Garden Tour of Southern Ireland

7-28 June 2006. Duration 22 days ( including 3 free days).

Following the outstanding success of our shorter 2005 tour, here’s another chance to discover the spectacular treasure-trove of little-known Irish gardens. Combine these with lush green countryside, country lanes lined with fuschia hedges, quaint cottages, colourful villages, friendliness of Irish folk, delicious country cooking and we’ll again have the makings of another sensational and very unique tour. There’ll be much to interest apart from the gardens, including heritage attractions, Irish dancing and dramatic landscapes. Join our escorted group ex Perth or in Ireland. We guarantee that this will be a most memorable tour, full of fun and new gardening friends. So come along on this rare opportunity to discover the most spectacular gardens in the emerald isle!

N.B. The currency in Irish Republic is the EURO

It will be summer, hopefully with fine sunny weather, with long days when it is light from early morn til 10.30pm. Day temperatures are likely to be a pleasant 15-25 degrees.

Gardening Highlights (30 gardens)

In June the gardens of Ireland will be absolutely breathtaking. They’re famed for their variety, distinctive character and superb beauty. Soft rain, mellow sunshine and the warmth of the Gulf Stream have helped create perfect conditions for these magical gardens, many of which illustrate a particular period of garden history.

Gayle has selected from the full range of historical gardens, from large pleasure grounds, botanic parks, wild romantic paradises to naturalistic country gardens.       

Examples include ‘the jewel in Ireland’s gardening crown’, a large garden estate with lake-side walks, majestic trees & stunning herbaceous borders

Ireland’s grandest formal garden

Step back in time as we explore an 18^th c. romantic woodland garden with a rare thatched ‘cottage ornée’and waterfall.

See the most complete example in the British Isles of a late 17^th c. formal baroque garden.

Visit a garden designed by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll.

See the superb National Botanic Gardens in Dublin.

Delight in the exquisite vegetable potager & herb parterre at Ireland’s famous cookery school.

Visit a subtropical paradise- a historical garden on an island, set amidst west Cork’s splendid coastal scenery.

Then at the other end of the spectrum are the smaller private gardens, skilfully created by their living owners. We’ll have exclusive entry to 15 of the most celebrated private gardens that Ireland can offer.

A special highlight: famous author & plantswoman Helen Dillon’s house & garden in Dublin.

See an award-winning garden consultant’s riverside garden, noted for its plantsmanship & rich plant assemblages.

Find a secret garden, hidden in a rare hazel wood on the West Coast.

Visit gardens from the West Cork Garden Trail, featuring tropical, seaside & Australian plants.

Enjoy ten superb gardens in Wicklow, the ‘Garden of Ireland.’

Even visit some amazing Irish nurseries, including one with 20 unique display gardens.

Scenery and villages.

Explore the ‘real’ Ireland away from the tourists for example , the   picturesque villages

and  scenic country roads in the mountainous ‘Switzerland of Ireland’.

Enjoy wildflowers of the Burren, a unique limestone plateau in County Clare.

See the dramatic Cliffs of Moher on the west coast

Travel the spectacular mountain & valley views in county Kerry.

Full day tour of scenic Dingle Peninsula, including a visit to The Great Blasket Centre.

Short return ferry trip within Bantry Bay to Garnish Island.

Explore Adare, a charming romantic village with thatched cottages.

A horse-drawn jaunting car ride through lush Killarney National Pk to Muckross House.

Tradition

Bunratty Folk Park with a traditional Irish Welcome Dinner /Show with Irish dancing.

(or a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle).

Shopping

There’s plenty of time for shopping in  Dublin, major towns,  as well as woollen mills & village shops.

History and free days

Visit the amazing ‘Stairway to Heaven’, historic French Armada Exhibition Centre & interior of historic Bantry House.

Be fascinated with at unique tour of a famed ruined abbey, rich in stories and carvings

Free day in Waterford & chance to visit the famous Waterford Crystal Factory.

Free day in Dublin, staying close to Trinity College, Grafton St, St Stephen’s Square and Dublin’s Hop-On, Hop-Off bus.

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                This is a once-in-a-lifetime tour, so don’t miss out!                                             

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Day 1, Wednesday 7 June, 2006 GROUP TRANSIT

Our international flights are with QANTAS ex Perth, departing late afternoon, arriving Singapore mid-evening. We’ll meet other Aust tour members in the departure lounge for our late evening flight to London

Day 2, Thursday 8 June ARRIVAL IN IRELAND

Early morning arrival at London Heathrow and, in transit, transfer terminals to board AER LINGUS flight to Shannon Airport on the west coast. Coach transfer 7km to Bunratty where the afternoon and evening are yours to rest or explore. The first of three nights at BUNRATTY SHANNON SHAMROCK HOTEL, BUNRATTY

FREE DAY IN BUNRATTY (B/D & Show)

Today is your chance to recover from the long journey. Also take the opportunity to

Shop at the Blarney Woollen Mills; explore the Folk Park and Bunratty Castle, the finest and most complete medieval fortress in Ireland. Tonight’s our special Irish welcome; a traditional Irish dinner & show at the Folk Park, or a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. Overnight Bunratty.

