Springtime In Hampshire

Thursday

We depart Henley and make our way to the Vyne (NT). Once an important Tudor palace, this atmospheric mansion has some illustrious connections, from Henry VIII to Jane Austen. Outside, acres of wildlife-rich gardens, meadows and woods offer spring highlights in the walled garden. We arrive at the 4* Norton Park Hotel with time to settle in before dinner.

Friday

We enjoy a visit to Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway. More than 100 years in the making, the Gardens are a spectacular collection of landscaped woodland, herbaceous, contemporary, formal, and wildflower gardens, in a unique riverside location. This afternoon we visit the village of Lyndhurst 'Capital of the New Forest'.

Saturday

Enjoy a Guided Tour of Winchester taking in sights such as Queen Eleanor's Gardens, and a visit to the Great Hall, to see the table around which allegedly King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table met, Winchester Cathedral has played a fundamental part in the life of this ancient city and a role in the history of our nation. We continue to Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton where the world-renowned author spent the last eight years of her life and where she wrote some of her most popular works.

Sunday

The Mary Rose Museum captures the frozen moment in time seconds before Henry VIII's flagship sank on the 19 July 1545 as she sailed into action against the French fleet providing a time capsule of the ship, her fittings, weaponry and armament. - explore the rest of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard attractions including HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860, National Museum of the Royal Navy, and much, much more.

Monday

We depart the hotel and make our way to Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park, where you will be rewarded with a host of early flowers including Rhododendrons, Hellebores, Magnolia & Camelias. We arrive home late afternoon.