Cambridge & the Gardens of Norfolk
May 30 - June 7, 2025
featuring Sandringham and Peter Beals Roses
When we organized our first tour to Cambridge & Norfolk we couldn’t have possibly imagined the jaw-dropping beauty of the grand estates and private, intimate gardens in and around The Queen’s Estate of Sandringham. Several of our longtime travelers agreed that these were some of the best gardens they’ve seen in their lifetime!
Join us in 2025 as we return to this region of stunning gardens. We’ll spend a private evening at the magnificent historic Royal estate, and explore our perfect “home base” in wonderful Cambridge. This unique tour includes some of the finest houses and gardens in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, and features an intimate look at one of the leading institutions of learning in the World.
"It was the old and classic roses that Peter loved best and by growing them and making them available to a wider range of gardeners, he did tremendous work in terms of our rose-growing heritage."
- Alan Titchmarsh on Peter Beales Roses
Featuring: Beth Chatto's Plants & Garden (private tour) ~ East Ruston Old Vicarage (private tour) ~ University of Cambridge Botanic Garden (private tour) ~ The Cambridge American Cemetery (intro talk) ~ Cambridge University Gardens (private tour) ~ Peter Beales Roses (private tour and lunch) ~ Private Tour of Cambridge with punting on the River Cam
Please review the details below and consider joining us on this memorable garden adventure. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any questions - the people you speak with on the phone will be on the tour with you.
Happy Travels! - Katie and John Kosta
Friday, May 30
Arrival in London, Private transfer to St. James Hotel, welcome dinner
Conrad St. James Hotel in London
Arrive at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) and our "meet and greet" representative will escort you to your private car for the included airport-to-hotel transfer to our five-star hotel in a superb London location.
The Conrad London St. James is located in the former Queen Anne's Chamber less than a mile from Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace but still very quiet and private. Discover the hotel’s world-class art collection, afternoon tea, and restaurants, and be sure to spend some time in beautiful St. James Park just across the road. This is one of our favorite properties in London!
You’ll find thoughtful amenities and midcentury-inspired décor in the comfortable rooms, each the perfect launchpad for both city exploring and just relaxing.
This evening we’ll enjoy a very unique welcome to London as we privately dine together in one of London's most renowned department stores. Hidden within legendary Selfridges is the elegant Pegasus dining room, a private Art Deco-inspired space named after London’s largest scale artwork by Damien Hirst, a 24ft sculpture of Pegasus, which hangs high above the store’s brasserie. This is a private dining dream!
(Meals on flight, welcome dinner included.)
Saturday, May 31
Transfer to Cambridge, Visit and Tour of Beth Chatto's Garden, Welcome Dinner
This morning after enjoying the hotel’s bountiful breakfast, we depart for Cambridge, England and seven days of exclusive garden, estate, and college visits. Cambridge, best known for its university and home to some of the world’s greatest minds, also hosts a world of remarkable gardens and stately homes, right at its doorstep. With a vibrant theater and arts scene, fantastic contemporary restaurants, traditional pubs, and world-renowned museums, we know you will love your week spent in Cambridge.
En-route we visit Beth Chatto's Plants & Garden which offers a masterclass in elegant garden design. Beth Chatto, who died in 2018 at age 94, was a distinguished nurserywoman and writer, and one of the most influential horticulturists of the past 50 years. She developed a garden that has become a place of pilgrimage for many thousands of admirers and garden enthusiasts. Chatto began exhibiting her unusual varieties at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, winning a remarkable ten consecutive gold medals. This garden is planting at its best and we’ll enjoy a private tour. You’ll want to be sure to have your notebook and camera as we know you will be inspired by this gardening legend’s masterpiece.
