Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Day 2: RHS Gardens, Wisley
Off the A3 (itself a picture in spring, lined with gorse bushes), just past the
M25, is
Wisley
(p. 280), the home of the Royal Horticultural Society. Whereas
Kew is first and foremost a scientific institution, Wisley is just as concerned
with the nuts and bolts of everyday gardening. You'll find fields where there may
be dozens of varieties of sweet peas on trial, or vegetables, and there are vast
areas of fruit trees. But that's beyond the extravagantly planted borders, the
exquisite rose garden, the wild gardens (where you'll find toads the size of dinner
plates croaking madly in the summer), woodland, lake, and the modern, cathe-
dral-like Glasshouse, with its tropical and temperate collections. Like Kew, this
is very much a destination, with its sophisticated Conservatory restaurant
(which also does afternoon teas), less formal Conservatory cafe, and the little
Orchard Cafe, where you'll find the Honest Sausage selling posh hot dogs. The
county town of Guildford is nearby and a good place to stay; you might also be
able to fit in a walk in the formal gardens in the castle grounds or in Stoke Park.
Day 3: Sissinghurst Castle Garden
An hour or so from Guildford, across the heart of Surrey into Kent, is
Sissing-
hurst
(p. 260). This is perhaps the most romantic garden of your tour, and a
contrast to your previous days. Set in the grounds of a ruined Elizabethan manor,
Sissinghurst was created by garden designer and writer Vita Sackville-West and
her husband, novelist and diplomat Harold Nicholson, in the 1930s. The pair
turned around 300 years of neglect and created a year-round delight; the dream-
like White Garden, with its silver and white foliage, is perhaps the highlight, but
there's also a spring garden full of daffodils and a vegetable garden that shows
how it should be done, in style and execution, all with the surviving tower loom-
ing over them. It's a good several-hour drive to your next stop, but a charming
one, and for much of it you can use the A272 directly west, which follows the
line of the chalky South Downs to Winchester.
Day 4: Stourhead
Stourhead
(p. 335) is near Salisbury in Wiltshire. The huge lake, which reflects
the temples, grottos, and trees lining its banks, leaves you breathless, but it is
only the heart of the 1,072-hectare (2,650-acre) estate. This landscaped garden
is much the same as when it was created in 1740; flowering shrubs are every-
where (try for the rhododendrons in late spring) and rare trees thrive. There are
endless walks to enjoy, and the restaurant serves vegetables from the walled
garden, and beef from the estate. The next couple of days are hectic, but worth
it. It's a significant drive (3-4 hr.) to Cornwall, so we recommend traveling this
evening and staying in the St. Austell or St. Mawes area at Hotel Tresanton or
Idle Rocks Hotel.
Day 5: Eden Project & the Lost Gardens
of Heligan
These two gardens are different again from anything you've seen so far, and both
a great contrast to one another. The
Lost Gardens of Heligan
(p. 406), near
the fishing village of Mevagissey, were part of a Victorian estate that fell into
disrepair over a period of 70 years. Rediscovered in 1990, the sub-tropical jungle
that has been protected by Cornwall's warm climate has been gradually restored.
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