Exclusive with Highgrove Garden 12-17th June 2016 (5 nights)

Join us on our exclusive garden tour to The Cotswolds – an area of outstanding natural beauty with stone walls, open skies, rolling grasslands, beech woods and captivating villages.

We will be staying in a luxury 5-star hotel based in the heart of the Cotswolds and wend our way, each day to explore wonderful gardens and quintessential English towns & villages. We will enjoy private guided tours, many by the owners themselves and enjoy all the gardens at the height of their early Summer glory.

Sunday 12th June

Our tour starts at the 5 star Ellenborough Park Hotel, our luxury base for this five night tour. Make your own way to the hotel or we can arrange a morning transfer from central London or Heathrow airport (additional cost). With the afternoon free to enjoy the hotel’s facilities and grounds, this evening join your tour director and the rest of the group for dinner together. Monday 13th June

Today we begin our garden visits at the privately owned Mill Dene Gardens. This quirky and playful garden makes the most of a steep sided valley around a delightful millpond and house. We continue onto Kiftsgate Court Gardens, a delightfully laid out plantsman’s garden and a claim to the largest rose in England. Colour predominates, with roses and campanulas making a breath- taking impact everywhere in June and July.

We conclude our day with a visit to Hidcote Manor Garden, where we will enjoy a private buffet dinner and access to the gardens once the crowds of the day have gone. Major Lawrence Johnston is claimed to have been the originator here of the “garden room”. It is exciting to see this first example in its original form with his skillful use of flowers, shrubs and trees. Tuesday 14th June

This morning we enjoy a private visit toThe Laskett Gardens - the iconic garden of Sir Roy Strong. The largest private gardens to be created in England since 1945, they feature twenty different and constrasting “rooms” including a rose garden, knot garden, orchard, pleached lime avenue, parterres, herbaceous borders and the Colonnade Court.

After a stop for lunch we proceed for a private visit to the garden of Dr Christine Facer, Througham Court - recommended in ‘The New English Garden’.

Througham Court is Christine’s own garden and is used as a personal ‘design laboratory’ to experiment with new ideas, materials and planting combinations.

www.sisley.co.uk 6 Wednesday 15th June

This morning we depart for the private gardens of their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, Highgrove Gardens. These gardens have been created by the Prince of Wales during his 30 years of ownership and are widely regarded as some of the most inspired and innovative gardens in the U.K. We will enjoy a 2-hour guided tour of the gardens followed by lunch at the Orchard Restaurant. (Please see note regarding Highgrove below).

We will make a stop in the delightful Cotswolds market town of Cirencester where there will be free time to explore the town with its independent shops, church and museums.

Thursday 16th June

Today we see three very different gardens, each superb in its own right. We begin with Bourton House Garden. This privately owned garden has won various awards following twenty years transformation from wilderness into inspira- tional garden. We continue onto Sezincote – an extraordinary house displaying the finest Mogul architecture set amidst the Cotswolds Hills and surrounded by a romantic water garden. We’ll have a private guided tour of the house and free time to explore the gardens.

From here we continue to the private garden of Upton Wold. We’ll have lunch (included) over-looking the gardens then be taken on a private guided tour to explore this intriguing and rewarding garden featuring a fountain garden, rose garden, fruit and vegetable gardens, meadows and ponds – not to mention the national collection of Walnut trees. Friday 17th June

We begin our final day with a visit to Rodmarton, an Arts and Crafts house and garden at its very best. From here we continue onto Barnsley House for lunch (included). During Rosemary Verey’s lifetime, a tour of British gardens would not have been complete without a visit to her wonderful gardens at Barnsley House. It is now a luxury boutique hotel but the gardens have been beautifully maintained.

We return to Ellenborough Park mid-afternoon where the tour ends. We can advise and assist on departure planning.

HIGHGROVE: Around February each year, the Prince of Wales’ office at Highgrove releases dates on which pre-booked visits to the gardens will be available for the period April - October. Dates are limited and dependent on the Prince’s diary. It is therefore not possible to guarantee tickets to Highgrove before these dates are released. Our itinerary may be re-ordered to accommodate the visit to Highgrove or an alternative garden will be included should tickets not be available during our Tour week.

www.sisley.co.uk 7 OUR HOTEL:

Ellenborough Park Hotel, Spa:

Ellenborough Park, an ancient house dating from the 1500s on the site of the original estate has been restored as an exceptional luxury 5 star country house hotel, located just 10 minutes from the Cotswolds town of Cheltenham Spa.

Set within 90 acres of parkland the Hotel comprises 62 rooms & suites with an indian-themed spa and outdoor heated swimming pool. Voted UK’s Best Luxury Hotel in the Trip Advisor’s Traveller’s choice awards 2013, we have chosen Ellenborough Park for its wonderful service and particular attention to the comfort of its guests.

TOUR PRICES: Prices are per person, based on twin/double room share, with single supplement shown separately. Prices are payable in £GBP as shown below, except for clients travelling from the USA where prices are payable in $USD.

All countries except USA USA Cotswolds Exclusive with Highrove £2,300 (GBP) $3,750 (USD) Garden (5nts) Single supplement £450 (GBP) $720(USD)

PRICES INCLUDE: Prices based on twin/double room share. Accommodation at a 5 star luxury country house hotel and spa with en-suite facilities; buffet breakfast daily; dinner every evening; admissions to gardens on the tour programme above; deluxe coach travel; garden tours as described in an information pack provided at the start of the tour; lunch on three days as detailed in the tour programme and services of a Sisley tour director. Please see FAQ’s for further information. PRICES EXCLUDE: Airfares; passport fees; transport to and from the Cotswolds at the start and finish of the tour; lunches (except where indicated above); beverages; laundry; gratuities; telephone calls; souvenirs and items of a personal nature.

CONTACT US AND BOOK YOUR TOUR: We would be delighted to answer any queries about our tours and can be contacted at: Sisley Garden Tours, Duncanne House, Roecliffe Lane, Boroughbridge, YO51 9LN, England. Email: [email protected], Tel: +44 (0) 1423 325699. Our booking forms and terms & conditions can be found on our website at www.sisley.co.uk Please contact us directly to book your tour. For clients travelling from the USA and Canada we have partner travel agents to assist with your tour booking and travel arrangements. All Countries: Canada USA Sisley Garden Tours DH Tour: Worldwide Traveler: Colette Walker & Fran Pride Tel: TollFree: 1-888-597-3519 Tel: (815) 385 6900 Tel: +44(0) 1423 325699 Local: 1-905-639-9954 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

www.sisley.co.uk 8