Stitching and Gardens of Sussex
Enjoy a relaxing holiday in the south of England, Sussex. Enhance your stitching abilities in 2 full day hand sewing workshops with our expert Carolyn Forster, shop in the most loved quilting stores and haberdasheries the region offers, and visit 3 magnificent gardens known for inspiring writers and their peaceful atmosphere all while staying at the 4-star Dale Hill Hotel & Golf Club.
Your Tour Includes
- 5 nights' half board accommodation at the Dale Hill Hotel & Golf Club
- Lunch on workshop days
- Hand-Sewing workshops with Carolyn Forster
- Entrance fees and excursions
- Services of an experienced Arena Travel Tour Manager
Carolyn Forster
Carolyn Forster is a quilt designer, teacher and author from Tunbridge Wells in Kent. Since self-publishing her first book ‘Quilting on the Go’ in 2007, Carolyn has written ten more patchwork and quilting books with Search Press in the UK and Landauer Publishing in the USA. She has been a regular project contributor for magazines in the UK, including Today's Quilter, as well as abroad.
Carolyn's quilts are an eclectic mix of fabrics, a posh way to say she makes scrappy quilts, and they always have their roots from some point in the past, being inspired by quilt makers who have gone before us. Accessibility is Carolyn’s key philosophy with her teaching, demystifying techniques to allow every quilter to discover their own voice.
Teaching for Arena travel is a great opportunity to combine her love of travel and stitching and the projects for these trips will reflect and explore techniques from Quilting on the Go.
Itinerary
Make your own way to Dale Hill Hotel & Golf Club. We will dine together this evening, a perfect opportunity to get to know your fellow stitchers.
Includes Dinner
Full day hand-sewing workshop with Carolyn in the hotel. Lunch is included today.
Includes Breakfast
Includes Lunch
Includes Dinner
Included Highlights
Tucked behind tall hedges, Merriments 4-acre RHS garden is a hidden treasure for garden lovers. The beautiful colour-themed borders of inspiring planting are set amongst the rolling countryside of East Sussex. With a relaxed, classic, contemporary style, we will enjoy both formal and wild plantings, all set on a gently sloping, south facing site. After our visit we’ll continue to Royal Tunbridge Wells for some free time for lunch, followed by a visit to Pincushion quilting and sewing store.
Includes Breakfast
Includes Dinner
Included Highlights
Full day hand-sewing workshop with Carolyn in the hotel. Lunch is included today
Includes Breakfast
Includes Lunch
Includes Dinner
Included Highlights
Hidden away down a sleepy country lane is King John’s Nursery. The beautiful and tranquil 8-acre gardens have attracted many garden writers, both in the UK and abroad. We will start our day with a visit here before driving to Pashley Manor Gardens.
At Pashley Manor Gardens we will discover 11 acres of beautiful borders and vistas – the culmination of a lifetime of passion for gardening, an appetite for beauty and an admiration of the tradition of the English Country Garden. These award-winning gardens are family owned and maintained – visitors often express delight at the attention to detail displayed throughout and the intimate, peaceful atmosphere. All the ingredients of the English Country Garden are present – sweeping herbaceous borders, ha-ha, well maintained lawns, box hedges, espaliered rose walk, historic walled garden, inspiring kitchen garden, venerable trees and the Grade I listed house as a backdrop. The gardens are a haven for wildlife – bees, butterflies and small birds as well as moor hens, ducks and a black swan. Then, of course, the plants! Borders overflowing with perennials and annuals – the look changing through the seasons, but always abundantly filled, and each garden ‘room’ planted in a different colour theme.
After some free time for lunch and refreshments, and on route back to the hotel, we will continue to the village of Ticehurst for a visit to The Old Haberdashery, a shop full of vintage & vintage inspired homewares, textiles and haberdashery.
Includes Breakfast
Includes Dinner
Included Highlights
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before checking out of the hotel.
Includes Breakfast
Tour Notes: You will need to have a reasonable level of fitness to get the most out of this holiday. On excursion days you will need to walk a short distance from the hotel to the coach and you should be able to board the coach unaided. On arrival at the excursion destination, you should be able to alight the coach unaided and there may be a walk between the coach drop off point and the excursion venue. By their nature, walking tours, museum visits etc involve being on your feet for a significant amount of time. Whilst our excursions are taken at a leisurely pace, for the enjoyment of everyone in the group you should be able to keep up with your fellow travellers.
Single Room Supplement from £230.00 (6 days).
Perfect for Textile Lovers
Uniquely created for textile lovers, this Stitchtopia textile holiday is the perfect way to discover fascinating fabrics and cultures, whilst travelling to some of the world’s most inspiring places. Our talented stitching expert will be on hand throughout the holiday and host creative workshops with beautifully designed projects inspired by your travels.
Accommodation
You will stay for five nights at the Dale Hill Hotel & Golf Club.