Cheshire summer garden tour
Monday 8 – Thursday 11 July 2024
Our 2024 summer trip will focus on a mix of renowned gardens including Ness Botanic Gardens, Arley Hall, and RHS Bridgewater together with a variety of private gardens, not usually open to the public. We will stay at Nunsmere Hall, a delightful country house hotel.
The cost per person will be:
£440 – sharing a double/twin room – arriving and departing by car
£490 – sharing a double/twin room – arriving and departing by train
£590 – single room occupancy – arriving and departing by car
£640 – single room occupancy- arriving and departing by train
Price includes – Three nights accommodation with breakfast, dinner and wine, one lunch and tea/coffee breaks as specified.
Our proposed itinerary:
Monday 8 July
12.30 Coach will collect participants travelling by train at Warrington Bank Quay station, (current timetable – leave London Euston at 10.30) to travel to Arley Hall Gardens. There will be time for participants to buy lunch/eat their picnic at Arley
Car travellers should aim to arrive at Arley to start the tour at 14.00. (Late arrivals will be able to access the gardens and join the tour which is estimated to take two hours).
14.00 Arley Hall Gardens
Guided tour of the gardens with the Head Gardener followed by personal time to enjoy the garden. The Arley Estate dates from at least the 12th century and the park was designed by William Emes in the second half of the 18th century, with a ha-ha. The present Arley Hall garden dates from 1840. A plan drawn by its then owners in 1846 shows the gardens much as they are today. This is the evidence for the claim that the double herbaceous border (c1851) is one of the oldest in England. The walled kitchen garden has been skillfully transformed into an Arts and Crafts garden.
16.30 Leave Arley to travel to Nunsmere Hall Hotel for check in and dinner
Tuesday 9 July
9.00 Abbeywood Gardens
Approx four and a half acres of recently planted gardens surrounding a large Edwardian house. Vegetable garden, exotic garden, chapel garden, pool garden, woodland garden, lawned area with beds. Featured in The English Garden – July 2023. Head gardener tour and tea/coffee
10.30 Sandymere
Private garden of Sir John Timpson. 16 landscaped acres with terraces, walled garden, extensive woodland walks and a hosta garden. Lots of different water features including a rill built in 2014, which links the main lawn to the hostas and a new Japanese themed garden.
12.30 Ness Botanic Garden
Looking out over the dramatic views of the Dee estuary from a lofty perch on the Wirral peninsula, Ness Botanic Gardens boasts 64 acres of landscaped and natural gardens overflowing with horticultural treasures. National Collections of Sorbus and Betula. Herbaceous borders, Rock Garden, Mediterranean Bank, Potager and conservation area. Following lunch (included), we will have a guided tour with MPG member Nick Lightfoot, who is Garden and Collections Manager.
15.30 Briarfield
Private garden of plantswoman Liz Carter, who will give an introductory talk on arrival. Tucked under the south-facing side of Burton Wood, the garden is home to many specialist and unusual plants, some available to purchase. The two-acre garden is on two sites, a short walk along an unmade lane. Trees, shrubs, colourful herbaceous, bulbs, alpines and water features compete for attention.
Return to Nunsmere Hall Hotel for overnight and dinner
Wednesday 10 July
9.15 Parm Place
Well-stocked half-acre plantswoman’s garden with stunning views towards south Cheshire which has been nurtured by Jane Fairclough for over 30 years. Curving lawns, parterre, shrubs, colour-coordinated herbaceous borders, roses, water features, rockery, gravel bed with some grasses. Fruit and vegetable plots. The garden was featured in the RHS’s Garden magazine March 2022. We will have an introductory talk from Jane, the opportunity to view the garden and tea and coffee.
11.30 RHS Bridgewater
A visit to the newest RHS Garden, opened in 2021, with time to take part in a guided tour with an RHS volunteer, the opportunity for personal exploration and to purchase a self-funded lunch snack.
15.30 Bluebell Cottage Nurseries
South-facing country garden wrapped around a cottage on a quiet rural lane in the heart of Cheshire. Packed with thousands of rare and familiar hardy herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees. New walled garden with greenhouse and raised vegetable beds. Unusual plants available at adjacent nursery. We will have an introductory talk from proprietor Sue Beesley and refreshments. Return to Nunsmere Hall Hotel for overnight and dinner.
Thursday 11 July
Morning – visit to Wollerton Old Hall Garden. A four acre garden around a C16 house created by Lesley Jenkins since 1983 when she moved back to her former childhood home with her husband John. She initially created three north-south and three east-west vistas which together with the hedges, walls and paths resulted in a collection of separate gardens, each with its own style and character. We will have a tour with the Head Gardener for around one hour, followed by the opportunity for personal exploration and self funded refreshments.
Lunchtime – 12.45 coach travellers leave Wollerton for Crewe station – with time to catch trains departing after 14.15, (journey time scheduled 45 minutes).
To book – please complete booking form and provide deposit of £150 by 20 October 2023.
Booking Form
Please note that MPG events are open to members of MPG and its sister organisations only.
Bank Transfer
By bank transfer with reference CHESHIRE
Sort Code 40 40 32
Account 5161 4002
Account name: Mediterranean Plants and Gardens
IBAN GB63 HBUK 4040 3251 6140 02
Euros
If you wish to pay by bank transfer in euros, please contact David Mason