Tour England's Charming Cotswolds Gardens With Us in 2025! | Garden Gate Travel

In late June we'll be traveling to England and specifically the Cotswolds. We were there in 2022. Kristen and I were on that tour and ever since then I've been waiting to go back. I mean this is the just the quintessential English towns and villages that you'll see and specific to the Cotswolds it's a honey-colored limestone that the buildings and the walls are made of and the thatched roofs in the countryside. It's just canals. Very beautiful. Some of the highlights of the gardens that we're going to go to. A couple we have visited before but Hidcote and Kiftsgate. That's a very special day because these are just renowned gardens. Hidcote was started in the early 20th century by an American plantsman Lawrence Johnston and there's just a series of unique garden rooms throughout the property but they're all connected by these long corridors with with really lush borders. Like one of the famous ones is a red border that a lot of people know. So that's just a great space and just a few minutes away is Kiftsgate. It was created and developed by three generations of women and it does have a classic style but there's a lot of contemporary touches to it and some new gardens and new water features. But it does retain its intimate charm and it has spectacular views of the Cotswold countryside. So that's a unique day. It is a unique day because and it's especially interesting because they're almost I mean they're not across the road from each other but they're close. They're within moments of each other really. What a neighborhood. Yeah and then you know a different style garden and it's one of my favorites that I've visited on these since we've been doing these tours is it's called Pettifers and it's a smaller garden and it's a private garden. It was started in 1984 by Gina Price. She passed away last year but it still does have her unusual plant pairings, colorful combos that she you know is well known for. But she's also been influenced by the Dutch Originated New Perennials movement. So there's some of that influence but she has said that you know every garden should have that English prettiness and this one really does. But it's just it's a long rectangular property and you step through that back gate and you're in the backyard and the garden just you know is laid out in front of you. It slopes down. It's a very intimate feeling. Very intimate yeah. And we met Polly Stevens. She was a head gardener when we were there last and she gave us a great talk and I think we all ended up in the kitchen talking over tea. And cake of course. And she answered all our questions and yeah it was a really special. That was a popular stop there yeah. Another favorite is was Hannam Court and they're well known for their just bold huge huge formal topiary hues that were just fascinating. When we were there they were trimming them. It was very fascinating but they are just great backgrounds for the more wild plantings. A little bit of roses and pansies and lilacs. But also kind of pruned into some really whimsical shapes as well. But they really anchor those plantings yeah beautifully. And there's an orchard and a woodland walk and a Victorian stumpery. So it's just there's a lot going on. There is a lot there. I remember seeing you up like way up on the hill. You and two travelers. Yeah we hiked up into the orchard and then you got a really great view of that walled garden. Yeah in front of the yeah behind the house there. Yeah it was really nice. Another public garden that we're going to visit is Sudley Castle. It's the last home of Henry the 8th's sixth wife Catherine Parr. You can tour the castle and the church but make sure you leave time for the garden because there's like 10 different gardens on the property. And there's ruins that have been incorporated into the gardens that just it's just magnificent gardens. They just kind of sprawl out around the castle. And there's a beautiful rose garden there. Rose garden. All kinds of interesting you know borders and yeah topiary. Yeah yeah there's a lot of history in the castle if you want to do that tour. That is one thing I'm looking forward to besides all the gardens and the roses and the beautiful perennials of course that's going to be the main feature. But the history in the UK is so amazing from the Roman baths in Bath to medieval and Roman homes and gardens and the renaissance and arts and crafts. Yeah arts and crafts movements. Yeah early or some early 20th century. Yes because like I often think of arts and crafts furniture or homes right but not gardens. So it'll be kind of interesting to see what that's like. Yeah it'll be colorful and exuberant. Yeah and a lot of nice different a lot of different nice styles that should be really good. Yes. Another stop is Iford Manor. We had a very informative tour of Iford Manor when we were there before. It was a garden that was created by architect Harold Pito and it sits in a river valley. And Mr. Pito used that topography of the valley to create these terraces along the property. And you can just stop at each terrace and look down look over the countryside. And it was very fascinating. Both the views of the garden and views from the garden are amazing. And there's so many Italian like ruins incorporated into the garden. So it's about the plants but also about the statuary and about the views that are created with the combination of those two things. And I remember the lunch there being really great. Yes me too. Looking forward to that. Very lovely. I think we have lunch scheduled there again. Yeah that's right. Let's not forget about our free time that we have built into these trips too. So we will have an afternoon and evening at Stratford-Upon-Avon which is the birthplace of Shakespeare. So you'll have time to take a walking tour with highlights of Shakespeare's life and Anne Hathaway's cottage for example. And right across the street from our hotel is the Globe Theatre. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Maybe we can see it play. Yeah well you should have time. Several of us last time you know made reservations and saw a play there. So if you want more information about this trip or any of our other trips for 2025 you can see details below in the description.