Spring Trip to Scotland’s West Coast Gardens
Important COVID-19 Update:
After careful consideration, The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA has made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Scotland’s Glorious West Coast Gardens Tour. The tour will be rescheduled for May 10-14, 2021, in order to allow us to see the west coast’s azaleas and rhododendrons at peak bloom. In addition, we will be offering a second garden tour, to Perthshire and Fife, in June 2021. Full information about both tours will be available later this spring.
Scotland’s Glorious West Coast Gardens
Join The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA for five nights on the stunning west coast of Scotland. We will visit private and National Trust for Scotland gardens in Ayrshire, Argyll, and the Isle of Arran, experiencing the region’s wild and rocky coastlines, grand houses and castles, spectacular countryside, and dramatic mountain vistas.
Arduaine Garden
The west of Scotland is famous for its rugged coast and beautiful gardens. Buffeted by Atlantic gales, but warmed by the Gulf Stream, the designed landscapes feature a remarkable mix of tender and exotic plants as well as natives.
The tour will be of particular interest to Rhododendron lovers and dendrologists. It will take us through landscapes of extraordinary natural beauty and few roads, necessitating hotel changes but offering an unforgettable experience of this remote region and captivating corner of Scotland.
Our tour takes place at peak season for some of the greatest collections of rhododendrons in the world, and features:
- A visit to Brodick Castle, its 18th-century walled garden and 74 acres of specimen plants and woodland walks
- Exclusive tours of private gardens at Ardmaddy Castle, with its remarkable 60-foot hydrangea, and An Cala, designed by Thomas Mawson in the early 1930s
- A guided walk through Arduaine, a 20-acre coastal garden with a world-famous plant collection and glorious views to the Sound of Jura and the ocean beyond
- Lunch and a visit to the gardens of Inveraray Castle, one of the most important designed landscapes in Scotland
- Stays at luxury hotels and country houses, including Dumfries House and Loch Melfort Hotel, once home to the creators of Arduaine
- An optional postlude in Glasgow, home of iconic designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh
- All under the guidance of Scottish garden expert Paddy Scott, with special access to the National Trust for Scotland’s garden team
Inveraray Castle
ABOUT THE TOUR LEADER
Paddy Scott, after a career in the drinks industry and four years in a French company, set up his own consulting business, Reach for Success. He became Chief Executive of Scotland’s Gardens, a well-known charity which raises funds by organizing the opening of private gardens to the public, and was one of the founders of Discover Scotland’s Gardens, a business dedicated to marketing Scotland’s gardens to the world. For the last three years Paddy has been using his unrivaled knowledge of Scottish gardens to organize garden tours.