Beth Chatto's Garden
On arrival in Cambridge, we’ll check-in to The University Arms, Cambridge’s oldest hotel. The property is set in the heart of the city center and offers gorgeous views over Parker's Piece and historic Regent Street. The hotel recently underwent a complete renovation and features interiors by Martin Brudnizki (of Ivy Restaurant fame). Amenities include free Wi-Fi, 24-hour gym, tea and Nespresso coffee, daily newspaper, and more. Parker’s Tavern is a British brasserie serving comfort food and the hotel bar is a wonderful Edwardian salon inspired by literature with beautiful interiors. This is THE place to stay in Cambridge.
This evening we’ll toast our arrival and get to know each other at a private welcome dinner reception at the hotel.
(Breakfast, welcome dinner included.)
A great read prior to your visit...
Excerpt from 'Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook'...
Since before Christmas I have been nibbling, in odd moments, at my new catalogue. I try to write word pictures of plants which might make them irresistible. When I began the nursery twenty years ago, I issued a very small list with descriptions of plants, as I saw them, in place of photographs which I could not have afforded. My catalogue has grown with the nursery over the years but there are still no pretty pictures. I have not actually gone into the cost because, while I know they might help some readers, I myself, deep down, do not want to change. I am very attracted by good photographs in other catalogues but I find I easily forget them. It is the difference between watching television and listening to a good radio play. I can take the works of the best writers and gardeners, such as Vita Sackville-West, Graham S. Thomas or Christopher Lloyd, to bed and be lost till midnight, reading their thoughts and seeing their plants and gardens as a musician hears music reading a score
...
This morning I awoke to hear the grandfather clock striking 4 a.m. and was immediately alert, all my present commitments feverishly chasing themselves through my head. Apart from a garden I have foolishly agreed to plan, there is the Chelsea Flower Show nudging more and more insistently as the week rush towards May. Usually I have a nucleus of large plants and shrubs in containers which provide an established-looking background. The sudden severe weather in January has killed off several of my old plants. I have no frost-free place large enough to protect them all; in normal winters a plastic covered tunnel has been sufficient.
Sunday, June 1
Breakfast at hotel, University of Cambridge Botanic Garden, Anglesey Abbey
Anglessey Abbey in a magnificent destination
After a lovely breakfast, we’ll visit a remarkable garden just minutes from our hotel, the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden. Opened to the public in 1846, the garden develops and displays over 8,000 different plant species in 40 acres of beautiful landscapes. With a framework of mature trees and shrubs, this paradise of plants comprises diverse, superbly landscaped settings. The Garden also boasts many important plant collections including lavenders, hardy geraniums, and the finest collection of trees in the East of England. To better appreciate this marvel, we’ll enjoy a private tour by one of the University gardeners.
We continue our Norfolk adventures today at the National Trust’s Anglesey Abbey. Lord Fairhaven bought Anglesey Abbey unseen at auction in 1926. Over the next few years he remodeled and extended the house turning it into a luxurious country home that holds his vast and varied collections of works of art, clocks, silverware, and books.
As you discover the renowned garden, be sure not to miss the heady scent coming from this quintessentially English rose garden which should be bursting into flower during our visit. There are 40 rose beds, each planted with a different variety of rose. Anglesey isn’t just about the roses - the Herbaceous Border, Formal Garden, and Skylight Garden are all personal favorites.
Dinner this evening is on your own. Please consult our extensive restaurant recommendations list which took a ton of research and many, many calories to put together.
(Breakfast at the hotel.)
"To seek a dream? Go punting with a long pole, Upstream to where green grass is greener,
- Xu Zhi Mo (1897 – 1931)
Monday, June 2
Breakfast at the hotel, private Punt, Pub lunch, private College Garden Tour
We begin today enjoying the unique perspective offered by private punt! The epitome of Cambridge and the city’s favorite pastime is punting on the river Cam. During our private tour you’ll experience the legendary Cambridge “backgrounds” and discover the spectacular riverside Colleges, bridges, and private gardens.
After our punt, we’ll have lunch together at a local favorite, Millworks Restaurant. This modern and vibrant pub overlooks the old millpond on the Granta River and warm hospitality and delicious food are on the menu!
We end our Cambridge day with a private tour of an impressive college garden, one of the best kept secrets in Cambridge!
