D1 Tuesday, 6 May

The Manor House, Upton Grey

The tour starts from the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel, where Tim will meet you at 10 am and, once we’re loaded, we’ll set off to The Manor House, Upton Grey.

Gertrude Jekyll designed this garden in 1908 and John & Rosamund Wallinger, who bought the property in 1984 and who, by their own admission, had little idea of gardening, have restored it – and restored it magnificently (see here for their story).

From Upton Grey, we make our way southwest to Oborne, to the Grange at Oborne, our hotel for the next three nights, where we will arrive in good time to settle in before drinks and dinner.

Today's driving is about 150 miles

D2 Wednesday, 7 May

Stourhead & Hestercombe

We start the day at Stourhead, to visit these world-famous, eighteenth-century landscape gardens. “A living work of art” is how one magazine described Stourhead when it first opened in the 1740s. It is a classical garden of its time and has, as its centrepiece, a magnificent lake designed to reflect the surrounding classical temples, mystical grottoes and other follies.

We’ll have lunch at Stourhead before driving west for the afternoon at Hestercombe to explore three centuries of garden history, from the Lutyens and Jekyll Arts & Crafts gardens to the earlier, Georgian pleasure grounds.

We’ll return to Oborne via Barrington, for dinner at The Barrington Boar.

Today's driving is about 110 miles

D3 Thursday, 8 May

Hill Forts & Coastal Walks

Depending on the weather, we will either walk a section of the South West Coast Path or, if the weather is less favourable, we will explore Lambert's and Coney's Castle, two adjacent Iron Age Hill Forts.

More on Dorset’s Coast and Hill Forts.

Whatever we do we’ll take a picnic with us and, should we wish to or should the weather be too unkind to walk in, we can always take ourselves off to visit the gardens at Forde Abbey or Mapperton.

And, at some point in the day, we will visit Sherborne Abbey too.

Dinner at our hotel.

Today's driving is about 80 miles

D4 Friday, 9 May

Mottisfont & Chichester

We leave Dorset for Sussex, crossing through Hampshire and stopping at Mottisfont, to visit the Walled Garden and its world-famous collection of old-fashioned roses. We’ll stay for lunch before continuing to Chichester, where we’ll explore the town and visit Pallant House Gallery and, hopefully, attend Choral Evensong at Chichester Cathedral.

It’s not far to Midhurst and our next hotel, The Spread Eagle, where we’ll arrive in good time to relax before drinks and dinner.

Today's driving is about 120 miles

D5 Saturday, 10 May

Petworth House & Brighton

We are very close to Petworth House, where we will begin our day at this extraordinary 17th-century house enjoying its important art collection, including works by Van Dyck, Turner and Gainsborough. We’ll have time, too, to enjoy the delights of its 18th-century garden, laid out by ‘Capability’ Brown.

After lunch, we’ll cross the South Downs, stopping for the views of Sussex from Devil’s Dyke, and into Brighton for a walk along the promenade and to visit the Royal Pavilion.

Dinner either in Brighton, at Chilli Pickle, or en route home, at The Ginger Fox.

Today's driving is about 80 miles

D6 Sunday, 11 May

The South Downs & NGS Gardens

If the weather is kind, we will spend much of the day walking along the South Downs, either on the South Downs Way, The Seven Sisters or on one of the many other footpaths which crisscross the Downs. We will take another packed lunch with us or, possibly, stop for Sunday Lunch in one of several pubs we know – though we may never get up again afterwards.

And, if time allows, we will enjoy the delights of a local private garden, opening for charity under the National Garden Scheme.

Dinner at our hotel.

Today's driving is about 60 miles

D7 Monday, 12 May

Nymans & one other…

We leave Midhurst and continue our progress eastward, stopping at Nymans to enjoy these wonderful gardens, with their collections of rare and unusual plants and far-reaching views across the Sussex Weald.

Again, we’ll stay for lunch before visiting either Wakehurst Place, Kew Gardens ‘place in the country’, or Sheffield Park, with its lakes and Rhododendrons, both of which are nearby.

Alternatively, we could visit Pashley Manor, which is very close to our destination, which is our final hotel, The Queen’s Inn, in Hawkhurst, where we’ll arrive in good time to settle in before drinks and dinner.

Today's driving is about 80 miles

D8 Tuesday, 13 May

Knole & Ightham Mote

We’ll spend much of the day at Knole, a vast estate originally built as an Archbishop’s Palace and which passed through royalty to the Sackville family – it was Vita Sackville West’s childhood home and remains home to the Sackville’s. Remarkably, its showrooms have been open to visitors for some 400 years.

We will have access to Lord Sackville’s Garden, which is only open on six occasions in 2025 and we will possibly take a private guided tour of the attic rooms.

If time and headspace allow, we may also visit Ightham Mote, a recently restored 14th-century moated manor house.

Dinner at Number 8 in nearby Sevenoaks.

Today's driving is about 80 miles

D9 Wednesday, 14 May

Great Dixter & Sissinghurst

Our penultimate day is split between two of Britain’s finest and most loved gardens.

Firstly, Great Dixter, the late Christopher Lloyd’s famous garden, now in the trusted hands of Fergus Garrett and where, hopefully, we will get permission to arrive an hour early and have the garden to ourselves.

And thence to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, created in the 1930s, by husband-and-wife team Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West. The gardens have stood the test of time and, quite rightly, they are famous the world over.

Late in the afternoon, we’ll drive into Rye for a stroll around the cobbled streets of this medieval, hill-top town, enjoy a drink at the Mermaid Inn (rebuilt 1420!) and have dinner, hopefully, at the Landgate Bistro.

Today's total driving is about 60 miles

D10 Thursday, 15 May

RHS Garden, Wisley

Our final day and, fittingly, we may have saved the best until last, with a visit to the Mecca of British gardening, RHS Garden, Wisley, the HQ of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

We will have plenty of time to explore these internationally renowned gardens. We will stay for lunch before returning to the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel (or other agreed destination), where the tour ends.

Today's driving is about 80 miles

Image: RHS Garden, Wisley