DAY 1 MON 7 JUL
HOME TO BELFAST (D)

Meet your Tour Leader Colin Barlow & fellow travellers tonight at our Welcome Dinner in your hotel.

The Fitzwilliam, Belfast

DAY 2 TUE 8 JUL
MOUNT STEWART (B)
To the stunning estate of Mount Stewart, County Down. Guided tour of the Manor & its suite of gardens. Like its maker, Edith Lady Londonderry, it is flamboyant & fun. Then visit the new King Charles Coronation Garden in Hazelbank Park designed by Diarmuid Gavin.

The Fitzwilliam, Belfast

DAY 3 WED 9 JUL
ROWALLANE GARDEN (B)

Morning visit to Rowallane, where Rev. John Moore started making his estate in 1858. His nephew sponsored the plant hunters, with many exciting new plant introductions from China. Afternoon visit to the Titanic Belfast to discover the sights, sounds & stories of the ship.

The Fitzwilliam, Belfast

DAY 4 THU 10 JUL
BELFAST TO GALWAY (B/D)

To the Giant’s Causeway, a magnificent geological formation on the famous Causeway Coast. Then to Athlone to explore the 12th C. Athlone Castle on the River Shannon. Arrive in Galway & check in to our hotel. Dinner included tonight.

The Ardilaun Hotel, Galway

DAY 5 FRI 11 JUL
KYLEMORE ABBEY (B)

Morning city tour of Galway then we visit Kylemore Abbey. This iconic castle enjoys a fairytale garden with one of the largest walled gardens in Ireland, a model of Victorian horticulture. Discover the Connemarra this afternoon, a place of legend, folklore & profound beauty.

The Ardilaun Hotel, Galway

DAY 6 SAT 12 JUL
THE BURREN (B/D)

To Killarney across the historic Burren region of County Clare. Meet plantsman, Carl Wright in his Caher Bridge Garden. Follow the Burren Way to Doolin to see the Cliffs of Moher, then on to Killarney. Check in to our hotel for 2 nights with dinner included this evening.

Aghadoe Height Hotel and Spa, Killarney

DAY 7 SUN 13 JUL
RING OF KERRY (B)

Explore the bewitching Ring of Kerry, a circuit of the Iveragh Peninsula. It’s a place of wild excess, with the sandstone flanks of Ireland’s tallest mountains, the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, pleated & folded by glaciers, that descend into lush valleys.

Aghadoe Height Hotel and Spa, Killarney

DAY 8 MON 14 JUL

KILLARNEY TO CORK (B/L/D)
To Cork with a stop in Glengarriff where we take a ferry across Bantry Bay to Garinish Island & Ilnacullin off the coast of West Cork. Continue to Cork, check in to your hotel in the city centre. Dinner included this evening in your hotel.

Imperial Hotel, Cork

DAY 9 TUE 15 JUL
HILLSIDE GARDEN (B/L)
First stop is Mary Byrne’s Hillside Garden, situated on a south facing slope, enclosed by woodlands overlooking Cork Harbour. Special lunch today at Ballymalloe Cookery School with a guided tour of the kitchen gardens & organic farm.

Imperial Hotel, Cork

DAY 10 WED 16 JUL
CORK TO WATERFORD (B/D)
To Waterford with a stop at Blarney Castle with a guided tour of the gardens. Visit the House of Waterford Crystal then check into your hotel in the city centre. Free afternoon. Dinner included this evening.

Marina Hotel, Waterford

DAY 11 THU 17 JUL
WATERFORD TO DUBLIN (B/D)
Meet Rachel Darlington this morning in her fabulous Douentza Garden in Wexford. Heading to Dublin this afternoon with a visit to Powerscourt, grand in the high Victorian tradition, with a fascinating history that reads like an Edwardian novel. Check in to your hotel in the city centre with dinner included.

The Grafton Hotel, Dublin

DAY 12 FRI 18 JUL
PATTHANA GARDEN (B)
Meet TJ Maher in his ground-breaking Patthana Garden in Kiltegan, County Wicklow. There’s a lot happening here; a lower cobbled courtyard with its potting shed & sunken meditation room. Patthana gardens organically with many plants chosen for their attraction to wildlife. Guided city tour this afternoon includes the National Botanic Garden.

The Grafton Hotel, Dublin

DAY 13 SAT 19 JUL
HUNTING BROOK GARDEN & JUNE
BLAKE GARDEN (B/L)

Siblings with different attitudes to garden making. First Jimi Blake who doesn’t play by the rule book. “I like to be bold, adventurous & unexpected.” Then June Blake whose garden is pure poetry, abundant & exuberant. Lunch included.

The Grafton Hotel, Dublin

DAY 14 SUN 20 JUL
HOWTH PENINSULA (B/D)

2 exciting gardens today at Howth. First is Ardan, a dynamic & ever evolving garden terraced to create a series of intimate spaces. Afternoon visit to Medina Garden which  stands testament to nature’s resilience. Return to Dublin for our Farewell Dinner.

The Grafton Hotel, Dublin

DAY 15 MON 21 JUL
END OF TOUR (B)
Tour finishes after breakfast this morning.