GOGG 2025 HOLIDAY TO DEVON

GOGG HOLIDAY TO DEVON- JUNE 2025 – ITINERARY

The GOGG holiday for 2025 will be visiting gardens in the glorious county of Devon and will run from Monday June 9th to Friday June 13th. We shall be staying at the Queens Hotel in the south Devon resort of Paignton. A close neighbour of Torquay, the resort has many attractions apart from its lovely sandy beaches including being the terminus of the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Also at Paignton there are public gardens and buses along the coast to Torquay and Brixham as well as to other towns such as Totnes and Dawlish. The twin resort of Torquay also has many attractions including a new Italian garden.

This will be the 25th holiday which GOGG has run and probably the last that I personally will be able to organise due to my failing eyesight. I hope as many members as possible will be able to join us for what promises to be an interesting and enjoyable celebratory tour. In particular please note that for the first time there will be no supplementary charge for  the 12 single rooms. The final price will depend on the number of bookings and the charges for the gardens but should be similar to those for 2024.(see below for more information).

The provisional itinerary, which may well be subject to change, is as follows:-

Day 1

On the first day we will make a mid-morning start from Gloucestershire and travel down to South Devon where our first visit will be to the house and gardens of Powderham Castle, south of Exeter. The estate stands above the Exe estuary and became the family home of the Courtenays in about 1390. Recently Frances Tophill has introduced a number of “Gardeners’World” programmes from the gardens showing much of colour and interest there to the viewer.The castle itself has a fascinating history and architecture with stunning interiors. The house clearly shows its development from a fortified manorial hall  to the present fine house.The gardens have been developed over many years and among the attractions is the large American Garden featuring a wide variety of plants from the New World. There is a secret garden and the walled garden also includes the community allotment visited by Frances Tophill and the potting shed cafe. Also of note is a rose terrace containing both old and new varieties which has been supplemented with newer herbaceous borders and other new features. The extensive deer park is open for walks and deer can be seen from the house. From here we travel the short distance along the coast to our base at Paignton on the beautiful Torbay coastline.

Day 2

Today we travel to the charming village of Buckland Monachoram on the southern fringes of Dartmoor to visit two gardens are inextricably linked by the well-known gardener Keith Wiley. Firstly, we go to the Garden House where Keith was head gardener for 25 years and developed an informal style of gardening which closely links the garden with the surrounding countryside. In addition the garden has retained much of the charm centred on the original walled garden with much of the colour and interest which has made it such a popular garden with visitors for many years. In the afternoon we move a mile down  the lane to Wildside which Keith began to develop on a 3 acre field after leaving the Garden House in 2003. Here he has further developed his informal style to create one of the UK’s most innovative gardens. The garden which should be a mass of colourful Perennials in June is divided into three parts with a more formal courtyard garden, a canyon garden and a lower garden. Keith has used a small digger and dumper truck to move thousands of tonnes of earth to create a landscape of mounds and canyons from his flat field. We visited the garden in 2009 when it was still under construction  and it will be fascinating to see the final results of his labours.

Day 3

For the 3rd day  there is a choice between a free day in Paignton or a day trip to visit Greenway House the home of Agatha Christie for many years. The trip to Greenway promises to be a fascinating day using different forms of transport to reach our destination which cannot be accessed by a large coach. Because of this there will be a supplementary charge of about £50 ( £36 for National Trust members) . We start by joining a Dartmouth Steam Railway train at Paignton station for the journey to Kingswear.  Leaving Paignton there are lovely views across Torbay to Berry Head as we climb to Churston. The train then drops down to the Dart Estuary with views across to Dartmouth with the Royal Naval College prominent. At Kingswear we take the ferry across the Dart to Dartmouth where we join a river ferry to take us up the river to Greenway Quay where we disembark for Greenway House  which is now in the hands of the National Trust. There is a steep walk up from the Quay to the house but a courtesy car should be available for anyone who needs a lift. The Christie’s former home is a fine 18th century Georgia mansion and contains much family memorabilia. The Greenway estate covers 30 acres of beautiful  wooded countryside above the  river with many woodland walks. Yet despite its position high above the river, the large number of mature trees make it almost impossible to see the Dart from above in summer. There are two walled gardens with enclosed flower gardens near the barn and stables and

 beyond the large kitchen garden. Many of the garden’s features have been restored and the borders redeveloped. All in all the estate is a natural paradise which is gorgeous at any season. After our visit we will return to the Quay for our return ferry to Dartmouth where our coach will return us to Paignton. For those who prefer to remain in Paignton there are a wide variety of attractions as outlined in the introduction and if they wish they may join the coach when it travels to Dartmouth to collect the Greenway party.

Day 4

This morning we travel the short distance up the Dart to Dartington Hall near Totnes where the Dartington Trust has developed the Grade II listed gardens over many years to provide a tranquil space of great beauty.

The hall itself is one of the finest medieval houses in Devon and is home to a variety of courses and other ventures run by the Trust. The 25 acre garden contains a wide variety of sections including herbaceous borders designed in quiet shades of colour. Overall the garden sweeps round through the seasons and perhaps the best views are gained from the top of the wheelchair friendly path.   Most importantly the estate boasts its own pub, the “White Hart”, attached to the Hall which serves lunches and all kinds of drinks so what could be better than sitting outside the pub with a pint of real ale (possibly “Tribute”) within this lovely garden?

In the afternoon we travel back to the coast to visit Coleton Fishacre the former home of the D’oyly Carte family producers of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas and now in the hands of the National Trust. The house is in the “Arts and Crafts” style and contains a grand piano which, most unusually, visitors are often allowed to play. So if any members can play or sing, they could give us a little G and S perhaps as the house overlooks the sea, something from “The Pirates of Penzance” or “HMS Pinafore”!!

The 30 acre garden is centred on a steep Devon combe which drops down from the house to the cliff tops. The sheltered combe and maritime climate allows for a variety of sun-loving and tender sub-tropical plants to grow in lush profusion. The walled garden is full of herbaceous borders together with a rill and lake. Altogether this is yet another garden of great charm and beauty on an outstanding stretch of coastline.

Day 5

On the last day of the tour we travel across the county to north Devon to visit the RHS gardens at Rosemoor. Those of us who joined the day trip to Rosemoor in February know that this is a beautiful garden to see at any time of the year but in June it should be at or near its spectacular best. Rosemoor was the first RHS garden to be opened in the provinces and shows similarities to their principal garden at Wisley. In June we will find that the subdued colours of late winter will have given way to a riot of colour in the various areas of the garden. The 65 acres includes much of interest and highlights include herbaceous borders and a spectacular show of roses of both new and old varieties. There is a large vegetable garden, a lake and bog garden together with a herb garden, a potager and a cottage garden. There is a large area for plant sales for members to stock up before we start our journey back to Gloucestershire hopefully full of many happy memories.

The basic cost excluding garden entries and the Greenway visit ranges from £490 for 35 bookings to £620 for the minimum of 20 so let’s get as many bookings as possible. The garden entries could add up to £80 to £90 but there will be reductions for NT and RHS members. The brochure and booking forms will be sent to regulars when they are received from Barnes Coaches but anyone who is interested and has not been with us before or in recent years should contact Vic Ellis on 01242 230442 or by email to glosorgg@gmail.com.

Vic Ellis