Meet for breakfast before travelling north through county Clare to visit the dramatic Cliffs of Moher on the Atlantic coast. On to the Burren, a vast limestone plateau covered in masses of Irish wildflowers. Time to buy lunch at an inn near Galway before finding our first garden, one of Ireland’s best, hidden in a natural hazelwood forest. The owner has created, under difficult conditions, an enchanting series of garden rooms. After afternoon tea, our coach will return us to our Bunratty hotel.

BUNRATTY-LIMERICK- KILLARNEY (B)

We’ll travel through Limerick, south to Adare, a romantic village with quaint thatched cottages. Time to explore and buy morning tea before we continue on to shop and buy your own lunch in Killarney. After arriving at our hotel, the mid afternoon’s treat will be a horse-drawn jaunting car ride through leafy Killarney National Park to historic Muckross House and garden. Overnight, the first of two at our hotel in Killarney.

KILLARNEY-THE DINGLE PENINSULA –KILLARNEY (B)

A sightseeing day in West Kerry as we travel this spectacular peninsula’s coastal roads. You’ll love seeing the beach where ‘Ryan’s Daughter’ was filmed, the historic ‘beehive huts’ and the views of the Atlantic Ocean. We’ll visit the award-winning Blasket Island’s Centre where we’ll learn about the Gaelic way of life. Time to shop and buy lunch in picturesque Dingle before a late afternoon return to our Killarney hotel.

KILLARNEY- KENMORE-BANTRY (B/ D)

We continue along the SW coast of Kerry, seeing some of Ireland’s most spectacular scenery. We’ll stop in Kenmare to shop and buy a cuppa, before taking the mountain road to Moll’s Gap. Here in an Avoca shop you can buy a delicious lunch, beautiful Irish woollens and collectibles. Then south to Glengarriff village, where we’ll board a private ferry to Garnish Island. Here we’ll wander a famous historic Italianate garden, crammed full of exotic plants. Dinner tonight is at our hotel in Bantry.

BANTRY-CLONAKILTY (West Cork) (B/D)

Today we’ll travel to one of West Cork’s smaller peninsulas, and visit two private gardens, selected from the annual West Cork Garden Trail. The first is noted for its superb garden rooms, filled with tender plants like tree ferns, bananas, dogwoods & maples. The second is a seaside garden, and contains many rare plants. In this moist warm climate, hydrangeas and fuschias flourish close to the ocean! Then back to buy lunch at historic Bantry House, situated high above the bay. Explore the gardens, walk the stunning ‘Stairway to the Sky’, view the 1796 French Armada Exhibition Centre as well as the interior of this stately home. An afternoon drive takes us to the cheerful market town of Clonakilty on the south coast, where we’ll dine in our hotel on the first of a 2-night stay.

CLONAKILTY & SURROUNDS (B, L)

This morning we’ll visit two more private gardens in the West Cork Garden Trail. The first is down by a river on the southern coast; a peaceful garden featuring large expanses of wildflower meadow, a walled garden & a pond with an award-winning boathouse. Then inland to lunch in a hilltop cottage garden, renowned for it’s magnificent mountain views, extensive woodland garden and many other garden rooms. Free time later this afternoon for shopping in Clonakilty, with your own choice of dinner venue.

CLONAKILTY-CORK-WATERFORD (B/L/D)

At one of West Cork’s "hidden treasures" the Head Gardener will show us an extensive Edwardian garden, brimming with rhododendrons in a romantic riverside setting. On past the city of Cork to lunch in one of Ireland’s most acclaimed and award-winning gardens. Here cleverly defined rooms are filled with the most unusual plants. Then be impressed at Darina Allen’s famous Irish cookery school by the lush herb parterre and vegetable potager, reminiscent of Villandry, France. Time to browse in the giftshop before travelling eastwards along the coast to Dungarvan, a picturesque port & market town (where we’ll dine at a quayside hotel, which has won "Best Pub Food in Ireland"). Then on for a 2-night stay on the outskirts of Waterford.

WATERFORD (B)

Today is your free day off in Ireland’s oldest city, located on the River Suir’s estuary. You may simply explore, take a guided 1-hour walking tour of this beautifully rejuvenated port city, and decide visit the famous Waterford Crystal Factory.

WATERFORD-CARLOW (B/MT/D)

On our way NE through county Wexford we’ll see an emigrant ship that brought American settlers. Morning tea is at another superb garden, surrounding a 19^th c. farmhouse. You’ll love the garden rooms filled with unusual plants. Further north, in the undulating countryside of county Carlow, we’ll discover one of Ireland’s largest home, gift & garden nurseries. Here you can buy lunch & explore. Mid afternoon promises to be special with a visit to ‘the ‘jewel in Ireland’s gardening crown’. Here in this magical world you’ll find a lush walled garden, majestic herbaceous borders, lakeside walks & ancient trees. Late afternoon arrival for dinner at our hotel, the first of our 2-night stay in Carlow.

