Exclusive for Mail on Sunday readers: Explore the Cotswolds and meet TV’s Adam Henson
Covering five counties, the idyllic rolling hills of the Cotswolds are home to some of Britain’s most wonderful gardens.
And you’ll have the chance to explore some of the best, set among honey-coloured stone villages and buzzing market towns, on this fantastic five-day tour.
As well as enjoying some unforgettable experiences, the highlight will be meeting celebrity farmer Adam Henson, who regularly presents his Adam’s Farm segment of the BBC’s Countryfile from his Cotswold Farm Park. Adam will join you for a private lunch at his farm as well as giving you an exclusive talk on his career and the history and conservation work that takes place there.
Full of colour: The manor house at Hidcote
The grand and intricate Exedra feature in Painswick Rococo Garden
OUR SPECIAL GUEST
You will meet TV’s Adam Henson
Adam Henson is possibly the UK’s best-known farmer, often presenting the BBC’s Countryfile programme from his Cotswold Farm Park. Adam took over the 1,600-acre site from his father in 1999 and it now welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year. He also grows wheat, spring barley and oilseed rape, and manages more than 50 herds and flocks of British rare-breed farm animals.
You will stay on the edge of the Cotswolds in the festival town of Cheltenham, from where you will visit the colourful Painswick Rococo Garden and Bourton House’s award-winning three-acre garden.
You’ll enjoy a traditional cream tea at the Lygon Arms hotel in the village of Broadway and take trips to the gardens at Hidcote, Whichford Pottery in Shipston- on-Stour and Batsford Arboretum, home to more than 2,850 plants from around the world, including 1,300 different trees, shrubs and bamboos.
Reasons to book
Guided tour of Bourton House: Set in the Saxon village of Bourton-on-the-Hill, the house was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th Century by Alexander Popham, grandson of one of Oliver Cromwell’s generals. You’ll visit the beautiful garden that took more than 25 years to transform to its current splendour.
Join Adam for lunch: While you’re at the farm, you will enjoy a delicious private lunch with Adam in the wonderful setting before you get to explore it for yourself.
Explore the finest gardens: A Cotswolds must-see, the colourful Arts and Crafts garden at Hidcote features wonderful secret gardens connected by a maze of narrow paved pathways. Painswick Rococo Garden is the only surviving rococo-style garden of its kind in the UK, and during a private tour you’ll be transported back to the ornamental style’s heyday in the 1700s.
See potters in action: During your visit to Whichford Pottery, which is world-famous for its award-winning flowerpots, you’ll have a chance to see the hand-throwing and hand-pressing methods loved by gardeners all over the globe.
Visit Batsford Arboretum: Autumn is the ideal time to visit Batsford Arboretum, with its riot of leaf colour from deep butter-yellow through to crimsons. Explore the Chinese and Japanese-influenced gardens created by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford in the early 1890s, which feature Japanese maples and one of the UK’s first bamboo collections.
Financial protection: These are uncertain times for travel, but you can enjoy peace of mind knowing this unique trip with TS Tours and Travel Editions is financially protected.