I would very much like to go on a guided tour of UK gardens. I have traveled on my own several times through Europe. I wish Rick offered a tour like this. I can not find a tour company that offers this. Suggestions? Recommendations?
Posted by
Preston UK
890 posts
Brightwater Holidays offer a range of short tours -https://www.brightwaterholidays.com/tours/garden-tours/
Disclaimer - I know nothing about Brightwater so it's not a recommendation, although I will know a number of the gardens visited.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13966 posts
Mark Seymour, a former RS guide, is offering 2 garden tours for 2025. They’ll be led by Lorraine Dineen who was along on my recent Seymout Travels tour of Northern England. She is awesome. Mark is awesome. His small group tours are awesome, lol. Ive signed up for another this year, one in 2024 and 2 in 2025!!
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1022 posts
I thought there had to be a company offering this service and a quick google threw up Sisley Garden Tours. Looks to be exactly what you’re after.
Posted by
Atlanta
2471 posts
A friend sent me this information about 2 British ladies who own and run a tour company that does garden tours around the UK. Their email is tours@sisley.co.uk. Their 2024 are out now and they are lovely, a little too pricey for me. There were several I really wanted to go on but cannot justify the price. This may interest you.
Posted by
Atlanta
2471 posts
Pam,
I’m so glad to hear about the 2025 Garden Tour being led by Lorraine Dineen. I will have to look up this tour!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4574 posts
Are you a member of any garden society at home? Sometimes tours are organized on a city, state or country level.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13966 posts
Judy, have you traveled with Lorraine? I should have mentioned she also is an RS guide. I’m not sure how many she’s doing this year for Rick. Lorraine lives in Gloucestershire and is very knowledgeable about flora and fauna. She’s also a big rambler. One of the days she was tagging along with our group we dropped her off so she could walk back to our country hotel while we did something else. The walk “home” was 10 miles, lol.
I also forgot that Road Scholar has a garden tour that includes the Chelsea Garden Show. I’d signed up for it for 2022 but canceled when I realized it’s a 40-person tour. That is just bigger than I want. I’m sure they divide you into groups in the gardens but it takes way too long for that many seniors to do confort stops and get fed. We were also just coming out of Covid last year and I didn’t want to be on a bus with that many people.
It looks like their 2024 tours are sold out but sometimes it’s possible to be waitlisted or you can watch for the release of the 2025 tours.
Posted by
OP
20 posts
Thank you all for the suggestions.
Posted by
OP
20 posts
I am considering the option of hiring a driver or a local guide and planning my own visit. Any idea the cost of a driver for say two or three days? Or has anyone used a local guide in SE England? to tour gardens.....