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Home>Garden Holidays>Gardens of Snowdonia: Rivers, Mountains, Woodland & Sea

Gardens of Snowdonia: Rivers, Mountains, Woodland & Sea

16 May 2022

Set in uniquely wild, rugged & picturesque Snowdonia, We have a special selection of visits arranged to delight and

inspire in this stunning area of outstanding natural beauty

Wander through the magnificent terraces of Bodnant Gardens, leading down to the Pin Mill and out to the dell and woodland gardens beyond
Visit and enjoy lunch at the remarkably restored Plas Cadnant
Visit Crug Farm Nursery and meet Chelsea Gold medal winners, Bleddyn & Sue Wynn-Jones who will introduce their nursery and garden with a reputation for the rare and wonderful
Spend a full day on the Llŷn Peninsula, with visits to three contrasting gardens

The superb gardens of Snowdonia share the mild Gulf Stream influence, acid soils and tender, exotic plants

of the better-known Cornish & West Coast Scotland, but we also learn how these gardens have been created to stand

up to the sometime severe weather and terrain. We stay at two of the best hotels in Wales, both with stunning views

of mountain and sea. Historic Bodysgallen Hall provides all that is great in country house hospitality including its

own 3AA Rosettes rated restaurant. At Portmeirion, you will be accommodated either in the main hotel, the famous

Portmeirion or in Castell Deudraeth, the 19th century folly Castle, dining one night in the main hotel and one night at

the Castle Deudraeth Brasserie Restaurant.

Day 1:
Depart from Llandudno Junction Railway Station at 12.00 noon (to coincide with the fast through train departing 09.00 from London Euston) or join at Bodysgallen Hall at 12:30 where you can leave your car for the duration of the tour. Following lunch together at the hotel,the Head Gardener, Robert Owen will guide you around the garden.Then travel by coach together to nearby Bodnant Gardens with its wonderful terraces leading down to the Pin Mill and out to the dell and woodland gardens beyond, all in an unparalleled setting with views over the River Conwy to Snowdonia. Returning to Bodysgallen Hall where you stay for the next two nights with evening meals with wine included.
Day 2:
Travel westwards to cross the Menai Straits to Anglesey to Plas Cadnant where Anthony Tavernor discovered then restored and developed this remarkable wooded garden to perfection. Both garden and house are Georgian in origin; pleasure grounds of the fashionable picturesque style. Lunch is included at Plas Cadnant. Later in the afternoon visit the small private garden of Llys-y-Gwynt developed from an exposed field over thirty years, the planting radiates out from the house in bands to provide vital wind protection. Return to Bodysgallen Hall, where we will enjoy an evening meal.
Day 3:
Maenan Hall is a private garden in the verdant Conwy Valley with dramatic views of Snowdonia, Owned by the Maclaren family, relations to the owners of Bodnant, which helps to explain the fine range of specimen trees and shrubs found throughout the garden that includes sweeping lawns, ornamental ponds as well as a tranquil woodland dell which features magnolias, rhododendrons, camellias, pieris, cherries and hydrangeas. Continue to the beautiful lightfilled tidal estuary and landmark hotel of Portmeirion and Castell Deudraeth where you will stay for the next two nights. On arrival you are offered a lunch together followed by a visit to the memorable, theatrical gardens, setting for the Italianate village created by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. Tonight, we dine together at Castell Deudraeth.
Day 4:
We spend a day on the Llŷn Peninsula that extends towards Ireland; a bastion of Celtic history and heritage and stronghold of Welsh culture and language. We go down to the remote shores of Hells’ Mouth to the small cottage garden of Plas yn Rhiw, past home to three remarkable sisters. This aftenoon we visit Plas Brondanw, the home of the creator of Portmeirion, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. Return to Portmeirion for some free time before dining this evening at the hotel.
Day 5:
Heading for the mountains, we visit Plas Brondanw where Sir Clough Williams-Ellis and his wife Amabel created their private Italianate garden focusing on the mountains of Snowdonia. Following a light lunch, we return to Llandudno-Junction Station for 15:00 to catch the direct return train to London, or to pick up your cars left at Bodysgallen Hall.

