Assembly

Please make your way to The Petersham Hotel, Richmond, and check-in. Tim will arrive in the afternoon, we’ll meet for drinks at 6 o'clock for a private dinner at 7 o’clock.

The Petersham is 10 miles/16 km east of Heathrow Airport and should anyone wish to arrive earlier than Monday, 19 May, we will (subject to availability) arrange accommodation for them.

Richmond is one of London's 32 boroughs, it lies some 15 miles/24 km to the southwest of central London and its location, on the River Thames, is well placed for this part of the tour.

D1 Tuesday, 20 May

Petersham, Ham House & RBG, Kew

We start the day with a walk across Petersham Meadows, for a brief visit to Petersham Nurseries, and continue, along the River Thames Path, to Ham House where we’ll visit both house and garden, one of only a few 17th-century gardens to survive – the 17th-century character being reinstated during the 1970s reconstruction.

Late in the morning, we’ll drive to the other side of Richmond, for lunch and the rest of the day at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, a veritable treasure trove of world-renowned treats, including its famous Temperate House, Kew Palace and the 18-metre high treetop walk!

Shortly before the gardens close, at 6 o'clock, we will meet at the main gates and walk into Kew village for supper.

D2 Wednesday, 21 May

Chelsea Flower Show

Today’s the day, a whole day at the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show.

Wednesday is the second of the two Members' Only Days, two days reserved exclusively for members of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) – which, or course, you will be.

The day starts with an early morning drive to the main gates, where we are dropped off just before the gates open at 8 o'clock. We have all day at Chelsea and, although we will discuss it nearer the time, experience tells us to leave at about 4 o'clock – avoiding the late afternoon rush and, in any case, eight hours on our feet is enough for most people.

We return, tired and happy, to The Petersham for a casual supper.

D3 Thursday, 22 May

Hampton Court Palace

Our day begins – a little later than usual – with a short drive to Hampton Court Palace, the fabulous Tudor palace built by Cardinal Wolsey, but taken from him by Henry VIII. The riverside palace later became the preferred royal residence of King William & Queen Mary, who had vast modifications made to the palace by Christopher Wren. The Privy Garden was laid out in 1702 and this recently restored garden is one of the many joys of this enormous place.

Mid-afternoon we’ll meet up and return to Richmond by Thames riverboat. The river between Hampton Court and Richmond is a particularly fine stretch of the Thames and it is, in any case, a thoroughly pleasurable way of whiling away an hour or two, on a late May afternoon. The boat brings you into Richmond, where Tim will meet you and take you to dinner at A Cena.

D4 Friday, 23 May

RHS Garden, Wisley

We set off to the Kent countryside via the gardens at RHS Garden, Wisley, the HQ of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and a Mecca for gardeners everywhere.

Download the Wisley app.

We will spend much of the day exploring these internationally renowned gardens from where, later in the afternoon, we’ll take the motorway around the south of London to our new hotel.

We plan to arrive in good time to check in, relax and enjoy a drink before dinner at the hotel.

D5 Saturday, 24 May

Walmer Castle & Goodnestone

We spend the day in eastern Kent, starting with a visit to Walmer Castle, at the south-eastern tip of Britain. Walmer is one of many coastal forts built by the Tudors to keep out Spanish and French aggressors, it is also the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and, until her death, the late Queen Mother was Lord Warden – and we will visit the garden designed for her.

After lunch, at Walmer, we’ll visit the Roman ruins at Richborough, before the rest of the afternoon at Goodnestone Park. Once the home of Jane Austen's brother, Edward, Goodnestone is a romantic garden with much to admire, not least a superb collection of trees, a triple-bay walled garden, an admirable situation and exceedingly good cakes!

Dinner, if they’ll take a booking for 13, at the Goods Shed in Canterbury.

D6 Sunday, 25 May

Sissinghurst Castle & NGS

And so to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens – undoubtedly one of the highlights of the tour and, equally undoubtedly, one of Britain's best-loved gardens. Created in the 1930s, by husband-and-wife team Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West, the gardens have clearly stood the test of time and, quite rightly, they are famous the world over.

We have the whole of the morning and lunch at Sissinghurst, before an afternoon visit to one or more National Garden Scheme (NGS) Gardens Open for Charity garden.

The NGS doesn't publish the garden openings until February, but there will be a good choice of private gardens open for charity on a Sunday afternoon in Kent or Sussex, in May.

Dinner, quite probably, at the Three Chimneys.

D7 Monday, 26 May

Great Dixter & Pashley Manor

The day starts with a pleasant drive across the Kentish landscape into neighbouring Sussex to visit Great Dixter, the late Christopher Lloyd’s famous garden, now in the trusted hands of Fergus Garrett. Hopefully, we will get permission to arrive an hour early and have the garden to ourselves – we’ll have to see.

From Dixter it’s not far to Pashley Manor, where we’ll have lunch and the early afternoon exploring this handsome garden, surrounding and perfectly matching, the most delightful house – a mid-sixteenth-century half-timbered house on one side and an elegant Georgian house, on the other.

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.

D8 Tuesday, 27 May

Hever Castle

Our final visit is to Hever Castle, famously the childhood home of Anne Boleyn (the second wife of Hanry VIII) and, rather more recently, of William Waldorf Astor, the wealthy American financier, who restored the castle and created the gardens and landscape we see today.

The visit combines both the castle and the gardens, and we will stay for lunch before returning to the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel (or other agreed destination), where the tour ends.