Botanica
United Kingdom Small Ship Cruise, with Chelsea Flower Show, Remote Gardens & British History
London to Edinburgh or Glasgow
Trip Highlights
Small Ship Private Charter
Cruise aboard the privately chartered MS Hebridean Sky, exploring the remote islands of the UK and Ireland.
Join Expert Botanical Guides
Your expert Botanical Guides on this journey will be Colin Crosbie, Sophie Thomson and Anthea Guthrie.
The Chelsea Flower Show
Enjoy a day at the celebrated Chelsea Flower Show and enjoy a special afternoon tea at the Dorchester pop-up.
Trip Inclusions
- 10-night Botanica privately chartered cruise on the intimate MS Hebridean Sky, taking up to 100 guests
- Two nights in London in a five-star hotel, to experience the Chelsea Flower Show
- Airport transfers on first and last day, plus 32 meals, tipping, port taxes and porterage
- Escorted by expert Botanical Guides Colin Crosbie, Anthea Guthrie and Sophie Thomson
- Visit Dyffryn Fernant Garden or walk the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path from the port of Fishguard
- See Bodnant Garden, renowned as one of the UK’s most beautiful gardens
- Explore Tresco’s subtropical Abbey Gardens on the remote Scilly Isles, home to more than 20,000 species of plants from over 80 countries
- Spend the day in Ireland visiting exceptional gardens around the Waterford region
Map & Itinerary
Trip Notes
- Itinerary and inclusions are subject to change
- Fitness Rating: Medium - involves walking on uneven surfaces and stairs, and being able to stand for up to one hour, while keeping up with the pace of the group
- Group Size: Up to 100 guests
- Full charter of the MS Hebridean Sky
- Prices are for land/cruise only. Flights not included
London (England) and Chelsea Flower Show Lecture
You will be met in London and transferred to your hotel. This evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner to meet your fellow travellers and Botanical Guides. Hear a lecture on the Chelsea Flower Show over dinner before your visit tomorrow.
Stay: Two Nights: London, May Fair Hotel or similar
Daily :Chelsea Flower Show
Depart early to arrive at the Chelsea Flower Show as the gates open. Explore the exhibition gardens along the main avenue with your Botanical Guides, before enjoying free time to view the extensive displays at your leisure. For over 140 years, the show has delighted visitors from all over the world. For afternoon tea, enjoy a special experience at one of London’s most recognised hotels, The Dorchester, in their pop-up restaurant at Chelsea Flower Show. This evening you are free to dine at one of London’s many restaurants.
Daily :RHS Garden Wisley, Painshill Garden and Embark MS Hebridean Sky
On the way to Portsmouth, we visit the RHS Garden Wisley, where your Botanical Guide, Colin Crosbie, was head gardener for many years. Enjoy a tour here with Colin to learn more about this garden, which is important for the Royal Horticultural Society. We then visit Painshill Garden, a beautiful landscape garden created in the 18th century by Charles Hamilton as a living painting. This afternoon, we board the MS Hebridean Sky in Portsmouth. The ship will be our home for the next 10 nights; settle into your cabin before enjoying a Welcome Dinner.
Stay: 10 Nights: MS Hebridean Sky
Daily :Lost Gardens of Heligan or Caerhays Estate, Eden Project
Arrive this morning in Fowey, along the Cornish Coast. Visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which occupy one of England’s most mysterious estates. Alternatively, visit Caerhays Estate, with its vast collection of Camellias and Rhododendrons and home to the National Magnolia Collection. This afternoon either enjoy free time in Fowey or perhaps visit the Eden Project, an incredible garden created in an old quarry. Head back to the ship as we set sail for the Scilly Isles.
Daily :Abbey Gardens Tresco and Bryher Island Wildflower Walk
Spend the morning on traffic-free Tresco, walking its idyllic lanes from the beach to the subtropical Abbey Gardens, home to more than 20,000 species of plants from more than 80 countries. Enjoy time to wander the paths at your own pace before sailing to Bryher Island which was the setting of the film, "When the Whales Came", based on Michael Morpurgo's novel inspired by the island. The island is home to a number of nationally recognised rare plants. We take a walk around the island in search of wildflowers, including the dwarf pansy which grows nowhere else in Great Britain.
