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Enchanted April
An Andalucian Odyssey
April 18-28, 2010. 11 days, 9 nights
Land Price: $5995; Single Supplement: $995
An Exceptional Value Tour. Maximum 20 members
WITH ITS WORLD-FAMOUS PALACES, CATHEDRALS, AND WHITEWASHED HILLTOP VILLAGES, its olive groves, lush vineyards, and majestic mountains—Andalucia is a place guaranteed to provide vivid memories for years to come. The region’s striking Moorish influence is everywhere in evidence, from the Alhambra and Generalife in Granada, to the Mezquita and Medina Azahara in Cordoba, to the Alcazar and Giralda in Seville. We enjoy extended stays in these three ancient cities where life is lived with gusto and flair. We’ll savor tapas and gazpacho, thrill to an evening of flamenco, delight in a guided tour of private, ornately tiled courtyards ablaze with spring blossoms, and have ample time at Seville’s Museo de Bellas Artes to take in a collection of Spanish masters that ranks second only to the Prado’s.
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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, Spanish, 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 has been
acclaimed, and adored, by everyone who traveled with her.
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Springtime
in the Cotswolds
A Garden Lover’s Dream
May
1-9, 2010. 9 days, 7 nights
Land Price: $3595; Single Supplement: $495
An Exceptional Value Tour. Maximum 20 members
SEVEN
DAYS BASKING IN THE TIMELESS BEAUTY OF SPRING GARDENS, while based
at one of Britain's 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 Johnson's
iconic Hidcote Manor, Major Wills' timeless Misarden Park, Simon
Biddulph's romantic Rodmarton Manor, and Barbara and Ian Pollard's
dazzling Abbey House Gardens. A day at the Malvern Spring Gardening
Show, the Royal Horticultural Society's first event of the season,
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 fifteen
years. 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 sixth
season with COOPERSMITH's, having gained a loyal
and enthusiastic following. Jane’s knowledge of
all things British is awesome!.
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Scottish
Castles & Gardens
& the Chelsea Flower Show
May
16-28, 2010. (11 days, 9 nights)
Land Price: $5595; Single Supplement: $895
SCOTLAND ONLY (Days 2-11)
Land Price: $4850; Single Supplement: $595
A Limited Edition Tour. Maximum 16 members
IN
THIS ALL-NEW TOUR OF SOUTHERN SCOTLAND, we acquaint ourselves with
some of that region’s most noteworthy gardens and castles, while
traveling at a leisurely pace through an awe-inspiring landscape
that seems custom-made for artists and photographers. We begin in
Ayrshire, Robert Burns Country; spend a day on the Isle of Arran,
famous for its ancient stone circles; take in the remarkable, unforgettable
gardens of Little Sparta and the Garden of Cosmic Speculation; and
be among the first visitors to fabulous Dumfries House, recently
purchased for the nation with help from Prince Charles. We conclude
with a day at London's inimitable Chelsea Flower Show, 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 Edinburgh.]
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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
fifth year with COOPERSMITH'S, having led three previous
tours of Scotland to rave reviews.
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The Emerald Isle:
Luxuriant Gardens & Storybook Castles
May 27-June 7, 2010. 13 days, 11 nights
Land Price: $4995; Single Supplement: $795
An Exceptional Value Tour. Maximum 20 members
THE REPUBLIC OF 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 renowned for its exquisite statuary and garden architecture; 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 Usher, a plant-lover’s paradise and home to over 5,000 different species, including an extensive collection of magnolias, camellias, and rhododendrons. We’ll enjoy first-class and deluxe accommodations, including a superb Victorian seaside hotel and an enchanting country inn; savor gourmet dinners in delightful 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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Private
Gardens & Organic Family Farms of Cumbria & the Cotswolds
June
15-25, 2010. 11 days, 9 nights
Land Price: $5495*; Single Supplement: $695
A Limited Edition Tour. Maximum 20 members
TWO OF GREAT BRITAIN'S FINEST MANOR HOUSE HOTELS—Rampsbeck Country House, in the bucolic Lake District, and Corse Lawn House, on the edge of the Cotswolds, both with elegant furnishings, wonderful gardens, and outstanding cuisine—provide our memorable “homes away from home” on this Limited Edition Tour. We'll revel in exclusive tours of private gardens, several of which seldom open to the public; visit a handful of unique, family-owned organic farms, known for their specialty cheeses, heritage varieties of apples, or rare or unusual breeds of farm animals; be the exclusive guests at Prince Charles’ Duchy Home Farm at Highgrove House; take a scenic cruise on Lake Windermere; and enjoy a gourmet dinner and premier seats at the incomparable Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
*Tour price includes
a $250/person tax-deductible donation to the Marin Agricultural
Land Trust (MALT), to be matched by a $250/person donation from
COOPERSMITH’S. Founded in 1980 by a coalition of ranchers and environmentalists
to preserve farmland in Marin County, California, MALT acquires
agricultural conservation easements on farmland in voluntary transactions
with landowners. MALT has so far permanently protected more than
40,500 acres of land on 63 family farms and ranches.