Be sure to have Katie tell you about a fantastic bistro housed in what once was Britain’s oldest bike shop aptly named The Old Bicycle Shop!
(Breakfast and lunch are included today.)
On Leaving Cambridge
by Xu Zhi Mo
Softly I am leaving, Just as softly as I came; I softly wave goodbye To the clouds in the western sky.
The golden willows by the riverside Are young brides in the setting sun; Their glittering reflections on the shimmering river Keep undulating in my heart.
The green tape grass rooted in the soft mud Sways leisurely in the water; I am willing to be such a waterweed In the gentle flow of the River Cam.
That pool in the shade of elm trees Holds not clear spring water, but a rainbow Crumpled in the midst of duckweeds, Where rainbow-like dreams settle.
To seek a dream? Go punting with a long pole, Upstream to where green grass is greener, With the punt laden with starlight, And sing out loud in its radiance.
Yet now I cannot sing out loud, Peace is my farewell music; Even crickets are now silent for me, For Cambridge this evening is silent.
Quietly I am leaving, Just as quietly as I came; Gently waving my sleeve, I am not taking away a single cloud.
(6 November 1928)
Tuesday, June 3
Breakfast at the hotel, East Ruston Old Vicarage with lunch
Today we visit an extraordinary garden opening by special arrangement just for us! The private East Ruston Old Vicarage is one of the county’s best and Katie Kosta’s favorite in England. Passionate owner Alan Gray will share his amazing creation while leading us on an extensive tour. You will find a Rose Garden, Exotic Garden, Desert Wash, Mediterranean Garden, Woodland Garden, Tree Fern Garden, and many, many more. We will also be treated to a private lunch, another special touch just for Huron Tours. As many past Huron tour participants can attest, this may very well end up being your favorite garden (anywhere!) too!
The evening is once again free for your own Cambridge explorations.
The extremely cool Alan Gray will take us around his amazing creating: East Ruston Old Vicarage - a Huron highlight for sure!
(Breakfast and lunch included)
Wednesday, June 4
Breakfast at the hotel, Houghton Hall & Gardens, Sandringham with Champagne and after-hours tour
You'll love exploring Houghton Hall
We begin today at the breathtaking spectacle of Houghton Hall & Gardens, England’s finest Palladian house and one of its most astounding stately homes. Houghton was the residence of Britain’s de facto first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole (1676-1745). The 5-acre Walled Garden includes a spectacular double-sided herbaceous border, a formal rose parterre, a Mediterranean garden, and a kitchen garden with arches and espaliers of apples and pears. There are also glasshouses, antique statues, and beautiful fountains. Sandringham might be the star today, but Houghton Hall will be remembered for a lifetime.
The late Queen’s beloved estate, Sandringham House and Gardens is set in 60 acres of glorious gardens, and is perhaps the finest of all the Royal gardens. Every generation of the Royal Family has added something of their own times and tastes, from the peace of the woodland walks to the drama of the carrstone rockeries, from the formality of the north garden with its pleached lime avenues to the intimacy of the stream walk. Sandringham is a “must see,” and Huron will make your visit extra special. We begin with a private tour of the gardens led by a knowledgeable garden guide focusing on the seasonal plantings and historical spots of interest. Just as you are feeling a bit peckish, we’ll enjoy the Sandringham tradition of afternoon tea with a glass of bubbly. Following tea, we move to the main event! - an after-hours private tour escorted by a senior member of the Estate staff. We will have the splendor of the house all to ourselves with plenty of time to view each of the open rooms, ask questions and learn from the knowledgeable guide. We’ll see the beautiful collections of porcelain, jade, rose quartz, silver Russian gilt and bronzes, admire the family portraits and photographs and study the Victorian and Edwardian decor and furnishings. Our visit to Sandringham will be one of the highlights of your travels.