Two nights’ bed and breakfast in the four-star
Bodysgallen Hall Hotel, Llandudno and two nights’ bed & breakfast in the four-star Portmeirion or Castle Deudraeth
Private coach transfers and excursions
Four dinners with wine and five lunches
Guided visits to sites listed in the programme
Services of the Tour Leader and Hosts
Detailed programme and garden notes
All entrance fees, taxes and gratuities for coach drivers and waiters

Sophie Piebenga

Trained with the National Trust and qualified at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Whilst working as head gardener of a private estate, she developed a particular interest in the conservation of historic gardens. This eventually led to a doctoral study at the University of York, researching the work of the early Victorian landscape gardener, William Sawrey Gilpin. She has since worked freelance, mostly in the field of historic landscape conservation. Born in The Netherlands, now based in the Cotswolds, Sophie has lived most of her life in the UK. For the last 25 years, Sophie has regularly led tours for Boxwood to Ireland, France, Spain, The Netherlands and within the UK.

Stephen Anderton

Stephen is the long-standing garden writer for the Times, as well as a lecturer and author. Trained originally in Drama and then Landscape Design, he worked in historic gardens where, latterly as National Gardens Manager for English Heritage, he was responsible for several major restoration projects. Discovering Welsh Gardens was published in 2009; his official biography Christopher Lloyd, His Life at Great Dixter appeared in March 2010 and Lives of the Great Gardeners in 2018. He now lives in the Black Mountains where he is making a large woodland garden.

Join us at our hotel in the UK

Picture of - Join us at our hotel in the UK

Make your own travel arrangements at your convenience to join your selected holiday. Simply arrive at the hotel and our Tour Manager will be there to greet you.

If you require any further information to assist with your travel plans, please contact our Holiday Advisors who will be happy to help.

Parking is available at our hotel for those wishing to drive.

Your Accommodation

Rooms are to be allocated in the main Portmeirion Hotel, in the Village and at Castell Deudraeth.

Bodysgallen Hall Hotel, Llandudno

★★★★

Secluded in over 200 acres of parkland 2 miles to the south of Llandudno with spectacular views of Snowdonia and Conwy Castle, Grade 1 listed Bodysgallen Hall provides all that is best in country house hospitality. Beautiful gardens include a rare 17th century parterre of box hedges filled with sweet-scented herbs, a walled rose garden and several follies.

Room Facilities & Amenities

En suite bathroom
Trouser press
Flat screen satellite TV
Radio alarm clock
Hospitality tray
Floris toiletries
Free Wi-Fi access

Castell Deudraeth, Portmeiron

★★★★

Castell Deudraeth 4-star hotel located on the grounds of Portmeiron, North Wales, has 11 spacious and contemporary rooms and suites, most with lift access. The Castell Deudraeth Brasserie overlooks an early Victorian walled garden. The interiors are predominantly Welsh oak, slate and stone with underfloor heating throughout. Its rooms feature paintings by Sir Kyffin Williams RA, William Selwyn, Fred Uhlman, Sarah Nechamkin, Susan Williams-Ellis and Menna Angharad as well as prints by Marc Chagall from Susan Williams-Ellis's private collection. Clough referred to the Castell as "the largest and most imposing single building on the Portmeirion estate".

Room Facilities & Amenities

Wide screen televisions with DVD player
Real flame gas fires
Underfloor heating
Tea and coffee making facilities
Free WiFi
Kitchenette

Village rooms at Portmeirion

★★★★

Stay in one of our 4-star luxury hotel rooms within the village to truly experience the magic of Portmeirion. All have views of the village itself or the Dwyryd Estuary beyond, and some have private patios and terraces. Some of these rooms have ground floor access. Our individually designed village rooms are located all around Portmeirion Village with several accommodation options including family rooms with two bedrooms and two bath or shower rooms.

Room Facilities & Amenities

En-suite bathrooms
Television
Wi-Fi
Tea or coffee making facilities

The Portmeirion Hotel, Portmeirion

★★★★

The 4-Star Hotel Portmeirion is a luxury hotel overlooking the sandy beaches of the Dwyryd Estuary in Snowdonia, North Wales. It has 14 stylish bedrooms, some with lift access, a fine-dining restaurant, a bar and terrace and several relaxing lounges. Clough Williams-Ellis opened The Hotel Portmeirion at Easter, 1926 as the focal point for his proposed ideal village. He retained much of the Victorian interior including an intricate Italian fireplace, the grand Mirror Room, the library carvings from the Great Exhibition of 1851 and a grand eighteenth-century oak staircase. The bar and dining room were re-styled by Sir Terrence Conran in 2005 to recreate the atmosphere of Clough's art deco walnut panelled rooms. The Hotel Portmeirion maintains a high standard of cuisine and excellent service in a magical setting.