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England’s Glorious Gardens

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  • OVERVIEW
  • ITINERARY
  • HIGHLIGHTS


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England’s Glorious Gardens

15 Days

This gorgeous programme combines London with the English countryside showcasing a heady mix of both stunning gardens, some world-renowned and requiring little introduction and others that are hidden gems.

 In London, see the sights and discover how, with over 3,000 parks and open spaces, it is one of the greenest capital cities in the world.

 Throughout, on garden paths both well and less trodden, you’ll be amazed by their diversity of character, colour and arrangement. You’ll have the opportunity to meet garden owners, head gardeners and volunteers – all with a passion for the gardens they tend.

 It is a trip that will allow you the time to smell roses and indulge your senses.

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ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS



This 15 Day Dream Escape could include the following experiences: 

  • A Pre-opening private guided tour of Kensington Palace, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

 

  • Watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, a spectacular ceremony involving music, marching soldiers and imposing mounted guards, where the Queen’s Guard hands over responsibility for protecting the palace to the New Guard.

 

  • A Privately guided tour of The Royal Horticultural Society’s garden RHS Wisley. Encompassing 240 acres, the garden is unmissable, offering ideas and inspiration on design, innovation and cultivation.

 

  • A guided tour of the private gardens of their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall

 

  • Privately guided tour of Kew Botanical Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to the largest and most diverse collection of botanical species in the world

 

  • A privately guided tour of Hampton Court Palace Gardens

 

  • Explore the Cotswolds.  Gardens of interest include:

 

  • Painswick Rococo Garden – Designed in the 1740s as a flamboyant pleasure garden for holding intimate garden parties, this hidden valley is the country’s only surviving complete rococo garden.

 

  • Hidcote Manor Gardens – Another gardening gem. Created by an American particularly known for his strong design, it is very much another Arts and Craft “Miles of sculptured hedges showcase a bewildering number of outdoor rooms”.

 

  • Visit Blenheim Palace. a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site. The superb gardens were landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, Britain’s greatest landscape gardener. They are complete with parkland and 90 acres of formal gardens including the Rose Garden, Secret Garden and Churchill Memorial Garden.

 

We would suggest the following accommodation for this special gardens programme:

An elegant London hotel, favourite of the royal family and a historic manor house in the English countryside with amazing gardens to explore.

A beautiful retreat in rural Oxfordshire and an elegant and tranquil hotel in the historic centre of Bath

 

 

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HIGHLIGHTS

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HIGHLIGHTS

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THINGS TO DO

CHARTWELL

A grand Victorian house was the home of Sir Winston Churchill home from the 1920s until the end of his life in 1965.

BLENHEIM PALACE

Blenheim Palace was given to the first Duke of Marlborough by a grateful Nation, following his victory at the Battle of Blenheim in August 1704.

VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM

The “V&A” Museum was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, lays claim to being the world’s greatest and largest museum of decorative art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5million objects.

SISSINGHURST CASTLE GARDENS

Sissinghurst Castle Gardens were created by writer and poet, Vita Sackville-West and her husband.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

The remarkable Gothic structure of Westminster Abbey is like a huge memorial to one of our most pious Anglo-Saxon Kings.

HIGHGROVE

Visit the private gardens of their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for a very special visit. A keen gardener himself, His Royal Highness has devoted much energy to transforming the gardens around the house since his arrival in 1980.

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW

The Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew is London’s largest UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to one of the world’s largest plant collections. From the newly restored Temperate House to the Treetop Walkway which provides a sky-high view of the botanical gardens, it makes for a wonderful visit.

THE TOWER OF LONDON

This famed UNESCO World Heritage Site dates back to the early 1080s and has borne witness to many defining events in British history.

RHS GARDEN WISLEY

RHS Wisley is the home of the Royal Horticultural Society. Gifted to the Society in 1903, it has evolved over time into a world-class garden. Encompassing 240 acres, the garden is unmissable, offering ideas and inspiration on design, innovation and cultivation.

