Gardens, Palaces & Gardens of the UK - Hostess Round Up - Silvana Danielis

From the prehistoric Britons, Gaels, Celts, and Picts through Vikings, Romans, and Normans, wave after wave of conquerors and migrants have shaped the United Kingdom. The castles, palaces and private homes we saw were mind blowing in their historic significance, but we were there for another reason as well; the gardens!

We had tickets for the world class Chelsea Garden Show which did not disappoint. The UK has unbelievable examples of Roman Britain, Medieval, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, Victorian and 20th Century gardens. We witnessed garden designs that have continued to evolve, influenced by the changing priorities and resources of their owners as well as the prevailing fashions, since the Roman Conquest in 43 AD. We were so lucky to wander through some of these displays over the weeks we were in the UK, in glorious sunshine.

We began our tour with four days in London with time to explore the city. Staying at a hotel with an unbelievable view of the Tower Bridge and with sites like the iconic ‘Big Ben’ clock tower, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. It would have been easy to stay here and explore the city but we had to move on. So much more to see

We headed south to Cornwell and put our feet in the English Channel. We visited seaside towns of television fame and prehistoric sites of world historic significance.

We drove through green rolling hills, quaint villages with cobbled streets and historic cottages with thatched roofs.  We travelled on two types of roads, big national roadways and tiny little hedge lined streets where the bus defied physics fitting through the smallest gaps. We saw the half-timbered streets of Chester and sat in the sun as the buskers serenaded us.

We visited castles, palaces, the historic homes of people like Anne Boleyn. Acres and acres of gardens, ancient monuments, churches, cathedrals and towns of literacy fame. We had coffee in the streets of Oxford and lunched in the medieval passageways of York. The weather was incredible and at times we felt like we were in a story book where the scenery was quintessentially English.

We kept driving through ranges of majestic hills, rolling farmlands of Beatrix Potter fame, wild heaths and moors, exquisite lakes of the lake district even sailed in the gentle, lovely valleys and streams and water ways of Llangollen. A Scottish dinner ignited a light in us all, with the sisterhood mantra beating its drum.

Back in London, heading home with a few bucket list items to tick off. We saw London from all angles, from the water on cruises and from the sky on the “Eye”, from the traffic congested roads and from the underground rail. We saw her at night and we saw her iconic buildings where history is at every corner. We visited her markets and shopped her shops and had fun on our last day playing ”Metro monopoly” (yes we made up the name ourselves) exploring the tube and the streets of London

Our tour to the UK was unbelievably good, the weather, the sights, and the company. The support and bonds developed over the 23 days within this group was wonderful to witness and for some of us it was life changing.

Thank you to my UK Sisters for embracing the beauty, history and the friendships. Silvana Danielis – Hostess