An exclusive out-of-hours tour awaits at the spectacular Sissinghurst Castle Garden. Created in the 1930s by novelist Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson around the ruins of an Elizabethan manor house, these world-famous gardens are laid out as a series of individually planted ‘rooms’, including a fragrant Herb Garden and Rose Garden.

Our next stop is Godinton House, a unique Jacobean property incorporating a medieval hall and ornate carvings, where we enjoy a Ploughman’s lunch. This gem is a much-loved home where each room reflects the tastes of those who have lived here with an excellent collection of furniture, art, and curios. Outside, we take a guided tour of the tranquil gardens, surrounded by ancient parkland and sprinkled with herbaceous borders, ornamental trees and a lily pond plus enchanting Italian, Wild, Walled and Rose Gardens.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we step back in time aboard the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, known as Kent’s Mainline in Miniature. Attracting crowds since 1927, the railway operates the world’s most complete collection of one-third full-sized steam locomotives and combines the sights and sounds of steam travel with the beautiful Kent countryside. We meander along from Hythe, through the famous and unique landscapes of Romney Marsh, to the otherworldly Dungeness, classified by the Met Office as the country’s only desert.

Here we visit Derek Jarman’s magical garden, featuring everything from clusters of sea kale to stone circles filled with poppies and more. The renowned film director and artist created his horticultural wonder on the shingle shores of Dungeness in a postmodern style, once musing that 'paradise haunts gardens and some gardens are paradises. Mine is one of them. Others are like bad children, spoilt by their parents, over-watered and covered with noxious chemicals.'

Afterward we continue to Hole Park, a delightful private home situated in a picturesque parkland setting. For the past four generations, Hole Park has been owned by the Barham family and this afternoon we meet the current owner, are treated to lunch, explore the magnificent house and enjoy a guided tour of the garden with the Head Gardener. We admire the wide range of colours from beautiful blooms such as tulips, roses, clematis, wisteria, rhododendrons and azaleas, bursting with fragrance and set against the far-reaching views over the hills and woodland.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we make our way to Lullingstone Castle for a guided tour. Recorded in the Domesday Book, it is one of the oldest family estates in England. The present manor house was built in 1497 and has been home to the same family ever since. Altered extensively in Queen Anne’s time, the house boasts fine state rooms and beautiful grounds, including a stunning 15-acre lake and the World Garden, home to thousands of rare plants collected from around the world by Tom Hart Dyke, the current heir, planted in their respective continents of origin. Incredibly, the ideas and plans for this garden were started during Tom’s nine-month kidnap ordeal in the early 2000s, a result of rare plant hunting in the Colombian jungle. There are plenty of unique species, including the world’s most dangerous plant, the hottest chilli and the rarest gum tree.

For our last visit we head to The Savill Garden, Britain’s finest ornamental garden in the heart of Windsor Great Park and an oasis of designed gardens and woodland. Created in the 1930s, acres upon acres of interconnected areas include the Hidden Gardens, Spring Wood, the Summer Gardens, the New Zealand Garden, Summer Wood and The Glades. The Rose Garden is an extra special addition, opened by Elizabeth II in 2010 and perfumed with the most beautiful rose-bed scents.

Later, we check back into the Macdonald Windsor Hotel, where we enjoy a farewell dinner together.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

A private transfer will take you back to Heathrow Airport for your return flight home.

Meals: Breakfast

Please note: the order of excursions is subject to change and guided tours are subject to restrictions. Entrance to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show may not be guaranteed for late bookings.