A Cornucopia of Remarkable British Gardens

Next week, I’ll be heading south for a couple of days in the Cotswolds and accompanying me will be my two constant companions: The 2015 Good Pub Guide, a two-inch-thick compendium that lists 4,800 of the best UK pubs and this year’s edition of the Yellow Book produced by the National Garden Scheme and this year over 3,800 gardens will open their “garden gates” to welcome visitors.   

A separate edition is produced for the 350 plus properties that open annually in Scotland and that travels with me when I head north of the border. 

A Britain Insider column on the Good Pub Guide is in the works (I still have a few more ancient coaching inns to visit!) but this week’s focus is on the huge collection of remarkable gardens both large and small that will add something very special to your UK tour. 

The National Garden Scheme (NGS) has been opening gardens in England and Wales to raise money for nursing and caring charities since 1927. Most of the gardens are privately owned and they offer your clients the opportunity to meet the owners/head gardeners (often one and the same person) and enjoy their individual creations. 

The variety is breathtaking.  From village openings and roof gardens, tiny cottages and rolling acres, to allotments and barges, you’ll discover gardens that inform and inspire.

These largely privately owned properties are most frequently open on Sunday afternoons but some welcome visitors on weekdays and Saturdays and some offer the ability to arrange private tours which can be arranged in advance. 

If the constraints of the itinerary prevent your group from visiting when the garden is open, out of hours visits are usually possible at some of the gardens.  As your clients may well be the only people there, this becomes very memorable especially if you finish the visit with a glass of wine.

Enjoying a freshly brewed cuppa and homemade scones and cakes goes down very well after your visit especially when a whole village gets in on the act.  Rubbing shoulders with hundreds of Brits who’ve just done the same thing is another part of the countryside experience.

NGS gardens make notable additions to tailor made programmes that feature head gardener led tours of internationally renowned, award winning castles, palaces and stately homes. They also add something very special to other tours that can be created as pre or post cruise extensions, Girls Getaways, Literary, Visual Arts, Theatre and Church group tours. 

The clever bit lies with making the right choices and in the right order, which is where my expertise comes in.  The end result will put your UK proposal on a higher and more eye-catching level than your competitors.

And if you wanted a more compelling reason to visit gardens that open for the National Gardens Scheme, I think this is it. As a result of garden opening last year the NGS donated £2.5m ($4.3USD) to Marie Curie Cancer Care, MacMillan Cancer Support, Help the Hospices and the Carers Trust.

To find out full details of gardens that open for the National Gardens Scheme please visit www.ngs.org.uk. To search for details of gardens look for the “Visiting Gardens” option on the top menu bar and select “Find a Garden.”  On the other hand save yourself a job and use my local knowledge and experience to customize a tour that will really impress your contacts.