Gardens with Brightwater

A friend and I took an English garden tour in May 2011. We did research in English magazines at our library and on websites and settled on one with Brightwater Holidays (Eden Park House, Cupar, Fife, Scotland, KY15 4HS, UK; phone +44 01334 657155, www.brightwaterholidays.com). 

The land cost of the 4-day, 3-night tour* was £345 (near $551), including dinners and full breakfasts. We spent a night in London on our own both before and after the tour.

We were picked up at a street location in central London. The group of 19 included English widows (all with their walking sticks), a trio from Germany, some Canadians and us. The guide had flown in from Wales and was delightful, starting each morning’s trek with a quote from Rudyard Kipling, no less. 

On the tour, our hotel — about an hour from London’s southeast side — was the Best Western Donnington Manor Hotel (London Road, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, Kent; www.bw-donningtonmanor.co.uk).

The front part, now the restaurant, was once an oak-timbered coaching inn. Beyond are modest rooms and an indoor swimming pool. The grounds hold beautiful gardens.

From there, our bus travel to the various gardens was never much more than a half hour. Each day we visited two gardens (the weather remained sunny!), with lunch on our own in between, perhaps at a sandwich place, tearoom or restaurant.

The itinerary was timed so we would arrive early at places, before the crowds. Our guide gave us information about the gardens before we arrived, then we were on our own to enjoy them.

We visited the World Garden of Plants near Lullingstone Castle, where only a pair of towers and a gate remain. There was also an ancient family church. Other gardens included Great Comp Garden, Nymans Garden, Bedgebury National Pinetum, Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Great Dixter Gardens and the place where Anne Boleyn grew up, Hever Castle.

The gardens varied greatly, the smaller ones contrasting with several of over 100 acres — not for the faint of heart. (I’m 83.) For garden lovers, it was like a feast. We tumbled into bed each night, exhausted but happy.

Brightwater has a large selection of such tours, and their staff was great to work with. The tours fill up early, even in December. Also, tours match the growing seasons of the climates in different parts of the UK. Especially nice — private gardens often are open for viewing only for a tour.

VEL DYSART

Crystal Lake, IL

*A tour matching Ms. Dysart’s description is offered by Brightwater Holidays under the name “The Gardens of Kent & Sussex.” Priced from £395, the 4-day, 3-night tour has departures in May, June and August 2015.