CARLOW & SURROUNDS (B/L)

First to one of the few romantic early 20^th c. gardens in Ireland designed by the famous Edwin Lutyens & Gertrude Jekyll. Country roads take us through pretty villages to an ancient abbey, rich with carvings where we’ll enjoy a guided tour. Then on to lunch at an inn before we step back in time at a lovingly restored 18th c. romantic woodland garden, complete with a rare thatched ‘cottage ornée’ and waterfall. The evening in Carlow is free; there’s even traditional Irish music in the hotel bar.

CARLOW-ENNISKERRY (B/D)

Today we’ll have a taste of the real Ireland, driving through rural Carlow, via a mountain gap into county Wicklow, where we’ll visit two grand, famous, but very different gardens. The first are famous naturalistic woodland gardens, where you’ll have a guided tour with the Head Gardener, buy lunch & discover more charming shops. At the second estate, we get a rare insight into the most complete example of a late 17^th c. garden that exists in the British Isles. This baroque design is grand, geometric and formal; you’ll see a pair of long canals, a rare patte d’oie, sylvan theatre, Wilderness, a splendid Victorian conservatory & the grand house’s interior. Dinner is at our elegant Enniskerry country hotel, set amongst the lush pastures and woods of county Wicklow.

ENNISKERRY- DUBLIN (B)

Today we’ll enjoy a unique guided tour through 20 display gardens, located at a nursery & giftshop, where you can also buy morning tea. Then north to Dublin, and the National Botanic Gardens. Here you’ll have ample time to explore & buy lunch.

Mid afternoon our coach departs for a 3-night stay at our superb Dublin hotel, the rest of the afternoon & evening are yours to enjoy. Our hotel is well located, being close to St Stephen’s Green, Trinity College with its 9^thc. Book of Kells, the shopping mecca of Grafton St & the Dublin Hop-On, Hop-Off sight-seeing bus.

DUBLIN (B/ MT)

This morning a long awaited visit to this tour’s highlight garden, that of world-renowned plantswoman and garden writer Helen Dillon. We’ll be treated to a house and garden tour, as well as morning tea. Then once again your afternoon & evening is free.

DUBLIN (B)

Today is your day off for you to enjoy this fascinating city. Choice of lunch and dinner is your own. Maybe tonight plan to see a show?

DUBLIN-BRAY (B/MT/L/AT)

We travel south from Dublin, spending our last three days with a feast of private gardens in beautiful County Wicklow, truly ‘the Garden of Ireland’. Firstly we’ll visit an exquisitely- planted suburban garden, full of rare and unusual plants. The owner’s artistic eye for texture and colour makes this a truly exceptional garden. We’ll lunch at a flower-decked pub, before continuing on another superb private garden. Its talented textile-artist owner has lovingly created this well-structured small town garden. Finally we’ll be spoilt with our best afternoon tea ever at a unique, wonderfully romantic large country garden, nestled in the rocky foothills of the Dublin Mountains. Free evening after we check in for a relaxing 3- night stay at our elegant hotel near Bray.

BRAY AND SURROUNDS (B/L/AT)

Another incredible day as we view inside a designer’s home & woodland garden, truly a ‘romantic fantasy’. Then on to a TV producer’s small suburban garden, skilfully planted with rare and unusual plants. Our Farewell Lunch today is in a restaurant overlooking the Irish Sea. Afterwards we’ll discover an extensive garden of 1908 design. It’s another a plant paradise, filled with an endless variety of vistas, and created by a truly remarkable plantswoman. We’ll end a truly memorable Sunday with afternoon tea in a large, rambling cottage garden; a profusion of heritage roses and flower borders, evoking memories of a gentler and more romantic age. Tonight is free for you to enjoy

BRAY AND SURROUNDS (B/MT/D)

Our last day brings us yet more memorable gardens. Firstly a visit to our smallest garden on tour: an exquisite tiny courtyard garden, set behind a Georgian terrace house. Secondly below a Palladian house overlooking Dublin Bay, we’ll find a terraced garden with an ancient sundial, Victorian dog cemetery & woodland walks. There’ll be time to shop at Enniskerry before arriving to one of the best known of all Irish gardens, the magnificent formal gardens of Powerscourt. Here you’ll have ample time to buy lunch, shop & explore these incredible terraced grounds, in an incomparable setting. Late afternoon back at our hotel you’ll have time to rest and pack, before we celebrate the finish of this unique tour with a special Farewell Dinner in their restaurant.

Group Departure from Ireland (B)

For those leaving the emerald isle, there’ll be a coach transfer from our Bray hotel to Dublin* Airport (we can also drop you off in the city). Our afternoon Aer Lingus flight will arrive at Terminal 1, London Heathrow. Like Gayle & Nic, you may decide to stay over in London*,fly direct to Australia, or to travel to other destinations from here.

*Note:Please discuss with Harvey World Travel (Perth) for any extensions or stopovers required.

Ex Shannon   $7260 (*$6960)

Ex Perth       $9985 (*$9685)

Please enquire prices ex Eastern States.

Single Supplement $1060

HOW TO BOOK

International phone +613 9321 2896, International fax +613 9321 1429