[For a full, detailed itinerary of this tour,
click here.]
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JANE HENSON
Blue Badge Guide Jane
Henson, born in Somerset England, has been leading
tours throughout the British Isles for fifteen years.
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 sixth
season with COOPERSMITH's, having gained a loyal
and enthusiastic following. Jane’s knowledge of
all things British is awesome!.
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Gardens, Homes & Haunts
Of
English Artists, Writers & Horticulturists
July 10-20, 2010. 11 days, 9 nights
Land Price: $4695; Single Supplement: $495
An Encore Performance Tour. Maximum
18 members
THIS PEAK BLOOMING-SEASON JOURNEY THROUGH ENCHANTING 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 have either been designed by, or else are intimately connected 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 Dyck, 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 fifteen years. 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
sixth year with COOPERSMITH'S, having gained a loyal and
enthusiastic following. Jane’s knowledge of all things British
is awesome!.
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Emilia-Romagna
& the Veneto: Artistic, Historic & Gastronomic Delights
September
26-October 6, 2010. 11 days, 9 nights
Land Price: $6595; Single Supplement: $895
A Luxury Edition Tour. Maximum
16 members
EMILIA-ROMAGNA,
IN NORTHERN ITALY, IS A REGION THAT NORTH AMERICANS TEND TO OVERLOOK.
If they only knew what they were missing! At the center of the region
lies Bologna, the country’s undisputed gastronomic capital, whose
unique, historic center has been virtually untouched by recent centuries.
Other fascinating cities along the Roman-built Via Emilia are renowned
for being the birthplace of Giuseppi Verdi (Busseto), or world-famous
for their mosaics (Ravenna) or ceramics (Faenza). In the Venetian
Arc, or Veneto, we explore the magical art cities of Verona, Vicenza,
and Padua. The villas of this region, with their centuries-old gardens,
are extravagant in the extreme. We’ll luxuriate in superior accommodations
at two highly-rated hotels, savor gourmet meals and fine wines,
participate in a cooking class with an acclaimed chef, be treated
to a private performance of Verdi’s music, and enjoy drinks, personalized
tours, and lunches with the owners of exclusive villas.
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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, Spanish, 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 has been
acclaimed, and adored, by everyone who traveled with her.
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Gardens of Paradise:
New Zealand’s South Island
November
3-16, 2010. 14 days, 11 nights
Land Price: $3995; Single Supplement: $595
An Exceptional Value Tour. Maximum 20 members
FEW PLACES ON EARTH OFFER SUCH SPECTACULAR SCENERY AND BEAUTIFUL GARDENS as New Zealand’s South Island. As guests of local people, we’ll partake of afternoon tea, sample world-class wines, roam lush gardens—one of which boasts a fantastic array of huge, mosaic tile sculptures—and gaze in awe at majestic mountains and dramatic seascapes. Extended stays in three very different venues give us in-depth views of each: urbane Nelson, known for its stunning beaches, abundant sunshine, and vibrant arts and crafts community; Christchurch, called “the most English city outside Britain,” recipient in 1997 of the title, “Garden Capital of the World”; and the university town of Dunedin, which takes its name from Edinburgh, and often feels like an outpost of Scotland. We’ll observe the rare Hector’s dolphins and yellow-eyed penguins, and visit the Southern Hemisphere’s only mainland breeding colony of albatross. [Tour price does not include one-way airfare from Auckland to Nelson, Nelson to Christchurch, or Christchurch to Dunedin.]
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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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