GOGG HOLIDAY 2019 – ITINERARY
We will be staying at the Royal Hotel in Skegness from Mon 24th to Fri 28th June for the GOGG holiday in 2019 to visit a variety of gardens in Lincolnshire. The cost will be £320 plus the cost of the garden visits and there will be a single supplement for the 14 single rooms of approx. £30 The probable itinerary for the trip is as follows:-
Monday 24th A visit to Ayscoughfee Hall gardens at Spalding on the way to Skegness.We will only visit 1 garden on the day to avoid too early a start. Ayscoughfee Hall is a late medieval wool merchant’s house in a beautiful setting by the River Welland in Spalding.. The 5 acre gardens date from the early 18th Century and the mellow brick walls give a feeling of great antiquity to set off more modern plantings.
Tuesday 25th The morning visit is to Marigold Cottage at Sutton on Sea near Mablethorpe. This is a cottage garden where the owners working with heavy clay and the maritime climate have produced a sparkling garden brimming with mixed borders and other delights. From here we go on to the National Trust’s Gunby Hall, a fine William and Mary house with walls smothered in plants and an 8 acre walled garden. A second walled enclosure houses an impressive kitchen garden and there are herbaceous borders and 1500 acres of parkland.
Wednesday 26th Our morning visit is to Doddington Hall near Lincoln. The gardens of this Elizabethan house impart a sense of informality unusual for such a large house and garden. There is a large wild garden with a choice of meandering paths as well as some more formal areas and topiary unicorns from the owners’ crest.There is a walled garden with colourful herbaceous borders and box edging and the old walled garden has also been restored. From here we go into the city of Lincoln for an afternoon free to discover the magnificient cathedral and the many medieval buildings and ancient pubs. For those who like modern gardens a visit to the Lincoln Contemporary garden may be worthwhile (cost not included). This has been built on an old terrace dating back to 1320 in the area of the Bishop’s Palace.
Thursday 27th In the morning we visit Goltho House where the 4.5 acres of garden were only started in 1998 but already look well established with plenty of colour and texture. A long grass walk is flanked by abundantly planted mixed borders.Amongst other delights is an experimental prairie garden. From here we go to Hall Farm gardens near Gainsborough. This colourful 3 acre cottage-style garden has been created by a former nurserywoman and contains a great variety of plants as befits such a keen plantswoman. There is a parterre and herbaceous borders, many different roses, a rose pergola leading from a paved terrace and walled Mediterranean garden.The former nursery area has been incorporated into the garden and includes a gravel garden. There are also 3 craft workshops covering furniture, ironwork and sculpture.
Friday 28th On our way home we make a morning visit to Belton House (National Trust) near Grantham. Here there are 33 acres of gardens amongst 1000 acres of parkland. The handsome, well-proportioned house is set off by various gardens, vistas and woodland with 2 lakes. Behind the restored orangery is a beautiful little church. In the afternoon we go to the Easton Walled Garden which has been restored since 2002 by Sir Fred and Lady Cholmeley. The 12 acres of garden date back to 1592 but were “improved” by the Victorians. The house was pulled down in 1951 and the gardens were untouched for 50 years. Much work has been done with helpers and volunteers and there are now areas dedicated to herbaceous plants, wild flowers and roses.
This itinerary is subject to availability and may have to be changed once Barnes have completed negotiations with the gardens. Once the itierary is finalised,they will produce a poster and booking forms which I will circulate to members.