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Gardens
of Paradise
New Zealand's North Island
November
4-17, 2007. 14 days, 11 nights
Land Price: $4495; Single Supplement: $795
A Limited Edition
Tour. Maximum 18 members
NOVEMBER IS SPRINGTIME IN NEW ZEALAND—and few places on earth can match the combination of spectacular scenery and world-class gardens that this South Pacific island nation is famous for. We start out in Devonport, a Victorian seaside community just minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland. Home to numerous superb private gardens, Auckland encompasses many islands, the largest of which, verdant Waiheke, we'll explore in some depth. Next we travel south to Mount Maunganui, a popular beach resort overlooking the Bay of Plenty, and a short drive from Rotorua, New Zealand's Maori cultural capital. The tour concludes with four nights in the beautiful Bay of Islands, where we'll enjoy an exhilarating cruise, taste local wines, walk through an ancient kauri forest, and delve a bit into the history of this fascinating country. [Tour price does not include airfare from Tauranga to Kerikeri.]
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MALCOLM CAMPBELL
New Zealander Malcolm Campbell worked as a conservationist with various government agencies for over twenty years. He is well-versed in coastal marine environments and ornithology, and is an expert on the indigenous Maori peoples. After leading a number of Smithsonian Study Tours, Malcolm joined the COOPERSMITH'S team in 2000, when he became an overnight success with his personable manner and broad knowledge of his native land.
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Tuscany
& Umbria Off-the-Beaten-Path:
Artists' Gardens, Museums & Other Indulgences
May
1-11, 2008. 11 days, 9 nights
Land Price: $5495; Single Supplement: $695
An Exceptional Value
Tour. Maximum 20 members
SPECTACULAR
GARDENS AND ESTATES, ANCIENT TOWNS AND CITIES, superb museums, fine
food and wine: this trip has it all! We spend three nights in each
of three beautiful but lesser-known Tuscan locations: Porto Santo
Stefano, in Tuscany's far southwestern corner, overlooking Isola
del Giglio (Lily Island); Pienza, a quiet jewel of a Renaissance
town, surrounded by verdant farmland; and San Martino-in-Campo,
a village just a few miles outside medieval Perugia, the best-preserved
hill town of its size in all of Italy. Highlights include a half-day
cooking class in a rustic villa; Piero della Francesca's incomparable
'Legend of the True Cross frescoes; and visits to at least three
one-of-a-kind artists' gardens, among them Niki de Saint Phalle's
fantastical Tarot Garden in Capalbio.
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CÉLIA RIBEIRO
Portuguese-born Célia Ribeiro graduated with a degree in Tourism Science from the University of Lisbon. Fluent in English, French, and Italian, she has been leading tours throughout her own country, as well as elsewhere in Europe, since 1990. Specializing in Portuguese and European art—and, in her own words, 'deeply in love' with her profession—Celia joined the COOPERSMITH'S team for the 2006 tour season, and was acclaimed, and adored, by everyone.
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Springtime
in the Cotswolds
& the Malvern Gardening Show
May
3-11, 2008. 9 days, 7 nights
Land Price: $3895; Single Supplement: $4895
A Limited Edition
Tour. Maximum 18 members
SEVEN
DAYS BASKING IN THE BEAUTY OF SPRING GARDENS, while based at one
of Britain¹s most acclaimed country house hotels: such is the setting
for this all-new, unpack-once tour. Corse Lawn House, located in
the picturesque, historic corner of southern England known as the
Cotswolds, was named 'Country Hotel of the Year' by the prestigious
Good Hotel Guide in 2005. It will be our home, exclusively, for
the duration. The itinerary features a wide variety of public and
private gardens and manor houses—among them Lawrence Johnson¹s
iconic Hidcote Manor, Major Wills' timeless Misarden Park, Simon
Biddulph¹s romantic Rodmarton Manor, and Barbara and Ian Pollard's
dazzling Abbey House Gardens. A day at the Malvern Spring Gardening
Show, celebrated for its spectacular floral displays, puts the finishing
touch on a glorious week.
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JANE HENSON
Blue Badge Guide Jane
Henson, born in Somerset England, has been leading
tours throughout the British Isles for over a decade.
Among her many interests and areas of specialization
are gardens, stately homes, cathedrals, genealogy,
and the evolution of the English countryside. An
avid hiker, Jane is also a contributor to the prestigious
Good Gardens Guide.This will be her fourth season
with COOPERSMITH's, having built up quite a following
over the first three years..
