We are going to be in England for 2 weeks. We plan to spend 6 nights in London and then would like to tour around stately homes and gardens using train and car. We would like to stay in one area more or less. I am thinking about Kent and environs as an area of focus. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated; we are just starting to plan this trip and are happy to hear others' experiences.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
When are you planning to go?
Posted by
OP
Columbus, OH, USA
2031 posts
We arrive in London 19 May and return from London 2 June 2009. We will see the Chelsea Flower show while in London. I am hoping this will be a good time frame for gardens.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5676 posts
I haven't been to Kent, but you might use the National Trust website (www.nationaltrust.org.uk) to help with your planning. They have some good information on gardens and historic homes that they manage. You can search by county, by dates of visit, and by the type of site that you are looking for.
Posted by
Land of La
8848 posts
Not a budget item: http://www.chatsworth.org/
Different option.
Posted by
Ojai, CA
591 posts
Denny,
I've done the same type of tour which also just happened to be during the last half of May. Look at the website for the Great British Heritage Pass:http://www.britishheritagepass.com The pass covers about 90% of the stately homes, castles & gardens worth visiting in Britain. We visited about 3 places a day and ended up saving 70% of admission costs by not paying for admission tickets individually. The website gives you a map of all their locations and a description of each property. A car is best for such a tour, plus England has about the lowest car rental costs of any country in Europe. We spent 3 nights in Tunbridge Wells for touring Kent, and, also, 2 in Salisbury and 2 in Woodstock.
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
While in London, be sure to see Kew Gardens. They are marvelous at any time and should be spectacular when you are there. Also, do a day trip to Windsor. We enjoyed the gardens around the castle there. The yellow rose garden is especially nice. There is also the Chelsea physic garden in London- I haven't see it yet (on the agenda for another trip!) In addition to Kent you might want to check out Wales- there are quite a few good gardens there- or Scotland-very many! See if you local library carries old issues of Relm or In Britian magazines. They have done several article about statley/manorial homes and gardens in recent years.
Posted by
OP
Columbus, OH, USA
2031 posts
Thanks for all the information and about the passes , too. As it turns out it looks like we'll being doing pretty much the same as Tim....4 nights in the Tunbridge Wells area and 3 in Salisbury, with a car. As I read more I see The List of sights grows. Will winnow and cull as we progress. Looking forward to a great time.
Posted by
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
1446 posts
Wisley Gardens outside of London is a spectacular place to visit.