Garden Gems of Cornwall, Devon & the Isles of Scilly
Wednesday 11th – Wednesday 18th May 2022 (7 nights). Sorry – this tour is now fully booked. We are investigating options for a second tour departure. Please email us (tours@sisley.co.uk) if you are interested in this tour.
Join us on our tour of Cornwall and Devon, the most charming and quintessential corner of England. We visit private and world-famous gardens: the Lost Gardens of Heligan, the Eden Project and Hestercombe, and make a fabulous trip to the Isles of Scilly to visit Tresco Abbey Garden. The coastal and moorland scenery of south-west England is unsurpassed
- Visit to the Isles of Scilly and Tresco Abbey Gardens
- Superb hotels, one on the River Dart and one with 25 acre private beach
- See the summer home of Agatha Christie
- World famous Eden Project and Lost Gardens of Heligan
- Three delightful private gardens with the opportunity to meet their owners
- Private lunch with the owner and tour at Glendurgan Garden
- Lutyens/Jekyll masterpiece at Hestercombe Gardens
- Devon cream tea at The Garden House
- A free afternoon in the Cornish seaside town of St. Ives, famous for its artists and Tate St Ives Art Gallery & Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden
- Private river cruise and steam train journey in Devon
Photo credits: Cornish coastline, Dartmouth steam railway copyright VisitBritain; Isles of Scilly copyright Visit Isles of Scilly; other images copyright Sisley Garden Tours.
We meet at the Hilton London Paddington Hotel adjacent to Paddington Train Station and take a mid-morning train to Cornwall. This scenic train ride travels through beautiful countryside and is the ultimate means of relaxing travel to the far south-west of England. We stop off at St Austell where we visit the Eden Project. An astonishing story of regeneration, the Eden Project is nestled in a former china clay mine. The massive Biomes house the largest rainforest in captivity, stunning plants, exhibitions and striking contemporary gardens.
We continue by coach and arrive, late afternoon, at our hotel – the beautifully situated 4-star Carbis Bay Hotel & Spa, St Ives. This stunning coastal retreat, located close to St Ives, has its own 25 acre beach and breath-taking views. Dinner in the hotel (included).
Thursday 12th May
Today we begin with a visit to Glendurgan Garden – a valley garden with outstanding spring displays of rhododendrons. Here we enjoy a tour with the owner followed by lunch (included) in his home.
In the afternoon, we enjoy a visit to a fabulous private garden on an ancient Cornish estate, that has been farmed and settled for more than 700 years. The gardens have mostly been laid out in the last 20 years by the current owner, and incorporate the 18th-century walled garden, a new water feature sited in a gravel and palm garden, rockery, herbaceous beds, and a series of yew ‘rooms’. We return to the hotel for dinner (included).
Friday 13th May
Today we make an early start. We take a short flight from Land’s End airport to the Isles of Scilly, nestling just 35 miles off the coast of Cornwall, these islands are like nowhere else in England. Outstandingly beautiful, uncrowded and unspoilt, they seem like a world apart from everyday life. We take an inter-island boat to the island of Tresco to visit Tresco Abbey Gardens. This tropical garden is home to species from 80 countries, ranging from Brazil to New Zealand and Burma to South Africa – the diversity of plant life to be found within the Abbey Garden is extraordinary. There will be time for lunch (independent) at the garden before enjoying some of the island scenery and the return flight to the mainland. Dinner in the hotel (included).
Please note: This day trip to the Isles of Scilly includes transport by small aircraft (approx. 15 seats) and by inter-island boat. If you prefer not to join the tour this day, please let us know at the time of booking and we may be able to adjust your tour price.
Saturday 14th May
Today we begin with a wonderful private garden on the Lizard Peninsula. Here we meet the owner, and enjoy a guided tour of the gardens which surround the elegant Georgian house and have been skillfully developed over the last 20 years. We have lunch in the garden (included).
In the afternoon we make a visit to the pretty seaside town of St Ives, where there is time to explore. Tickets are included for a visit to the Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden. Your evening is at leisure in St Ives or at the hotel.
Sunday 15th May
After checking out of our hotel, we travel north and visit The Lost Gardens of Heligan. 30 years ago, The Lost Gardens of Heligan were rediscovered and underwent a ground breaking restoration project. We will enjoy a guided tour of the gardens and there will be time for lunch (independent) and further exploration.
