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The Hidden Gem of the Cotswolds

Sudeley Castle's ten gardens and a Cotswolds cream tea, with Hidcote, Batsford Arboretum and Highgrove among the gardens alongside.

Tour Summary

With a fascinating history that spans over 1000 years, 10 magnificent gardens and an estate located in an area of outstanding natural beauty, Sudeley Castle and Gardens is the hidden gem of the Cotsolds.

Included in This Tour

  • 4 nights at the Mercure Bowden Hall, Gloucester. On the outskirts of picturesque Gloucester and surrounded by acres of beautiful grounds, this elegant country house boasts modern rooms,
  • Breakfast and all evening meals
  • History of Sudeley Castle
  • Walking tour of gardens
  • Cotswolds cream tea
  • Private coach travel
  • Services of an experienced driver
  • 5 singles with no single supplement
  • Cancellation Protection

Tour Itinerary

Sudeley Castle - Sudeley Garden walking tour - Cotswolds Cream Tea

Sudeley Castle is a Grade I listed castle in the parish of Sudeley, in the Cotswolds, near to the medieval market town of Winchcombe in Gloucestershire. The castle has 10 notable gardens covering some 15 acres within a 1,200-acre estate nestled within the Cotswold hills. Sudeley is the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within its grounds – Katherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII’s six wives. Today visitors can explore the intimate 15th-century church where she lies entombed. Outside there are ten award-winning gardens. The centrepiece is the Queens Garden, so named because four of England’s queens – Anne Boleyn, Katherine Parr, Lady Jane Grey and Elizabeth I.

Highgrove - suggested itinerary

Highgrove House is the private residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It lies southwest of Tetbury in Gloucestershire. Built in the late 18th century, Highgrove and its estate were owned by various families until it was purchased in 1980 by the Duchy of Cornwall from Maurice Macmillan. The gardens at Highgrove have been open to the public since 1996. The gardens of the late 18th-century home now include rare trees, flowers and heirloom seeds. Current organic gardening and organic lawn management techniques have allowed the gardens to serve also as a sustainable habitat for birds and wildlife.

Hidcote NT

Hidcote Manor Garden located in the village of Hidcote Bartrim, near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire and is one of the best-known and most influential Arts and Crafts gardens in Britain, with its linked "garden rooms" of hedges, rare trees, shrubs and herbaceous borders. Created by Lawrence Johnston, it is owned by the National Trust.

Abbey Manor House and Gardens

Abbey House Gardens is a Grade I country house garden in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, covering 5 acres. The garden was transformed in the 1990s by the so-called Naked Gardeners: Ian and Barbara Pollard. In 2021 the property was acquired by new American owners, Whit and Kim Hanks. They plan to convert the house into a boutique hotel, while ensuring that the gardens are regularly opened to the public. It is a a Tudor English country house built on part of the site of Malmesbury Abbey, a medieval Benedictine monastery which was dissolved in 1539.

Barnsley House and Gardens - suggested itinerary

The beautiful 4 acre garden at Barnsley House, created by Rosemary Verey, is one of England's finest and most famous gardens within gardens including a knot garden,  potager garden, lime walk, a lily pond and mixed borders in her successional planting style.  Featured on television many times, the garden surrounds the splendid Cotswold stone Barnsley House which is now a boutique hotel.

Batsford Arboretum and Garden Centre - suggested itinerary

Batsford Arboretum and Garden Centre is home to one of the largest private tree collections in the country and offers visitors year round interest - from lush, spring colour provided by the beautiful Japanese flowering cherries to autumn’s spectacular natural fireworks display. Wander along 60 acres of wild gardens, paths and streams, enjoy stunning views across the Evenlode Valley and discover the beautiful oriental-influenced statues hidden in glades around the grounds. It is home to the country's largest private collection of trees and shrubs.

Accommodation

4 Nights

Mercure Bowden Hall, Gloucester

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