Award-winning coach tour operator Brightwater Holidays (www.brightwaterholidays.com, 01344 657155) has launched a brand new collection of Premium holidays along with its 3rd edition 2022 brochure.

There are six new itineraries with a focus on glorious gardens and historic homes, which were created to help guests enjoy something really special when they return to travel this year. After all the staying at home, Brightwater's Premium collection will see guests be treated to an array of memorable experiences in and around the UK, many of which are off-limits to general members of the public. The new holidays start from just four days at £945pp and include destinations such as Dorset, the Scottish Highlands and Norfolk. 

Among the highlights on these Premium holidays, guests will accept an invitation to join Lady Cawdor at Cawdor Castle for a private drinks reception where they will find out about what it's like to live there, they will enjoy a private evening guided tour of Sandringham with a chance to sample the gin it produces on the estate, and they will be joined by plant-hunter Tom Hart Dyke at Lullingstone Castle in Kent for a tour of his magnificent World Garden of Plants, which he designed during his nine-month kidnap in the year 2000.

Stately Homes & Seaside Castles of Norfolk
This historical tour of Norfolk visits the 500-year-old Oxburgh Hall, Castle Rising and the Blickling Estate. Guests will take a brief ride on the North Norfolk Heritage Railway, they will enjoy a private guided tour of Sandringham with afternoon tea and a chance to sample the gin that's made there, and they will experience private access to the beautifully tended gardens at Hindringham Hall. Our guests will also join Lady Walpole at her ancestral family home, Mannington Hall, for a guided tour and light lunch. The 19th September departure is led by popular Tour Manager Colin Crosbie, former Head Gardener to Her Majesty The Queen Mother in Windsor. This holiday departs from London.
Departs 9th May, 13th June and 19th September | 5 days from £1,095pp

Distinguished Gardens of Kent and Sussex
Highlights on this garden-heavy itinerary include Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, Great Comp Garden and Scotney Castle. Guests are also joined by Tom Hart Dyke at Lullingstone Castle, for a guided tour around his incredible World Garden of Plants, which he designed while he was being held hostage in a nine-month ordeal back in the year 2000. Other gardens visited on this five-day tour include Pashley Manor, Great Dixter and Sissinghurst, the latter of which provides guests with a special tour in the company of the Head Gardener along with dinner afterwards. This holiday departs from London and Gatwick Airport.
Departs 16th May | 5 days from £1,195pp 

Somerset and Dorset in Style
Tranquil private gardens are included here, such as The Old Vicarage in Shaftesbury, a delightful wildlife garden that bursts with colour, and The Old Rectory with its walled garden, kitchen garden and masses of roses. Larger and grander gardens are also featured, such as Mapperton House and Gardens, where guests enjoy a cream tea; the large plantsman's gardens at Horn Park with spectacular views across the Dorset countryside, and East Lambrook Manor, recognised throughout the world as the 'Home of English Cottage Gardening'. The highlight is a visit to Minterne, former home of Sir Winston Churchill, where guests have a guided tour of the house and gardens in the company of current owner Lord Digby, with a private lunch also included. This holiday has pick-up points in London, Reading and Swindon.
Departs 19th June | 4 days from £944pp 

Champagne at Highgrove and Gardens of the Cotswolds
In addition to our memorable visit to Highgrove, which includes a champagne tea tour, this holiday also enjoys a guided tour of Chavenage House, which guests might recognise from BBC's Poldark series, along with a three-course dinner and wine on site later. Other gardens visited range from Sezincote and Rodmarton Manor to Broughton Grange and the secluded Cerney Gardens. This holiday has pick-up points in London, Reading and Swindon.
Departs 21st June | 4 days from £1,195pp 

Castles and Palaces of the Highlands
This tour takes us through some of the most stunning and dramatic landscapes of Scotland. The first visit is especially exciting as it is to Cawdor Castle, where guests are joined by Lady Cawdor for a private drinks reception on site. At Ballindalloch Castle, guests are welcomed by the Macpherson-Grants and they can explore the curious castle layout as well as see generations of family memorabilia. There are also visits to Dunrobin Castle, Brodie Castle and Blair Castle, at which a private guided tour and lunch are arranged. The final highlight is our visit to Scone Palace, where guests tour the gardens with Brian Cunningham – the Head Gardener and occasional presenter on BBC Scotland's The Beechgrove Garden (the July departure's tour of Scone Palace's gardens is with a member of the gardening team). Pick-up points for this holiday are in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Kinross and Perth.
Departs 22nd June, 20th July, 10th August & 21st September | 5 days from £1,495pp

Castles and Houses of Northern Ireland
With the help of Ulster-based garden designer, writer and broadcaster Trevor Edwards, who will also be the Tour Manager, Brightwater has curated this collection of outstanding gardens in the east of Northern Ireland, featuring a number of special access visits. Tour one of the great private gardens of Northern Ireland at Guincho Gardens, pay a visit to Mount Stewart and tour Grey Abbey House. Guests will enjoy a visit to Ballywalter Park, where they will be joined by Lord and Lady Dunleath for a personal guided tour of the house; they will sit down to lunch at the Orangery at Ballyedmond Castle and Gardens and they will tour Hillsborough Castle – Her Majesty The Queen's official residence in Northern Ireland. Return flights from London's Gatwick Airport are included in the price.
Departs 18th July | 5 days from £1,545pp

In addition to this new Premium collection of holidays, Brightwater has also expanded its Castles & Houses range due to a growing interest from its guests in tours with a historical angle. New itineraries include the Cotswolds, Cumbria, Cheshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, the West Midlands, the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and a twin-county tour of Devon and Cornwall. 

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For further media information, please contact Martha Whatley: martha@specialistjourneys.com.

Notes to Editors: Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022, Brightwater Holidays is a well-established specialist in quality, escorted Garden holidays and Scenic Scottish tours. The company won a bronze prize at the British Travel Awards in 2020 for Best Coach Holiday Company, and both gold and silver in the 2019 iteration of the awards ceremony for Best Coach Holiday Company and Best Special Interest Holiday Company respectively. 

The holidays it offers feature visits to a selection of the finest gardens in the UK and Ireland, Europe and worldwide, as well as the opportunity to see plants in their natural habitat. Itineraries have been carefully crafted and timed to ensure that gardens are looking their best, and special features of the holidays often include guided tours with garden owners or designers, visits to private gardens and exclusive behind-the-scenes visits. As well as benefiting from an experienced Brightwater tour manager, there are often specialist hosts on the tours, too. It also has a dedicated Private Groups service, with the Private Groups Manager Jenni Duncan being shortlisted for Group Leisure & Travel's Excellence Award in 2021.

The award-winning Brightwater Holidays also offers a hand-picked range of scenic Scottish trips, including tours to Arran, Orkney and Shetland, the Outer Hebrides, and to Islay and Jura. Additionally, it has a growing portfolio of interesting archaeology holidays throughout the ancient world, escorted by suitably knowledgeable guides.