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Scottish
Highlands & Islands
& the Chelsea Flower Show
May
11-23, 2008. 13 days, 11 nights
Land Price: $5395; Single Supplement: $895
SCOTLAND ONLY (Days 2-11):
Land Price: $4750; Single Supplement: $650
A Limited Edition Tour. Maximum 18 members
SCOTLAND
IS A LAND OF HIGH DRAMA: rainbows arching over craggy mountains
whose peaks seem forever blanketed in moody clouds; fairy tale-like
castles punctuating the shores of sky blue lochs; centuries-old
towns and cities fashioned from granite and crafted to last forever.
We¹ll acquaint ourselves with some of the British Isles' most noteworthy
gardens, castles, and palaces, while traveling at a leisurely pace
through an awe-inspiring landscape that seems custom-made for artists
and photographers. This all-new tour begins in Glasgow, one of Europe's
most underrated cultural centers; continues with six days in the
western Highlands and Inner Hebrides; and concludes with a day at
London's inimitable Flower Show, the Wimbledon of horticultual events,
where the world's top garden designers come to show off their latest
work. [Tour members wanting to forgo the flower show may end their
tour in Glasgow.]
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ALAN CROSS
Born and raised in Scotland, Alan Cross graduated from Edinburgh University with a degree in law. After working for many years as an
investment banker in Argentina, Brazil, the Bahamas, France, and the US, he returned to the UK in 1991, to obtain his credentials as a Blue
Badge Guide. Now a resident of London, Alan regularly leads tours of Scotland and England, specializing in castles, gardens, history, music,
and the arts. This will be his third year with COOPERSMITH'S, having led two previous tours of eastern Scotland to rave reviews.
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Springtime in Ireland
Gardens, Castles & Landscapes
May
22-June 3, 2008. 13 days, 11 nights
Land Price: $5495; Single Supplement: $895
A Limited Edition Tour. Maximum 18 members
A
COUNTRY IN THE MIDST OF A RENAISSANCE, Ireland offers dramatic scenery,
a long and fascinating history, witty, convivial people, and dozens
of world-class gardens. Among the many picturesque castles and gardens
we'll visit are Powerscourt, a grand Palladian-style manor known for
its superb statuary and garden architecture; and the Duke of Devonshire's
romantic Lismore Castle Gardens; the Knight of Glin's storybook Glin
Castle; Helen Dillon's world-famous Dublin townhouse garden; and Mount
Congreve, home to some of the most extensive plantings ever made of
magnolias, camellias, rhodedendrons, and tree ferns. We'll stay in
a centuries-old manor house, a grand Victorian seaside hotel, and
a delightful country inn, with stunnng scenery in each location; savor
gourmet dinners in elegant surroundings; and be the exclusive guests
for lunches and afternoon teas with a variety of garden and castle
owners.
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MARIANNE GORMAN
Dubliner Marianne Gorman
obtained her degree in French and Spanish from University
College Dublin. She has worked for Irish Television, lived
in Paris for four years while acting as assistant director
of the Irish Tourist Office, and led tours for numerous
museum and botanical garden societies. In her words "intensely
involved in all things botanical," Marianne has created,
with her husband, their own Robinsonian-type garden. She
led for COOPERSMITH'S for the first time in 2007, to unanimous
applause.
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Gardens
of Holland & Belgium
Arcadian Landscapes, Castles & Museums
June
2-11, 2008. 10 days, 8 nights
Land Price: $4995; Single Supplement: $895
A Limited Edition
Tour. Maximum 18 members
THIS ALL-NEW TOUR, AN ART AND FLOWER LOVER'S
DREAM, includes extended stays in two extraordinary Dutch manor
house hotels: Kasteel Engelenburg in Brummen, and Chateau St. Gerlach,
near the ancient city of Maastricht. In addition to the incomparable
Palace Het Loo, renowned for its beautifully restored 17th-century
formal gardens, we'll be the exclusive guests at a number of memorable
private estates, among them enchanted castles with centuries-old
gardens. Lunch on a private barge along the picturesque Vecht River;
the annual Festival of Rare Plants & Roses at Chateau Hex; a visit
to Pieter Paul Rubens' House in Antwerp, with its charming recreated
Baroque garden; and a morning at the Kröller-Müller Museum, where
we feast our eyes on a treasure trove of late 19th- and early 20th-century
paintings, including nearly 300 works by Vincent Van Gogh, are four
more reasons why we expect this tour to fill up soon.
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NICK FRITZ
Nick Fritz was born in Covington, Kentucky. After obtaining degrees in art and anthropology from Northern Kentucky University, he traveled extensively in Europe and the Middle East. In 1981 he joined the Dutch tour company, Protours, and in 1988 became a partner in the business. Since then, Nick has worked with numerous non-profit, cultural, and horticultural organizations, crafting and leading their trips. He first led a COOPERSMITH¹S tour in 1999, and has been in demand with our clients ever since.