 

PLACES VISITED

LONDON

London, with its unique blend of history and culture, is constantly changing, with new landmarks, stylish restaurants and clubs opening up all the time. Recently voted as the gourmet capital of the world, London is the European capital to stay in touch with all that’s new and exciting, while enjoying its wealth of historic buildings and eclectic mix of museums and art galleries. With its unique blend of history and culture, the bustling metropolis of London has long been considered a must-see destination. The city is constantly changing, offering a wealth of historic buildings and monuments, as well as an eclectic mix of museums, art galleries and world famous attractions.

KENT

Kent, also known as the Garden of England is an idyllic, quintessentially English must-see destination to explore and discover. Located just outside of London, it is England’s oldest and most beautiful county. Visit RHS Garden Wisley, the flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society. It is considered one of the great gardens in the world, and is home to some of the largest plant collections.

THE COTSWOLDS

Glorious all year round, the Cotswolds are the largest of all the 38 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales. It is best known for representing “quintessential England”: rolling hillsides, country lanes and pretty stone villages. Perhaps the key to the Cotswolds’ irresistible and characteristic pull lies in the limestone bedrock from which so many of its towns and villages are built. It is this golden stone attributed from medieval wealth from wool merchants that makes the area equally as beautiful on an overcast afternoon or a sunny morning.

BATH

Considered one of Britain’s most beautiful cities, Bath is home to some of nation’s grandest and most graceful architecture. Sweeping crescents of gorgeous Georgian architecture co-exist harmoniously with ancient cobbled alleys and grand Roman Bathhouses, ensuring that almost every corner of the city boasts classical beauty that will stop you in your tracks.

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    Clients of Jessica Thompson, Fairway Travel, Virtuoso

  • "....their time in the U.K. was PERFECT – loved everything you guys did for them, and sang praises for everyone! Thank you!! "

    Connie Hanes, Herff Travel

  • "Everyone, from the Tour Guides to our excellent driver, were amazing. All aspects of the trip were beyond expectations. Even changing our day schedule for outside reasons (like the airline sending my bag to a city 120miles away) they were always happy to help and move the schedule around so we could keep enjoying our trip. Everyone made us feel at home and like family."

    Client of Leah Molinari, Molinari Travel, Gifted Travel Network

  • "Dream Escape was the trip of a lifetime. Excellent choice of hotels, tour guide was awesome, the planned tours were wonderful and very informative."

    Client of Trisha Rathke, VIP Travel Designs, Gifted Travel Network

  • "Dreamscape designed an itinerary that combined an exploration of Scottish history and culture and a visit to some of the filming locations for the hit TV show Outlander. The tour guides provided were personable and knowledgeable and responsive to our interests. Our driver who was with us for the entire trip was professional and pleasant and again, flexible and sensitive to our interests. The hotels were magnificent and the pacing of the trip, spending at least two nights in each hotel was perfect. The itinerary was everything we wanted!"

    Client of Susan Morley, Journeys around the World, Cadence

  • "Sally Strange was wonderful so knowledgable, friendly and fun. 100% would use her services again. We feel like we have a friend for life! We LOVED our tours, where we ate lunch, and spending the days with Sally......Thanks (once again!) for looking after our clients so well. We so appreciate you. "

    Lauren Ainsley, Black Tomato

  • "Rosie...thank you for giving us such a world-class experience in Scotland. Everyone had such a wonderful time and your presence was a large part of that. Your warmth and generosity in taking care of us on our little excursion is so beyond appreciated and I can’t wait to work with you again soon."

    Alex Martinetti

  • "Thank you so very much for the amazing trip to Scotland that you planned for us!! It was truly a once in a lifetime fabulous family trip!! Not only were the accommodations perfect, the activities were above expectations, given the people involved with so much knowledge and compassion for what they do....Many, many heartfelt thanks for making this trip so very special for our family. "

    Clients of Kristen Meckem, Kristen Meckem Travel, An Affiliate of Brownell

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    Jennifer McCrea, Boutique Travel Advisors

  • "We cannot thank you enough for all you did for us during our stay in Scotland! We loved every minute of it....and we loved you teaching us the history of each town and visit. "

