GW holiday: Discover the gardens of the Scottish Borders

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Wednesday, 23 October 2024 at 3:27 pm

This exclusive tour for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine readers focuses on the gardens of the beautiful Scottish Borders.

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Join this Gardeners' World Exclusive tour, centred around the picturesque Scottish Borders south of Edinburgh, where you'll stay near the charming town of Peebles and be ideally placed to explore a variety of enchanting gardens in fascinating styles.

From a mix of guided tours and free-flow visits, you will explore the historic arboretum of Dawyck, the walled gardens of Kailzie and Amisfield, and the beautiful gardens at Floors Castle. Plus, view rare plants, water gardens, colour-graded planting schemes and the incredible Beech Hedge at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Book your place now

Tour dates: 7-11 July, 2025 Price: From £1,295pp* Book online Or call to book, quoting code GWSCBMAR25 on 020 7553 6945 PLEASE NOTE: This tour has been graded as moderate, involving a large amount of walking, with little or no access to assistance. Please bear this in mind when booking.

Your holiday includes

Four nights’ bed and breakfast at the four-star Hydro Hotel, Peebles, based on shared occupancy of a twin/double room
Welcome reception
First night three-course dinner with wine and three further dinners in the hotel
All talks, guided tours and admissions per the itinerary
Coach travel as part of the itinerary
Accompanied throughout by tour manager and garden expert, David Hurrion

Garden Highlights

Dawyck Botanic Garden
Kailzie Gardens
Floors Castle
Monteviot Gardens
Carolside Gardens
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Amisfield Walled Garden
Humbie Dean Garden

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Humbie Dean Garden

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Kailzie Gardens

Dawyck Estate

Dawyck Botanic Garden

Floors Castle

Humbie Dean Garden

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Kailzie Gardens

Dawyck Estate

Dawyck Botanic Garden

Floors Castle

Humbie Dean Garden

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Your itinerary

DAY 1 Arrive independently at Peebles Hydro Hotel from 3pm. Enjoy a welcome drink at 6pm, followed by a group dinner.
DAY 2 The tour starts with a visit to Dawyck Botanic Garden, which offers woodland walks past some of Britain’s oldest and tallest trees, shrubs and seasonal displays. There is free time for lunch (not included) before heading to the attractive walled gardens at Kailzie, home to the oldest larch tree in Scotland.
DAY 3 The first visit of the day is Floors Castle, the largest inhabited castle in Scotland. Explore the beautiful grounds, which include a Victorian Kitchen Garden, a spectacular walled garden, a formal French-style Millennium Garden and the Star Plantation. Time for lunch (not included), before heading to Monteviot Gardens, which surround the early 18th century lodge. Set against the backdrop of the winding River Teviot and the hills beyond, highlights include the herb garden with its box hedge layout and lavender border, an impressive variety of roses and a Japanese Water Garden.
DAY 4 The first visit is to the 200-year-old gardens at Carolside, which contain a collection of ancient roses. We then head to Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the centre for rhododendron research since the late 19th century. It is also home to some of the world’s rarest and most threatened plants. The gardens feature a Chinese hillside, glasshouses, a biodiversity garden and a rock garden with views of Edinburgh’s spectacular skyline.
DAY 5 The final day starts with a visit to the large 18th-century garden of Amisfield, completely enclosed by 5m-high stone walls. The site has been transformed over the past 15 years with herbaceous borders, fruit trees, a wildflower meadow and vegetable plots. In the afternoon, we visit the final attraction of our tour, the ornamental and wooded garden at Humbie Dean, which includes planting across two acres, all on different levels.

Your accommodation

Peebles Hydro Hotel is situated in the Scottish Borders countryside. With breathtaking views, this four-star hotel is ideally located for the tour and has two restaurants, a lounge, two bars, a spa, a fitness centre with a pool and a golf course, as well as comfortable bedrooms with all modern amenities.

Book your place now

Terms and conditions

Organised by and subject to the booking conditions of Travel Editions Tours Ltd. Experts/locations may be substituted. All timings are approximate and the order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and the tour manager’s discretion. Joining instructions will be sent 14 days prior to departure. Price excludes holiday insurance, transfers, meals other than those stated, and items of a personal nature such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls, porterage and gratuities. *Pricing from £1,295 per person is based on twin/double share. Supplement for a single-use double room is £456. Post-tour extra nights are available at a supplement.

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