Daily :Fishguard Cliff Walk and St David's Sightseeing
Arrive at Fishguard where you will have the option of spending the morning walking Pembrokeshire’s most dramatic coastal headland on the rugged circular walk, just a few miles away from St David’s, Wales’s smallest city. Marvel at the island-dotted seascape as you traverse the wild landscape, teeming with rocky outcrops, prehistoric monuments, and diverse coastal wildlife. Alternatively visit Dyffryn Fernant Garden, a relatively new garden created from scratch in 1996. It has quickly become one of the most interesting and innovative gardens in Wales. The garden is known for its eclectic mix of plants and planting styles, and it is nestled in a secluded valley with stunning views of the Preseli Mountains. Enjoy free time in Fishguard this afternoon.
Daily :Waterford (Ireland), Mount Congreve and Curraghmore Estate or Waterford Crystal Factory
Spend the day in Ireland visiting two exceptional gardens around the Waterford region. Mount Congreve Gardens is home to one of the ‘Great Gardens of the World’, including one of the world’s largest private collections of plants. Curraghmore Estate was the home of the 9th Marquess of Waterford. Explore the house and gardens, including the Shell House, and artwork from the 18th and 19th centuries. This afternoon, you can choose to take a shuttle bus from the ship to Waterford where you may choose to visit the famous Waterford Crystal Factory (own expense) or follow the Waterford Viking Triangle, whose cluster of museums detail the city’s history.
Daily :Powerscourt, Mt Usher and Dublin Private Garden
Arrive in the Dublin port of Dún Laoghaire, then travel south to Powerscourt Estate, which is comprised of a sublime blend of formal gardens, sweeping terraces, statues and ornamental lakes. Continue to Mt Usher, one of Monty Don’s favourite gardens, and a world-class example of a Robinsonian garden. This afternoon, choose to either visit a private garden or perhaps take a city tour of Dublin.
Daily :Bodnant Gardens (Wales) and Snowdonia National Park or Maenan Hall Garden
Arrive back in Wales, where we visit Bodnant Garden, renowned as one of the most beautiful gardens in the UK. This Grade I-listed historic garden comprises formal gardens, shrub-filled glades, meadows and water gardens. Afterwards, visit Snowdonia National Park where you can take a guided hike around the hills. Alternatively, you can visit Maenan Hall Garden, the private garden of Christopher McLaren. He is part of the Aberconway family who were responsible for the creation of Bodnant Garden.
Belfast City Tour and Mount Stewart Garden
Arrive in Belfast to enjoy a tour of the city, which includes the Cathedral Quarter and St George’s Market, while learning about the layers of history that make Belfast such a compelling place to visit. We also visit the Titanic Experience to learn more about the ill-fated vessel’s history. This afternoon, visit Northern Ireland’s much-loved family home, Mount Stewart, located on the shores of Strangford Lough. The garden was planted by Edith, Lady Londonderry, who had a passion for bold planting schemes.
Daily :Scotland’s Arduaine Gardens or Crarae Gardens and Ardmaddy Castle
This morning you can choose to visit one of two fascinating Scottish Gardens, firstly visit the twenty-acre Arduaine Gardens created on bare lands at the turn of the century, well known for its collection of rhododendrons. Alternatively visit Crarae Gardens, Britian’s finest example of a Himalayan-style garden, with tumbling waterfalls and rippling burn. The garden was created by Lady Grace Campbell, the aunt of intrepid plant hunter Reginald Farrer. This afternoon visit Ardmaddy Castle Garden set in a most spectacular setting. They are shielded to the north by mature woodlands, carpeted with bluebells and daffodils and protected from the Atlantic winds by the elevated Castle.
Daily :Isle of Iona Wildflower Walk and Isle of Lunga Puffins
Arrive on the Isle of Iona, within the Inner Hebrides. Here we visit its abbey, founded by St Columba in 563. The abbey survived several Viking attacks and once housed a community of around 1200 Benedictine monks. We then take a walk, in search of wildflowers, including wild iris and yellow bird’s-foot trefoil, along with fields of buttercups. We return to the ship, sailing to the Isle of Lunga as we enjoy lunch on board. Keep an eye out for the nesting slopes of the resident puffins. Described as ‘a green jewel in a peacock sea’, this uninhabited Island is a designated site of special scientific interest, which seeks to protect the marine life and seabird colonies of the area, as well as its rare and endangered plants, including primrose, bird’s-foot trefoil and orchids. Get up close to the island’s thousands of breeding puffins, which live on the island.
Daily :Disembark MS Hebridean Sky Oban, transfer to Edinburgh or Glasgow
This morning after breakfast, we disembark the ship in Oban, then travel through Scotland’s dramatic countryside, past Loch Lomond to Glasgow where you may choose to finish the tour. Or continue across to Edinburgh where your tour concludes.
Daily :Would not hesitate to recommend Botanica and we are already looking into our next adventure.
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