(Breakfast, afternoon tea)
The Royal Residence of Sandringham
Thursday, June 5
Breakfast at hotel, World War II Cemetery, Peter Beales Roses with Lunch and Tour
The Cambridge American Cemetery is very interesting and moving (photo by the US Embassy)
Our first stop today isn’t a garden but it holds much interest and significance. The Cambridge American Cemetery is one of fourteen permanent military cemetery memorials established on foreign soil by the American Battle Monuments Commission to honor the dead and missing in action of World War II. Covering 30.5 acres, on land donated by the University of Cambridge, this lovely site was selected as the only permanent American World War II military cemetery in the British Isles. You will see interpretive exhibits that incorporate personal stories, photographs, films, and interactive displays and gain a better understanding of this critical campaign that contributed to the Allied victory in Europe during World War II.
Peter Beales Roses is home to one of the finest collections of world-renowned roses. Beales' passion was for wild and classic breeds of roses, many of which he saved from extinction. Over time, the family-run nursery grew to become a major specialist center, growing and retailing over 1,200 different varieties of rose. They have won 29 gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and the nursery’s collection of more than 100 types of wild roses is recognized by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) as the most extensive collection of its kind in Britain. Our visit to this remarkable place will be made even more memorable with a private tour of the magnificent two-acre display gardens led by one of Peter Beales’ dedicated team of experts. We’ll have an informative look at not only the beautiful gardens but also the history behind the roses. You’ll also have free time to browse the incredible rose and plant center.
We'll eat lunch together in the garden's Rosarium restaurant, a peaceful and idyllic place to relax and dine with views looking out onto the stunning rose gardens.
We’ll return to Cambridge in the late afternoon and you’ll have some time for your own outings. Be sure to ask Valery, our Blue Badge Guide, about her favorite local Indian restaurant.
(Breakfast and lunch included)
Friday, June 6
Breakfast at hotel, free day, private dinner reception at Queen’s College
Queen's College set for a Huron feast!
A completely free day to explore Cambridge. We’ll include a list of ‘Things to Do’ in your final tour documents to help you plan your day.
If art is your passion, you will be spoilt for choice as the city boasts the country’s highest concentration of internationally renowned collections outside London. A great place to start might be The Fitzwilliam, the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. With over half a million incredible artworks in its collection is one of the most impressive regional museums in Europe, presenting world history and art from as far back as 2500 BC to the present day. If architecture interests you, be sure to see the Round Church, Cambridge’s second oldest building and an architectural stunner.
There is also shopping galore Cambridge. From the hustle and bustle of the city’s seven-days-a-week market where you can rub shoulders with the locals in Market Square and the Saturday All Saints Garden Art and Craft market, to an abundance of boutiques and independent shops as well as high street brands, Cambridge has it all.
When you are ready to take a break, why not try a sweet treat? The Chelsea Buns at Fitzbillies are world famous. Time to wet your whistle? Pop into the Eagle for a pint or soda. The historic pub is where Francis Crick announced that he and James Watson had discovered DNA!
This evening we will celebrate our garden travels in grand fashion: An exclusive private dinner reception at Queen’s College. Dating back to the 15th century, Queens’ College is among Cambridge University’s oldest. The photogenic, river-straddling campus encompasses medieval courtyards, a Tudor-style half-timbered building and the famous Mathematical Bridge. We’ll dine in opulent surroundings in the Old Senior Combination Room, one of the original rooms in this historic university. The perfect send-off!
(Breakfast and dinner included)
Saturday, June 7
Transfer to Heathrow for flights home.
We depart Cambridge this morning for London Heathrow Airport and our departures back home. We leave Cambridge and Norfolk with wonderful memories of once-in-a-lifetime visits, award-winning gardens and historic stately homes as well as new friendships to cherish. (Please arrange your return flight from Heathrow no earlier than 12:00PM. Earlier flights may incur an additional charge if private transfers need to be arranged.)
(Breakfast included)
A $1,000 per person deposit will hold your space. Please use the link above or below to access our online shopping cart. If you'd like to reserve over the phone, we'd be happy to talk to you and can be reached at either (504) 267-2057 or (800) 734-1192.
