, with a walk that includes waterfalls, over 150 varieties of wild plants and many species of moss. Spend free time in the Old Village with its thatched cottages, shops, tea rooms and public gardens. The party then travels to the hotel in Ventnor for welcome drinks and dinner. 9 September This morning you visit the private Nunwell House. The tranquil grounds include a walled garden of lawns and herbaceous borders, and views of the Solent. Then it’s on to The Garlic Farm at Newchurch, for an informative talk and tour, followed by a light lunch. The day is completed with a visit to Ventnor Botanic
Garden, a must for garden lovers. The garden houses a _ collection of rare trees, plants and shrubs, which are hard to grow elsewhere in the UK. 10 September After breakfast, the party will head to Morton Manor, which boasts a huge collection of acers and an Elizabethan sunken garden within a landscaped garden of mature specimen trees. Tour the vineyards and enjoy wine tasting. The afternoon includes a visit to Mottistone Manor, with Mediterranean-style gardens of colourful borders, shrubs, flowering fruit trees, a rose garden and sea views. You will then return to the hotel for the final evening meal of the holiday. 11 September After breakfast, you will visit Osborne House & Gardens, Queen Victoria’s favourite home, where Alan Titchmarsh joins the party on a tour of the gardens, conducted by the head gardener. The impressive formal gardens include an attractive tree-lined walk to Swiss Cottage, built as a Wendy House for the Royal children. After lunch in the Terrace Restaurant (included in the price) Alan will give a talk followed by a Q&A session and opportunity for photographs. After a tour of the house the group returns to Portsmouth and onto the original pick-up points.