Unique Tours: North East - Glorious Gardens

Gardens Galore - Alnwick Garden, Private Tours and Capability Brown

As the birthplace of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and William Turner, hailed as the ‘Father of English Botany’, North East England has an impressive legacy of gardening greats.

The area's unique climate and geology combined with inspirational design have produced sensational gardens across the region which will appeal equally to gardening enthusiasts and those who simply wish to dream away an hour or two in delightful surroundings.

Tour highlights can include:

Grade I listed heritage garden at Belsay
Tour of Alnwick Castle and gardens
Historic Cragside estate
Visit to the first National Trust property, Wallington Hall and gardens
Private tour of one of England's finest medieval castles

What's included...

Day 1 - City Treasure...

Arrive in Newcastle and travel to Gibside, a stunning 18th century landscape garden and haven for nature located just on the edge of the city. A grand Georgian design on a magnificent scale, the estate was originally built by coal baron George Bowes and has been lovingly restored by the National Trust.

Day 2 - Quarry Garden and Private Garden...

Belsay Hall in beautiful Northumberland is a grade I listed heritage garden. A ‘must see’ is the unique Quarry Garden: a fantasy of ravines, pinnacles and exotic plants. After lunch we move on to Herterton House, near to the birthplace of 'Capability' Brown, where the owner will guide us around their diverse walled gardens.

Day 3 - Alnwick Gardens and Tea time...

In the words of the Duchess of Northumberland “The Alnwick Garden is an inspiring landscape with beautiful gardens, unique features - including a Treehouse and the Poison Garden - and magnificent architecture, all brought to life with water.” In the afternoon we drive to the coastal gardens of Howick Hall, also the setting for the Earl Grey Tea Rooms - where Earl Grey tea was first blended.

Day 4 - Garden Geniuses...

Whalton Manor House and Gardens were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll in 1908 and are set in three acres of private, walled garden in the heart of picturesque Northumberland. At Cragside we enter the world of the Victorian innovator Lord Armstrong and explore the dramatic gardens of this historic estate.

Day 5 - Cathedral City and Founding Father...

Crook Hall House & Garden in the Cathedral city of Durham is a real gem, with its collection of romantic and historical gardens Crook Hall is certain to capture your heart. Back in Northumberland we visit Wallington House, family home of a founding father of the National Trust. The extensive grounds surrounding the house include lawns and lakes, woodland, parkland and farmland, a beautiful walled garden and tropical glasshouse.

Day 6 - VIP Visit...

A tour of Raby Castle before it opens to the public is the perfect way to experience one of the finest medieval Castles in England, home to Lord Barnard's family since 1626. Picturesque walled gardens, wildlife spotting in the 200-acre deer park and tea in the stables make this a memorable morning.