Example itinerary for the Cotswolds tour

Day 1

9.30 am set off from The Old Stocks Hotel 1 at Stow-on-the-Wold to Burnt Norton Manor gardens 2 at Chipping Campden. History- TS Elliot stayed at Chipping Campden visiting his current girl friend. They strayed into the grounds of Burnt Norton which inspired the title of the 1st of his Quartets "Burnt Norton". It is now a private house and garden owned by Conway Standon. The Garden Hist. Soc. published a survey of the garden c. 1979.

We then move on to Upton House 3 [Nat. Trust] near Banbury for lunch where we look at the garden [open at 11am] or house [open at 1pm] which has a fine collection of porcelain and paintings.

About 3pm we go to the spectacular medieval moated Broughton Castle 4. The gardens are small but charming and the inside of the castle must not be missed.

The tea shop may close at 5pm. At 6.30 BAS will give a slide talk introducing the gardens we shall visit this week.

Day 2

9.30 am we set off from Old Stocks Hotel to Bourton House 5 for an introductory talk about these enchanting gardens by the owner, Monique Paice. There will be coffee available in the beautifully converted Tithe Barn and we shall lunch across the road at Batsford Arboretum 6.

In the afternoon we shall visit Sezingcote House 7, a Humphrey Repton designed garden and a historic 18C house in the Indian style. The house was built by the sons of the East India Trading Co. founder and it inspired a early visitor, the Prince Regent and future George IV, to change his original Chinese design[by Nash] for the Royal Brighton Pavilion built in 1815.

At 6.30pm BAS will give a slide talk on "Women Gardeners".

Day 3.

We visit Waterperry Gardens 8 near Oxford which was a ladies Horticultural College in the 1930s run with military rigour by the redoubtable Beatrix Havergill. We have lunch there and in the afternoon visit Buscot Park 9 [National Trust], an impressively landscaped pleasure garden designed Harold Peto in the early 1900s, and have tea there. Alternatively, those who are very keen to see Barnsley House 10 garden may go on there for tea which will cost them £15. They can look around the garden on their own since Barnsley House in now a private hotel. At 6.30 the slide talk will be on "The English Landscape Garden".

Day 4.

Set off at 9.30am to Hidcote Manor garden 11 (National Trust), which is in the compartmentalised style and inspired Vita Sackville-West as she planned Sissinghurst. Hidcote was laid out by Major Lawrence Johnson in the early 1900s and has been described as a rather "masculine" garden. We then walk a very short distance [next door] to Kiftsgate Court 12 where we shall lunch. It is the home of the original Kiftsgate Rose. Although helped and advised by Major Johnson next door at Hidcote Manor, Heather Muir and her daughter, Dainy Binny and now grand daughter Anne Chambers, preside over a rather more informally "feminine" garden. It boasts a new impressive sculpturesque water garden which defies gender.

We shall then drive to Stratford-on-Avon 13. We shall have an early dinner at 5.45pm at the 16C White Swan, a lovely old timbered inn. Those wishing to change into smart clothes can do so but this is not essential. By 7.15pm we shall be at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to see a play. The performance ends about 10.30pm when we shall be driven back to the Old Stocks. I should like contributions to cover the late drive back, please.

Day 5

9.30am set off from Old Stocks to Oxford 14 each one having bought a lunch pic-nic. We shall see some of the sights as we walk through the centre of Oxford from the coach drop. About 11.30am we visit the gardens of New College, which despite its name is very old and has a historic garden.. We shall have our picnic lunch in the University Botanic Gardens which were the very first botanic gardens to be created. We shall have a conducted tour of Christ Church whose chapel is the cathedral of Oxford city and which was the home of Alice of Looking Glass fame and Fellow Charles Dodgeson [Lewis Carol] and, more recently, the location for the filming of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. About 3.30pm those who wish may visit Magdalen College. This will be the time that others can do some shopping. Bear in mind the coach will pick us up in Oxford at 5pm at the same point at which it dropped us off.

Those staying on at the Old Stocks will have a leisurely last supper together there or at another venue. [Please tell Old Stocks in advance if you are not eating there.]

Day 6

We have time in Stow to go to church or look around. As near 12.00 as possible, we shall board the coach to drive to a village of "Open Gardens", the very pretty villiage of Steeple Aston 9 miles S. of Banbury. We have a superior buffet lunch made by Jane aad David Stewart at Acacia Cottage no later than 12.45pm. I am afraid this will cost us £10.

There will be 5 gardens to see and a selection of home-made teas to enjoy. After supper those who really want a slide show can see some illustrating "Good Garden Design" and "Pretty Plantings".