UK Passporters: Garden Tours in England? UPDATED WITH PHOTOS 7/20/07 About This Page:

[poohmaine]

My DH is thinking of taking his mom (74) for garden tours in England in the spring. After searching the 'Net, the amount of information on that kind of tour is overwhelming to say the least! He could really use some direction in order to narrow down his research into something more manageable.

Can any of you recommend a tour company, an area of England, a castle/garden tour, or perhaps a charming small village to stay in? And remember his mom is 74, she is in very good health, but I can't see her tramping up hills through the countryside.

Thanks for your help!

[poohbear.u.k.]

As I live in the South of England I can highly recommend The New Forest it's recently been made a national park & is a wonderful place to visit & stay in. Here is the web address.
www.thenewforest.co.uk the site is full of information. Don't be put off by the name "New Forest" it was actually created in 1079 by William the Conqueror an ancient King.

[chezp]

You're right - this is a big subject, as England is full of beautiful countryside. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I have to say that I'm biased. Kent, where we live, in the south east of England, is actually called the Garden of England because of all the fruit and crops produced here, so I'd of course suggest a tour round here. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] We also have Leeds Castle, the most beautiful castle in the world, on our doorstep and Canterbury, where Christianity started, so there's lots to see and do - and charming small villages - we've got plenty of those too. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] We're not too hilly either.

I don't know of any specific tour companies, but a good place to find out more about visiting Kent is Kent Tourism

I'm sure other people will recommend other parts of England to you, but I have to stick with my area for my recommendation! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img]

[fifitrixabelle]

This is a difficult question as there are so many places to choose from. Does your MIL have any other interests? The cotswolds are lovely. Stratford on Avon in warwickshire is a beautiful town Shakespeare was born there so there's alot to see and do, some great History. Gardens and places to visit are not far from this area. Its fairly central so a good base to travel from as well.

[mattnkatsmum]

No, no , no, you need to come to the NORTH of England and the beautiful Lake District.

Betcha wish you hadn't posted now [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] All us Brits are biased in favour of our own parts of the world.

Seriously, England is full of countryside, so it's difficult to know what to advise. I don't know of any specific tours, but maybe a trip to the Cotswolds and Stratford upon Avon would suit you just fine.

[chezp]

[ QUOTE ]
No, no , no, you need to come to the NORTH of England and the beautiful Lake District.

Betcha wish you hadn't posted now [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] All us Brits are biased in favour of our own parts of the world.

[/ QUOTE ]

I so knew this was going to happen! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] You're probably better asking an American, as then they won't be biased in favour of the area they live in! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[poohbear.u.k.]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
No, no , no, you need to come to the NORTH of England and the beautiful Lake District.

Betcha wish you hadn't posted now [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] All us Brits are biased in favour of our own parts of the world.

[/ QUOTE ]

I so knew this was going to happen! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] You're probably better asking an American, as then they won't be biased in favour of the area they live in! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
Your probably right there Cheryl! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]

[poohmaine]

Your "best part of England" bickering is too funny! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help. DH has already requested information on the locations you mentioned, and Kent Tourism information and maps arrived yesterday! That was fast!

I will let you know where they decide to go when the plans are finalized.

[chezp]

[ QUOTE ]
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help. DH has already requested information on the locations you mentioned, and Kent Tourism information and maps arrived yesterday! That was fast!

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img] Kent! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thewave.gif[/img]

[stretch2864]

We thoroughly enjoyed staying in the Cotswolds, specifically Chipping Campden where we stayed in a delightful bed and breakfast. There is a beautiful garden not too far from Chipping Campden on the way to Stratford on Avon called Hidcote Manor which is well worth a tour if you are in the area. We visited there earlier this year and enjoyed it very much. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] You will have a wonderful time regardless of which area of England you visit. We also really enjoyed North Wales, specifically Conwy, although we didn't visit any gardens in the area. Good luck with your travel planning! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[poohmaine]

UPDATE 4/23/07

My DH and his mom's trip to England is a go for late June! Thanks to all of you for the advice.

They are going to fly into London and spend a few days there. Any recommendations for good hotels or B+Bs in central London? Areas of the city to avoid?

Thanks!

[chezp]

Originally Posted by poohmaine

UPDATE 4/23/07

My DH and his mom's trip to England is a go for late June! Thanks to all of you for the advice.

They are going to fly into London and spend a few days there. Any recommendations for good hotels or B+Bs in central London? Areas of the city to avoid?

Thanks!

The only part of the city I can think of to avoid, off the top of my head, is Kings Cross. It's not the nicest part of London. We've found some excellent, well priced hotels that are three or four stars in places like Kensington, Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Bloomsbury and the City. Whenever we look for a hotel to stay in London, we always try and find one that's near a Tube station, as then you don't have a long walk back to your hotel after an evening out.

[stretch2864]

Originally Posted by poohmaine

UPDATE 4/23/07

My DH and his mom's trip to England is a go for late June! Thanks to all of you for the advice.

They are going to fly into London and spend a few days there. Any recommendations for good hotels or B+Bs in central London? Areas of the city to avoid?

Thanks!

We stayed at the Holiday Inn, London-Kensington, when we were in London last May. Holiday Inn LONDON Hotels | LONDON-KENSINGTON | Welcome It is a great hotel with wonderful service, and it is located ideally in the heart of Kensington. We were within walking distance of Harrod's and the shopping areas of Kensington as well as the Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert's and Kensington Gardens. Across the street is the Gloucester Road tube station which gives you easy access to any area of London in just minutes! We also had a Sainsbury's grocery store two blocks away, so that we could pick up things for breakfast and snacks. This particular hotel is also cool as it looks like the nearby rows of flats in the area. In the back of the hotel is a beautiful garden area with a church to the rear. Just a note, if you are thinking of this hotel; make sure it is the Holiday Inn, London-Kensington as there is another Holiday Inn almost across the street. That Holiday Inn looks more like your traditional hotel and didn't look like it had the ambience of the one we stayed at. Hope you have a great trip!

[poohmaine]

Just wanted to say thank you for all the advice for my DH and DMIL. They just got back and they had a wonderful time!

They flew British Airways and loved the level of service.

The hotel they stayed at (Park International, Kensington) was small but lovely and they saved a lot of time and money with free breakfast each day.

They stayed in London and took trains everywhere, which worked out very well. They bought their rail passes from the US which saved lots of money.

They went to (not in any particular order):
The Orangery near Kensington Palace for high tea
The Tower of London
The cabinet war rooms from WWII
Abbey Road (that was for me, I wanted a photo of DH crossing the road)
Windsor Castle
St. James Park
Regent's Park and Queen Mary's Gardens
Dover Castle, the bunkers in the cliffs, etc.
Hampton Court Palace
Bath
Kew Gardens
Globe Theater
Stonehenge
The London Eye
St. Pauls Cathedral
Westminster Abbey
The Royal Mews
Buckingham Palace
Spamalot (a special charity showing at midnight)


Their favorite destination: Bath
Their biggest disappointment: Madame Tussauds and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

Everyone was very helpful and kind wherever they went. In Dover, they didn't realize there was no public transport to the castle, but a local gentleman overheard their plight and drove them there, with a little tour of the town first!

One thing my husband missed; the lack of cold drinks! Even if he went into a market and grabbed something from the refrigerated section, the Brits do not keep their beverages as cold as in American markets.

I'll post some photos when I can.

[chezp]

I'm glad to hear they had a great time and I can't wait to see some photos. How cool that they got to see Dover Castle - it's one of our favourites, especially the wartime tunnels there. I'm not rurprised that they found Madame Tusards a disappointment, it is overhyped in my view.