The Magic of Northumberland Gardens

Northumberland is a wonderful county offering everything from magical scenery, stunning coastal views and of course exceptional private and historic gardens.  The tour will be based near Morpeth at the 4 star Macdonald Linden Hall Hotel. A country house hotel set in extensive grounds and with its own spa and golf course.
Arrive and check into the hotel from 3 pm on Monday 5 July in time to dine with others that evening.

Tuesday 6 July:  Capheaton Hall is a traditional rural Estate in the heart of Northumberland.  Set in extensive parkland the gardens have magnificent views over the Northumberland countryside. Formal ponds sit south of the house which has C19 conservatory and a Georgian folly of a chapel. The outstanding feature is the very productive walled kitchen garden, mixing colourful vegetables, espaliered fruit with annual and perennial flowering borders. The impressive greenhouses are filled with peaches, nectarines and figs.   Light lunch at nearby Kirkharle Courtyard before continuing to Trewhitt Hall.  This beautifully restored garden in its rural setting with sweeping views that surround the house.   A mix of formal, pastoral and woodland. A walled garden with large greenhouse, pond and voluminous herbaceous planting. Vegetable beds and espaliered fruit trees.

Wednesday 7 July:  Travelling just north of the hotel – three gardens.   Fallodon Hall again part of Northumberland’s history, one of the original gardens that opened for the NGS in 1927, a well-established garden with a recently replanted sunken garden and 30 metre border complimenting the kitchen garden walls surrounding cutting and vegetable borders.

Alnwick Garden.  A unique contemporary garden with magnificent cascade, extensive rose garden, Serpent Garden and included a timed entry tour to the Poison Garden.  Belgian landscape designers Jacques and Peter Wirtz were commissioned by the Duchess of Northumberland in 1997 and the result continues to evolve and amaze today.    Late afternoon visit Howick Hall which has extensive grounds offering a stunning variety of unusual plants throughout the seasons.  Beautiful borders, woodland and sensory garden.  Family  home to Charles 2^nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister but perhaps better known for Earl Grey tea blended from the water at Howick!

Thursday 8 July: Gardens south west of Morpeth.  Lambshield, a beautiful country garden covering more than three acres, the garden is divided into a series of distinctive areas and planting styles. Highlights include formal herbaceous borders, ornamental grasses, contemporary planting.  Cloud hedging, pleached trees, and topiary combine with colourful and exuberant planting.  An early light lunch at nearby local inn before a visit to adjacent Stagshaw House another stunning location with wonderful views over parkland and the Tyne Valley. The gardens span more than 5 acres, combining a mix of formal herbaceous and shrub terraces and woodland. Finally with intersting access -   Bichfield Tower, where six acres of mature gardens surround a historic medieval pele tower.  The gardens feature an impressive stone water feature, a large trout lake, mature woodland, a pear orchard and two walled gardens. Throughout the grounds, extensive herbaceous and rose borders combine with contemporary grass planting to create a varied and captivating landscape.

Friday 9 July: Checking out of the hotel and visits to two nearby gardens.   Bide-a-Wee - A real jewel of a two acre garden hidden away in the countryside. Formerly a small quarry the clever landscaping and richly planted borders have created a unique and special garden.  To complete the tour – Longwhitton – a sheltered, mature garden, with specimen trees and acers, redeveloped with new borders. Circular rose garden, crescent shaped pool surrounded by foliage plants, standing stone feature and a rhododendron and azalea glade leading to newly planted tunnel and cherry circle.  Returning to the hotel for 1.30 pm but we can arrange taxi from this garden to Morpeth station for 1pm for those needing the station.