Day excursions

The Blenheim Estate is set in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside. Covering 12,000 acres and home to Blenheim Palace, one of England’s largest houses, it plays host to the annual Flower Show. 2026 promises even more breathtaking displays, inspiring horticultural exhibits and delightful experiences for all ages.

A visit to two attractions in west London. We begin at Strawberry Hill House & Garden, an extraordinary building and famous as Britain’s finest example of Georgian Gothic revival architecture and home to an increasingly important collection of paintings and objects. We then head to Fulham Palace House & Garden which for over 1300 years was the home of the Bishops of London.

Explore the Suffolk Coast including visits to Southwold and Aldeburgh and enjoy a fish & chip lunch at the famous Flora Tea Rooms on Dunwich beach. In the afternoon we continue along the coast. Thorpeness is an eccentric puzzle of mock Tudor houses and the quirky “House in the Clouds”. In the elegant little Edwardian resort town of Southwold old cottages of great charm cluster around the gleaming white lighthouse and candy coloured beach huts line the shore.

For over fifty years the small village of Chelsworth has opened many of its gardens to the public to raise funds for the local Grade 1 listed Church. Started in 1967, with a population of less than 140, in the Brett Valley between Constable country and Lavenham, it was the first of its kind: the first to open its gardens to the public. As well as wandering through more than 20 gardens with tea stops en-route, visitors can buy from specialised nurserymen, local food specialists and artisan crafts.

Elton Hall near Peterborough has been called home by the Proby family since 1660. We start our day with light refreshments on arrival, before being escorted – in small groups - on a guided tour of this wonderful property. This extraordinary, romantic, part Gothic house offers a fascinating mixture of styles, reflecting the taste and interests of succeeding generations.