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North
Yorkshire Gardens
Country Inns & Stately Homes
June 9-19,
2008. 11 days, 9 nights
Land Price: $4995; Single Supplement: $595
A Limited Edition Tour. Maximum 18 members
ONE
OF ENGLAND'S MOST SCENIC REGIONS—THE DALES AND MOORS of North
Yorkshire—is also home to many of the country's most glorious
gardens and celebrated treasure houses. We'll visit a number of castles
and stately homes, as well as smaller, more intimate residences where
we will be the personal guests of the owners. Highlights of the tour
include Castle Howard, the grand setting for Brideshead Revisited;
Harlow Carr, the Royal Horticultural Society's showcase garden for
the North of England; and Newby Hall, whose 25 acres of award-winning
gardens are, by themselves, worth the trip to England! A three-night
sojourn in historic York—home to the UK's loveliest cathedral and some
of its most intriguing museums—is preceded and followed by extended
stays at two delightful, award-winning country inns, where we will
be the exclusive guests of the owners.
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ALAN CROSS
Born and raised in Scotland, Alan Cross graduated from Edinburgh University with a degree in law. After working for many years as an
investment banker in Argentina, Brazil, the Bahamas, France, and the US, he returned to the UK in 1991, to obtain his credentials as a Blue
Badge Guide. Now a resident of London, Alan regularly leads tours of Scotland and England, specializing in castles, gardens, history, music,
and the arts. This will be his third year with COOPERSMITH'S, having led two previous tours of eastern Scotland to rave reviews.
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Gardens, Homes & Haunts of
English Artists, Writers & Horticulturists
July
12-22, 2008. 11 days, 9 nights
Land Price: $4795; Single Supplement: $495
A Repeat Performance
Tour. Maximum 20 members
THIS
PEAK-SEASON JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORIC EAST ANGLIA and the verdant Southeast
of England adds a new and unique dimension to the garden tour genre.
Nearly all the gardens we visit on this tour were either designed
by, or else have intimate connections with famous painters, sculptors,
novelists, architects, or horticulturists. From the homes and haunts
of Jane Austen, Christopher Lloyd, and Charles Dickens, to those of
Vita Sackville-West, Virginia Woolf, and Vanessa Bell—we'll see
some of the most memorable examples of garden design and plant selection
anywhere. We'll also be treated to world-class works of art, at Henry
Moore's sculpture park, Petworth House's Turner collection, Knole
House's state rooms—filled with paintings by Gainsborough,
Van Dyke, and Reynolds—and the Cass Foundation's fabulous outdoor
gallery of 21st-century British sculpture.
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JANE HENSON
Blue Badge Guide Jane Henson,
born in Somerset England, has been leading tours throughout
the British Isles for over a decade. Among her many interests
and areas of specialization are gardens, stately homes,
cathedrals, genealogy, and the evolution of the English
countryside. An avid hiker, Jane is also a contributor to
the prestigious Good Gardens Guide.This will be her fourth
year with COOPERSMITH'S, where she has gained an enthusiastic
following.
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Autumn
in Provence
An Embarrassment of Riches
September
25-October 5, 2008. 11 days, 9 nights
Land Price: $5795; Single Supplement: $1050
A Limited Edition
Tour. Maximum 20 members
WITH
ITS LEGENDARY FIELDS OF SUNFLOWERS AND LAVENDER, its fine food and
wine, world-class art and architecture, Provence provides a remarkable
variety of riches in a compact area. Here the gardens, towns, and
villages retain the charm that Van Gogh and Cézanne captured in
paintings over a century ago. The well-preserved Roman temples and
amphitheaters hold stories of the area's rich and complex past.
In this leisurely-paced tour, we enjoy extended stays in three fascinating
venues that are only a few miles apart, yet each a world unto itself—the
urbane Provençal capital, Aix-en-Provence; the grand medieval city
of Avignon; and the market town of St-Rémy, built alongside the
ruins of a Roman settlement. An exclusive visit to the Duchess de
Sabran¹s stunning medieval chateau and garden adds to the appeal,
as do a tour of the legendary Camargue, with its free-roaming horses,
and an excursion to the quaint villages of the Luberon, made famous
in A Year in Provence.
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CÉLIA RIBEIRO
Portuguese-born Célia Ribeiro graduated with a degree in Tourism Science from the University of Lisbon. Fluent in English, French, and Italian, she has been leading tours throughout her own country, as well as elsewhere in Europe, since 1990. Specializing in Portuguese and European art—and, in her own words, 'deeply in love' with her profession—Celia joined the COOPERSMITH'S team for the 2006 tour season, and was acclaimed, and adored, by everyone.
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