Day 1

We depart from York by coach and journey to the rugged southwestern corner of the United Kingdom, Cornwall. Sprinkled with wild moorlands and peppered with fine sandy beaches and picturesque harbours it is no wonder why this region is amongst the most visited on the British Isles. We will break our long journey with a visit to Hestercombe, one of Gertrude Jekyll and Sir Edwin Lutyens’ greatest masterpieces. The extensive property is home to a round pool in a walled garden filled with wintersweet and roses, a Dutch garden of lamb's ears, lavender and the most beautiful orangery of the 20th century. Everywhere there are details of design and planting from which any gardener can learn.

Continuing into Cornwall, we will pause for refreshments (not included) at the historic Jamaica Inn, immortalised in the Daphne du Maurier novel of the same name. We continue to our hotel, where a welcome drink is served on arrival. This evening dinner is served in the restaurant.

Day 2

Today we enjoy an excursion to the Penwith Peninsula, beginning with a visit to the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, near Penzance. This major attraction is set in a beautiful sheltered valley, surrounded by woods, a stream and dramatic vista to provide a perfect setting for this 22-acre sub- tropical and exotic garden. The garden is filled with high quality contemporary art installations from renowned artists such as David Nash RA and James Turrell RA. You will also have the opportunity to visit the Gallery to view paintings, ceramics and sculptures by renowned artists, all available to buy.

We continue to Penzance, with views towards St Michael’s Mount en route. Penzance is derived from the Cornish meaning holy headland as a small chapel once stood overlooking the harbour to the west more than 1000 years ago. On our guided walk we will discover historical buildings, narrow laneways and many small galleries.

In the afternoon we take a scenic drive via Newlyn, St Just and Zennor to St Ives on the northern Cornish coast, where we visit the Tate Gallery, which shows a collection of work by twentieth-century painters and sculptors associated with St Ives. The collection includes work from 1925 to the present day based around major figures of mid twentieth-century art in Britain such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth. We continue to the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in St Ives. Dame Barbara Hepworth lived and worked in Trewyn Studio from 1949 until her death in 1975. The small house, her working studios and the lush and secluded garden she created are open to the public as a museum devoted to her life and work. Following this there will be some free time to explore St Ives and perhaps wander among the jumble of cottage-lined streets affectionately referred to as ‘the warren’ In the late afternoon we head back to our hotel for dinner.

Day 3

This morning we depart on a scenic drive around Pendennis Head to Falmouth, where we have a guided walk through the town and view sights such as Custom House Quay and the ‘King’s Pipe’, used to destroy tobacco that had been smuggled illegally into the country, historic buildings in Church Street and the 111 steps known as ‘Jacob’s Ladder’.

We then take the ferry across the Carrick Roads to St Mawes with free time for lunch (not included). In the afternoon we visit Lamorran Gardens, which have been designed by the owner in an Italianate and Japanese style, and St Mawes Castle, one of the best-preserved of Henry VIII’s coastal artillery fortresses.

We return to the hotel with dinner served in the evening.

Day 4

This morning, we board the coach and head to the outskirts of St Austell where we find the world- famous Eden Project. We have the whole day to explore probably one of the most famous garden redevelopments in the UK if not the world. The idea began in 1996 and came to fruition in 1998 when construction began. The clay pit on which the project was in use for some 160 years before it was completely exhausted and after lengthily construction the visitor centre at the site first opened to the public in May 2000 with the full site joining in early 2001. The project was the brainchild of Sir Tim Smit with a focus on environmental education and the delicate relationships between plants and people. We have the day to meander the paths ways, explore the two biomes, planted landscapes which include a vegetable garden as well as a variety of sculptures.

We continue with a tour of ‘Daphne du Maurier Country’ and see some of the locations made famous by her popular novels. We also visit Charlestown with time to wander around the unspoiled original Grade II listed harbour, a lovely example of a Georgian working port. This delightful little port has made feature appearances on many television series including again Poldark, Hornblower and Mansfield Park. Later we return to the hotel, travelling via the rather more prosaic but nonetheless interesting ‘China Clay Country’. Dinner is served in the evening.

Day 5

After breakfast we begin our homeward journey, which we will break with visits to two National Trust properties. The first lies within Cornwall, Lanhydrock House, a magnificent late Victorian country house, built within a Jacobean mansion and packed with layers of history and family stories. There is also a lovely formal garden with parterres and herbaceous borders.

Continuing through Devon and into Somerset, we call in at Tyntesfield, an ornate Victorian Gothic Revival house, richly decorated and furnished with a collection of over 72,000 objects. There is also a Chapel, modelled on the flamboyant Gothic architecture of the Sainte Chapelle in Paris, and an extensive garden with historic orangery and productive kitchen garden.



We continue to York, stopping en route for refreshments (not included).