Not much to report today, lots of time spent waiting around… got packed up and to the airport by 11:30 a.m., and met up with Alison shortly thereafter (she’d flown in from Edinburgh where she recovered from jetlag with her family). She had picked up two others on the flight, identified by their green “worldwise quest” baggage tags, and over the next hour or so others trickled in to the Cafe Nero. The AC flight was on time and decanted the tour leader and a couple of others so we left to liase with the bus shortly after 2 p.m. After 20 mins standing out in the underground area with a cold wind whistling by, the local tour leader announced that the bus driver was stuck in a massive traffic jam so we all piled back to Cafe Nero to wait out another half hour.
Finally loaded in, we set off for Tunbridge Wells, about 1.5 hours away by road, in a huge bus. (40″ from central London, as I later found and cursed myself for not going there directly). Curious how it will make its way around the narrow winding roads around Chartwell House…..With traffic slowdowns it took us about 2 hours but we had some good info enroute from our very pleasant & knowledgeable local tour guide Lynn, about the local history and garden history of Kent. A smooth checkin saw us have a few minutes to hang up some clothes and then we assembled for a pre tour meeting which included intros and general instructions. A well educated bunch… mostly retirees, lots of grey hair. Many keen and knowledgeable gardeners, I will learn a lot I suspect! Some on a third or fourth tour with Gary, the study leader.
Dinner was a set menu and excellent food & presentation albeit late – we finished at 9:30, well past my bedtime LOL. I suspect this will be the pattern. The hotel is quite lovely, with a generous room size complete with desk and sitting chair, and large bathroom with huge deep bath, access to the spa and swimming pool included and 14 acres of grounds to wander in should we not get enough walking in the gardens tomorrow…. It’s an old manor that’s been refurbished, with lovely wallpaper and tasteful design- happily I’m on the third (top) floor so no feet overhead.
And so, we begin. Tomorrow is Sissinghurst, Great Dixter and Rye.
No pictures today but that definitely won’t be the case tomorrow!