    The Pogue Family - Clients of Amy Spence, Strong Travel

  • "We are so grateful for professionalism, expertise, and purely fun personality to entertain and educate our clients in all things royal! I do believe it was a smashing success. 😊"

    Pat Bowden, Red Letter Travel, an independent affiliate of Brownell

  • "Michael does such an outstanding job with making sure every itinerary he works on with me is well thought out. He is attentive to detail and always allows for the clients interest to be reflected in their tours. He makes sure that the perfect tour operator and chauffeur is paired with each client. I wanted you to know what a pleasure it is working with Michael and knowing my clients will always be well cared for when traveling with Dream Escape! "

    Jennifer McCrea, Boutique Travel Advisors

  • "Without a doubt, what made all of it so special and unforgettable was having the true pleasure of having Sally Strange as our guide. She was truly incredible..so full of life, energy, amazing historical knowledge anywhere we visited was extraordinary. Her sense of humor and fun personality made her extra special. Sally was a winner in every way."

    Clients of Betsy Talbot, Travel by Talbot (Brownell)

  • "Your team excelled on all levels! The execution of the itinerary was flawless!!! Well done. The clients LOVED Sally and this was just the second note from them about how exceptional she was. "

    Cathy Major, Cerulean World Travel

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    Krista Boyles, Unique Romance Travel

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    Marieta Carrrero, Boost Journeys

  • "I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone at Dream Escape who helped in making the Gialamas' visit to London special. I know Dream Escape has many people behind the scenes that work on making an itinerary such as this flow seamlessly and I just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work! "

    Jennifer McCrea, Boutique Travel Advisors

  • "Activities & Tours - All the events and guides were outstanding.- Guides - Simply the best. All of them. All outstanding! "

    Black Tomato Clients

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    Gretchen Ashworth Stewart, Client

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    Nancy Ebel, Virtuoso Travel Advisor

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    Shannon Marie Long - Reed and Mackay

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    Josh Whitaker - Owner, Rudi Steele Travel

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    Rob Arrow, Al Tayyar Group

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    William A Heim, Client

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    Jean Newman-Glock, Signature Travel Network

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    Sharon Delano, Frosch

  • "We want to thank you and the team from Dream Escape.  All six of us in our group had a wonderful time, and we all agreed we owed that in large measure to the work of Dream Escape. From the onset of working with you, you demonstrated a tremendous knowledge about all the activities we wished to pursue —from playing golf to dining at excellent restaurants to seeing historical sites and the Tattoo and Fringe Festival.  And, then you executed "

    Thomas Cohen, Client

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    Jill Jergel, Frontiers International Travel

  • "Our holiday in Scotland now tops their lists of best trips…… To their growing list of amazing and memorable first-time experiences, our sons may add fishing for trout and salmon on the River Tay; steering a motor boat on Loch Ness; and taking private guided tours on Culloden Moor Of the eight full days we were in Scotland, Alex and Mattie thought each and every day was the best"

    Michael Guadarrama & Trammi Nguyen, clients of Peter Carideo. CRC Travel

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    Max Levy, Direct client

  • "Thank you Karen and all of the staff and guides affiliated with Dream Escape…..the Flemings are having an awesome tour of Scotland. You all have made me look like a star! "

    Joni Gerace, The Travel Society, LLC

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    Clients of Courtney Regan, Affiliate of Brownell Travel

  • "Rosie was MORE than outstanding – she went out of her way to help us in every regard...She was so knowledgeable – we all loved her"

    Jill A. Jergel, Frontiers International Travel

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    Cindy Evans, Travel Consultant

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    Carole McFarland, Universal Travel

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    Donald M. Davis, President, Luxury Travel, Inc.

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    Peter Carideo, CRC Travel

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    Ann Lipschitz, Worldview Travel

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    Debra Fini, VWTI

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    Financial Times, How to Spend it

  • "It was, without doubt, one of the most spectacular weekends I have ever had"

    Country Life

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    Conde Nast Traveller Magazine

  • "The level of service they provide is outstanding. They truly care about every aspect of the trip to ensure you have a fantastic stay. Rosie is a hidden gem of a tour guide. Just fabulous."

    Yvonne Malka, Signature Travel Network, April 2018