Gardens of Somerset and Dorset
Join us in the gardens of Somerset and Dorset
Our tailor-made tour of Somerset and Dorset has been designed to give you a full experience of gardens, historic and contemporary, including excellent food and inspiring talks from leading gardeners.
We’ll be based in the family-run Castle Hotel in Taunton, a four-star retreat famed for its food.
28 August - 1 September, 2022
Prices start from £995 per person*
What's included:
- Private visit and guided tour at Mapperton House and Gardens
- Lunch, talk and garden visit at The Newt, Somerset
- Visit to Hestercombe with guided garden tour, Prosecco welcome, three-course dinner and talk from David Hurrion
- Stay at the 4-star Castle Hotel in Taunton – 4 nights B&B
- Welcome reception with talk and private three-course dinner
- with wine on first night
- All talks, guided tours and admissions with welcome talks as detailed and coach travel
- GW Associate Editor, David Hurrion as tour manager throughout
Book now at Travel Editions - please quote code GOSJUN22
Broadleigh Gardens Bulbs
Your tour manager, David Hurrion
BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Associate Editor, David Hurrion is a gardener and horticultaralist with over 50 years experience and regularly accompanies our exclusive reader holidays.
Your accommodation
Castle Hotel is an ivy-clad four-star retreat famed for its food. It's one of the UK’s most historic hotels dating back, in parts, some 1,000 years. Family-run for more than 60 years by the Chapman family, it is a wonderful place to stay and offers a range of room sizes and comfort levels (some supplements apply: call for details).Â
Castle Hotel, Taunton
Garden Highlights
- DAY ONE Arrival at the Castle Hotel with welcome drinks, dinner and talk with David Hurrion.
- DAY TWO Visit to South Wood Farm (opening exclusively for this tour) over the county boundary in Devon, which draws on elements of garden-making from the mid-seventeenth century, reinterpreting those ideas for today. You’ll then head to Lyme Regis for free time, where you can grab some lunch (not included). Mapperton House and Gardens is the next stop, where you’ll be taken on a guided tour of the award-winning gardens.
- DAY THREE We explore the private gardens of Batcombe House designed by owner Libby Russell, where the group will be met by the head gardener for a guided tour. We then head off to The Newt, a fabulous Georgian estate with exquisite gardens. We will enjoy a delicious lunch in the Garden Café, followed by a talk from the head gardener before heading off to explore these wonderful gardens.
- DAY FOUR As we dive into the historic side of Somerset, the first stop is plantswoman Margery Fish’s iconic cottage garden at East Lambrook Manor. We then travel on to the National Trust’s historic Tintinhull Garden for free time to explore the elegant formal borders and kitchen garden. The late afternoon brings a private exploration of the magnificent gardens at Hestercombe, followed by a group reception and three-course dinner with wine, and ending with a talk from David Hurrion.
- DAY FIVE Our final day starts at the organic gardens of Yeo Valley Farm. We then head to the gardens of the Bishops Palace in Wells for individual exploration and lunch. Finally, it’s back to the Castle Hotel to bid farewell to this wonderful region.
Batcombe House
The Newt
East Lambrook Manor Gardens
Terms & conditions:
Holiday organised by and subject to booking conditions of Travel Editions Tours Ltd. Please note all timings are approximate and may be changed. Joining instructions sent 10-14 days prior to departure. In the case of unforeseen circumstances, experts may be substituted. *Single visitors welcome at a supplement from £248pp / £36 upgrade to a deluxe room. Additional night is available on request.
PLEASE NOTE:Â This is a busy itinerary visiting some sizeable gardens and involving a considerable amount of walking, with little or no access to assistance. Please bear this in mind when booking this tour.
WE ARE COVID-SAFE – BOOK IN CONFIDENCE. Travel Editions have a comprehensive COVID plan in place to ensure your safety.
Exclusive travel and events
Find out more about exclusive holidays and cruises, masterclasses and reader events from BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, in our travel and events video.
Hidden away at Rick Stein's pub near Padstow, The Cornish Arms, are six wooden shepherd's huts, perfect for a peaceful couple of nights by the coast. Each hut boasts a cosy living and dining area, an en-suite shower room, a kitchenette and a private patio. Your stay is also a gastronomic delight with two sumptuous breakfasts and a three-course dinner at The Cornish Arms included. You’ll also enjoy a delicious beach picnic with a selection of delights from Stein’s Deli.
Goldsborough Hall, with five AA Gold Stars, is a private and exclusive stately home in North Yorkshire, overlooking 12 acres of historic gardens and tranquil parkland. It offers fine dining in the superb Dining Room, which was recently awarded three AA rosettes and mentioned in the Michelin Guide.
Use code: GARDENERSWORLD
Join Gardeners' World for an exclusive tour of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla's private gardens, followed by a Prosecco and canapés reception, a delicious three-course lunch and an entertaining talk and Q&A with Alan Titchmarsh.