We then cross from Cornwall into Devon and check-in to our second base of the tour, the 4-star Dart Marina Hotel & Spa. After settling into our rooms we take a private river cruise from the hotel jetty along the River Dart before returning to the hotel for dinner (included).
Monday 16th May
This morning, we head to The Garden House in Dartmoor National Park. The ten-acre gardens were developed in the 1940s by Lionel and Katharine Fortescue. Over the next 40 years the Fortescues created a garden which is viewed as one of the finest in Britain. We enjoy a tour with the Head Gardener followed by a Devon cream tea lunch (included).
Wildside Nursery & Garden is our next stop. The private garden of Keith Wiley is located on the edge of Dartmoor. Keith was creator and head gardener at the nearby Garden House until 2003 when he decided to set up a new garden and nursery just half a mile down the road. He is a proponent of a ‘new naturalism’ movement in gardening, which seeks to work in harmony with nature, allowing plants to thrive much as they would in the wild. He takes inspiration from natural landscapes to create areas of planting in his gardens inspired by sights from around the world. Your evening is at leisure with the chance to explore the charming town of Dartmouth.
Tuesday 17th May
Today, we cross the River Dart on the car ferry and head to Coleton Fishacre, a 1920s country retreat built for Rupert D’Oyly Carte, the theatre impresario and hotel owner. With its luxuriant gardens by the sea leading to their own private beach, the house evokes the sophisticated spirit of the 1920’s. We walk through the gardens with the Head Gardener and have free time to look inside the exquisite house, and have lunch (independent).
In the afternoon we continue on to Greenway House, former summer home of Agatha Christie. The house is exactly as she left it and contains her eclectic collections from around the world. There is time to explore the house and its collections and to stroll through the gardens. We return to the hotel in style, in the Pullman observation car of the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Final night dinner in the hotel (included).
Wednesday 18th May
We check-out in the morning and head back towards London. En-route we make a stop at Hestercombe Gardens. The formal Edwardian Garden has been described as ‘Lutyens at his best’. Designed just before the First World War, it contains one of the great masterpieces of the collaboration between Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. There will be time for lunch (independent) and exploration of the gardens.
In the late afternoon we drop off at the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel and Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 for inter-terminal transport links and the Heathrow Express train train travel into London.
Please read our Tour Joining and Departure Arrangements information sheet here. To download a printable version of this itinerary, click here.
Our Hotels
Our hotels are 4-star and selected for their high standards of comfort and service. All rooms are en-suite and offer free wi-fi access.
This superb coastal retreat offers access to its own 25 acre beach and breathtaking views of the beautiful Carbis Bay. There are 47 individually designed bedrooms, a luxurious spa and award-winning dining. The hotel is located on a 125 acre estate just outside the picturesque town of St Ives and hosted world leaders at the G7 conference in June 2021.
A tastefully modernised 4-star hotel and spa, beautifully situated overlooking the River Dart and just a 10-minute riverside stroll into Dartmouth. All bedrooms have lovely river views, comfortable furnishings and the restaurant is award-winning. There is a beautiful spa and indoor pool. The hotel is situated in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
| Tour cost per person (sharing twin or double room) | Single supplement (for single occupancy of a double room) |
| £4,400 (GBP) | £500 (GBP) |
PRICES INCLUDE:
- 7 nights’ accommodation at 4-star hotels with en-suite facilities.
- Breakfast daily, 3 lunches and 5 dinners.
- All garden visits including tours with garden owners and head gardeners.
- All tour gratuities (driver, tour director and hotels).
- 1st-class train travel to Cornwall from London Paddington on day one.
- Deluxe coach travel with professional driver.
- Flights and boat transport to and from the Isles of Scilly.
- Gift information pack with detailed information about the gardens we will be visiting.
- Services of your Sisley tour director throughout
PRICES EXCLUDE:
- Airfares (Isles of Scilly flights included).
- Passport and/or visa fees if applicable.
- Meals not included in the tour, drinks, laundry, and telephone calls.
TOUR PAYMENT: A 10% deposit is requested at the time of booking to secure your place on the tour. Your tour balance payment is due 90 days prior to tour departure.
EXCHANGE RATE INFORMATION: You can get an idea of the cost of the tour in your local currency by using a currency converter. Conversion rates are based on institutional or inter-bank daily rates. Retail conversion rates include fees and will generally differ from these rates.
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We very much look forward to welcoming you, but please email tours@sisley.co.uk if you have any queries.
