Since 1999, Brookland Travel have been specialising in unique itineraries with below average tour numbers for your maximum enjoyment.  Escorted special interest tours and holidays for individuals and custom made Group travel (clubs/organisations and associations) are available from Brookland Travel - Established in 1999.  Escorted garden tours, history tours and cultural breaks exploring our built and natural English heritage.

Our quality escorted short breaks take place throughout the UK and some European destinations. Discover glorious gardens, stately homes, stunning countryside, vibrant cities and towns that are abundant with fine architecture and culture, islands that are "off the beaten track" and castles where intriguing and exciting historical events have taken place.

Where possible we include private and lesser known properties that compliment the tour theme.  Travel with like-minded people and be accompanied by one of our specialist guides who will share their knowledge in subjects ranging from history, gardens, art, architecture and archaeology, to name just a few themes. We operate the majority of our tours with a smaller number of participants to ensure a more personal experience. Julian Humphrys. historian, author and guide escorts most of the historical Tours Through Time short breaks.

OUR SUPERB GARDEN TOUR PROGRAMME FOR 2017/2018

We have enhanced our popular garden tour programme to ensure that you have the very best experience possible.

• A dedicated horticultural tour leader and a Brookland tour leader for most tours

• All tours commence from Winchester and/or Romsey

• A additional range of pick up points in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and West Sussex and assistance and advice on joining our tours if you live outside these areas

• Smaller groups - our tours will be limited to 30 -35 garden lovers

• Personal service from our friendly office team

• Scope for new destinations and some of the very best private gardens available to view

• 2018 tour dates and details will be available later in August and popular destinations such as The Italian Lakes, Gardens of The Cote d'Azur, Monets Garden and Gardens of Normandy, Sandringham and Norfolk Gardens, David Austin Rose Garden Tour and Shropshire Gardens, Dorset Gardens, Channels Island Gardens, Thenford and Northamptonshire Gardens and Cornish Gardens in Springtime.

PROFESSIONAL HORTICULTURAL TOUR LEADERS

Andy McIndoe and his wife, Ra have hosted three horticultural tours in 2017 to the Italian Lakes, Cornwall and Channel Islands.  The final garden tour for 2017 is Autumn Colour and the Welsh Borders, based in Herefordshire and with limited availability (maximum group size 32).  Full details are available on the garden tour section of this site.

Andy has over 40 years experience in retail and production horticulture and is a regular contributor to a number of magazines, blogs and BBC Radio.   Andy has been responsible for no less than 25 consecutive Gold Medal winning exhibits at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

"I am really delighted to be working with Brookland Travel to bring you some marvellous garden tours. Over the years I have had the pleasure of escorting Brookland travellers to some of the most beautiful gardens in the UK and Europe; some come along as keen gardeners, some just for the trip. But that is the beauty of a garden tour, you do as much or as little as you want to, after all we are on holiday. My objective is to share my love of plants and gardens with you and most of all to make sure that you have a wonderful time.

In 2018, my wife Ra (Short for Rosamond) and I are looking forward to returning to Stresa for our tour of some amazing gardens in the Italian Lakes. We have hosted this tour three times before and have really fallen in love with the area, the hotel and Michaela our lovely local guide. I promise you lots of horticultural content, plenty of local interest, some great food and wine and breath-taking scenery.

If you have any reservations about joining a garden tour please set them aside. If you are travelling alone, don’t worry, you will meet others. If you can’t walk as far as you could, don’t worry, everyone goes at their own pace. If you don’t know anything about plants that’s not a problem, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. The great thing about a garden tour is someone else does all of the organisation – you just come along and enjoy it. No driving, no parking problems, no sorting out garden opening times and admissions. Occasionally you have to decide what to order off a menu – but that may be the most difficult decision of the day!"

We look forward to travelling with you

Andy and Ra McIndoe

www.andymcindoe.com

Follow @AndyMcIndoe on twitter

Duncan Coombs (BSc Hons Botany and Master of Horticulture) who has led garden tours for Brookland since 2000 has been busy taking our clients to Harrogate, The Cotswolds, Malvern, Shropshire, South Gloucestershire, Suffolk and Norfolk this year. He is shortly departing for West Wales where we visit private gardens in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire and The National Botanic Garden of Wales.  Duncan is a part-time lecturer and RHS advisor at Pershore (Warwickshire) College.

Churchill at Ditchley Park, Blenheim and Bletchley - 8/11th October 2017

Treasures of Birmingham and The National Memorial Arboretum - 11/13 October 2017

The Bishops Palace Wells and Historic Somerset - 26/29 October 2017

Historic Cambridgeshire -  17/20 November 2017

See the Tours Through Time page for the current programme.

Register for further information now