‘Marvels of Monmouthshire’
An exclusive garden tour in partnership with The English Garden Magazine.
Tuesday 25th – Friday 28th June 2024 (3 nights)
This tour is now FULLY BOOKED. If you would like to join the wait list, please register here.
Tour highlights:
Join us for an exciting four-day tour opening the gates of some of the most exclusive gardens in Monmouthshire with Sisley Garden Tours and The English Garden magazine. Accompanied by an expert local guide and Fran Pride, co-owner of Sisley Garden Tours, we’ll explore historic garden gems, gardens of innovative contemporary design and private, personal gardens of exceptional beauty.
Based at the award-winning Angel Hotel, Abergavenny, we will spend four days travelling around the beautiful Welsh countryside. You can expect excellent food, the company of fascinating garden owners and head gardeners and first class service.
- Enjoy privilaged access to The Laskett Gardens on a closed day
- Join ‘Arts & Crafts’ gardens expert, Helena Gerrish as we explore three of H. Avray Tipping’s landmark houses and gardens
- Explore the hidden valley housing Arne Maynard’s exquisite home and garden at Allt y Bela
- Meet the owners of the region’s Nation’s Favourite Garden at Highfield Farm
- Tour Llanover Estate’s extraordinary arbeoretum and gardens with their knowledgeable owner
- Stay at the stylish Angel Hotel, in the characterful Brecon Beacons market town of Abergavenny.
Photo credits: High Glanau & Mounton House, Helena Gerrish. All other images credit Sisley Garden Tours
After independent journeys to Abergavenny, we’ll meet in the early afternoon at The Angel Hotel in Abergavenny, our four-star base for the tour. This elegant former coaching inn is located at the heart of the vibrant ‘foodie’ town of Abergavenny. Car parking is available at the hotel or Abergavenny is a 2.5-hour train ride from London (see our tour joining & tour end arrangements for more information here).
Our first visit is to the privately owned, Highfield Farm, the home of two self-confessed ‘plantaholics’ whose knowledge of botany and plant breeding is unsurpassed. They will show us around their 3-acre garden which is densely planted to generate an exuberant display through the seasons. Highfield Farm was recently voted the regional winner of ‘The Nation’s Favourite Garden’ competition.
We return to Abergavenny and enjoy a private welcome dinner (included) at the hotel.
Wednesday 26th June
Today we are treated to three of the finest Arts & Crafts gardens in Britain designed and created by Henry Avray Tipping. A distinguished architectural historian, garden designer of note and architectural editor of Country Life magazine for 17 years in the early 1900s, Tipping developed these gardens over a period of 40 years. We will be joined by Helena Gerrish who is a leading authority on Tipping and has written two books and many papers about his work.
We begin with a talk and a garden tour at Helena’s own garden, High Glanau Manor. Helena has restored the garden at High Glanau to Avray Tipping’s original 1923 design and we are invited to have coffee in the house and see his former study. We then head to Wyndcliffe Court for lunch (included). Designed in 1922 by Tipping in the ‘Italianate’ Arts & Crafts style, this garden is impressively unaltered. The gardens feature ancient, sculpted topiary, a sunken garden, walled gardens, roses, ponds, and woodland.
Our final exclusive visit of the day is to Mounton House – a masterpiece restored. This extensive Edwardian house and garden, designed by Tipping from 1911, has been recently re-imagined by the current owners with the help of award-winning garden designer, Arne Maynard. We are privileged to tour this garden with Helena, who has recently written a book about its restoration.
We return to Abergavenny where your evening is at leisure to enjoy one of the many fine restaurants or pubs in the town.
Thursday 27th June
After a leisurely start this morning we visit Llanover Gardens. This wonderful estate sits in the Usk Valley at the foot of the Black Mountains. The 18-acre Grade II-listed garden features a walled ‘round garden’, impressive arboretum and extensive herbaceous borders and lawns. We will enjoy a guided tour with the very knowledgeable owner.
We pause, nearby, for a light lunch (included) in a restored chapel.
In the afternoon, we head south to a most picturesque farmhouse that is the home of the renowned garden designer Arne Maynard. We have a guided tour of his gardens at Allt y Bela. These magical gardens incorporate formal topiary, dramatic earth sculpture and gentle native planting, which allows the garden to melt into the landscape with no boundaries at all.
We return to the hotel for dinner (included).
Friday 28th June
After checking out of the hotel, we visit The Laskett. This is the autobiographical, 4-acre garden of Sir Roy Strong CH and his late wife Julia Trevelyan Oman CBE, reflecting their careers in the arts with design influences both from history and from contemporary gardeners. The garden has been bequeathed to, and is now managed by Perennial, a charity dedicated to helping people in horticulture. We will be welcomed by the garden manager and enjoy a tour of the gardens, followed by a private lunch in Sir Roy Strong’s former home.
After lunch, we return to The Angel Hotel, Abergavenny to say our goodbyes.
Please read our Tour Joining and Departure Arrangements information sheet here.
The Angel is a smart, lively hotel in the middle of picturesque Abergavenny. The elegant former coaching inn, has 32 comfortable rooms, a stylish restaurant with an excellent reputation and a separate cosy bar. The interiors have been finished with a subtle country feel, elegant chandeliers, big ferns in vases and works by local artists.
The Welsh market town of Abergavenny sits at the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park and was voted Condé Nast Travellers’ top 10 places to visit in the UK. There are eclectic, independent shops, an excellent daily market and the impressive St Mary’s Abbey and medieval tithe barn. Don’t miss the delicious Angel bakery opposite the hotel.
| Tour cost per person (sharing twin or double room) | Single supplement (for solo occupancy of a double room) |
| £2,850 (GBP) | £225 (GBP) |
PRICES INCLUDE:
- 3 nights’ accommodation at the 4-star Angel Hotel with en-suite facilities.
- Breakfast daily, 3 lunches and 2 dinners.
- All garden visits including tours with garden owners and head gardeners.
- All tour gratuities (driver, tour director and hotels).
- Deluxe midi-coach travel with professional driver.
- An information pack with detailed booklet about the gardens we will be visiting.
- Services of your Sisley tour director throughout
PRICES EXCLUDE:
- Travel to and from Abergavenny at the start and end of the tour.
- Passport, airfares and/or visa fees if applicable.
- Meals not included in the tour, laundry, and telephone calls.
TOUR PAYMENT:
A 10% non-refundable deposit is requested at the time of booking to secure your place on the tour. Your tour balance payment is due by Monday 26th February 2024.
To book your place(s) please complete our online booking form at www.sisley.co.uk/teg-booking-form/ or click the BOOK NOW button below.
BOOK NOWAs soon as we receive your booking form, we will confirm availability and arrange collection of your 10% deposit which secures your booking.
HOW TO PAY
There are three ways to pay for your tour and you will be asked on the booking form which you prefer:
With Sisley Garden Tours:
All clients are welcome to book a tour directly with us. We can accept payment in GBP£ by bank transfer, cheque or by credit/debit card.
With our travel partner in North America:
If applicable, you can book your tour in USD$ or CAD$ with our partners at DHTour – a London and UK specialist travel agent who can assist with all aspects of your trip. Find out more about DHTour here.
With your own travel agent:
We are happy to work with your preferred travel agent. Just provide us with their contact details on the booking form and we will take care of the rest.
BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Full details of our booking terms & conditions can be found at www.sisley.co.uk/terms-and-conditions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions section on our website for further information www.sisley.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/
We very much look forward to welcoming you, but please email tours@sisley.co.uk if you have any queries.
