Kirker Holidays The Gardens of Dorset & Somerset

• Four nights’ accommodation with breakfast
• Two dinners & two lunches
• All sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities
• Services of the Kirker Tour Leader

• DAY 1 – THE BULL INN, BRIDPORT

  Please make your own way to the charming Bull Inn in Bridport, just over an hour from Bournemouth or Exeter, which will be our base for the duration of the holiday. Dinner will be served at the hotel this evening.

• DAY 2 – GARDENS IN BEAMINSTER & WEST MILTON

  This morning we will visit the home of John and Jenny Makepeace in Beaminster. John Makepeace is a leading designer of contemporary fine furniture, dedicated to exploring the beauty of wood. His wife, Jennie is a distinguished gardener and plantswoman and together they have created complementary “his and hers” gardens, reflecting two very different approaches to garden design and planting. We will continue to Milton Mill in West Milton, the former home of nature writer Kenneth Allsop, where we will have lunch with owner Margaret Morgan-Grenville and a tour of her idyllic garden which has a river flowing through it and its own cider orchard. In the afternoon we will head to Mapperton in Beaminster for a tour of the house and garden where Kirsty was Head Gardener for five years.

• DAY 3 – A PRIVATE TOUR WITH CHARLES DOWDING & A VISIT TO THE NEWT

  Charles Dowding, master of the “No Dig” method, will give us a private tour of his exceptional kitchen garden this morning and will share his insight into how to make your own produce grow and taste better. We then cross the border into Somerset where we will visit England’s newest Grand Garden at The Newt. We will have lunch at the excellent restaurant here and a tour of the gardens bravely created on the site of Penelope Hobhouse’s Hadpsen.

• DAY 4 – FORDE ABBEY & SHUTE HOUSE

  Our first visit today is to Forde Abbey, with its beautiful meadow gardens maintained by young head gardener, Joshua Sparkes. We will then continue to Shute House, the final garden created by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe and reputedly one of his favourites. The design was first commissioned in 1969 by Lady Anne and Captain Michael Tree and Sir Geoffrey came out of retirement to reimagine it in 1993. There is a boxedged parterre, a Camellia walk, and a canal with Arum Lilies and Chinese balconies, but the most famous feature is the elegant, Moorish-inspired rill garden, taking water from the River Nadder through sculpted channels and over copper waterfalls which resonate with precise musical notes.

• DAY 5 – ABBOTSBURY SUBTROPICAL GARDENS

  On our final morning there will be a visit to Abbotsbury subtropical gardens. Winner of the Christie’s Garden of the Year Award 2012, Abbotsbury comprises a Victorian walled garden set in 20 acres of woodland valley with a mixture of formal and informal flowers. The unique micro-climate enables rare and exotic species to thrive here, and it is renowned for magnificent collections of rhododendrons, hydrangeas, magnolias, and Camellia groves. After the tour you may choose to linger at the excellent café and plant centre here.

Please note, prices listed are guide prices only and are based on 2 people sharing and don’t include any additional supplements. Holiday prices are fluid and dynamic and may be changed at a moment’s notice, prior to booking, at which point they are confirmed. Please call the team free on 0800 707 6229 for more departure dates available and a quote.