06 Jan 2020
Tags: brightwater holidays, Brightwater, Coach Holidays, Coach Tours, Floriade, Flower Show, Singapore, singapore garden festival, RHS, River Cruises, river cruise, arosa, A-ROSA
Multi-award winning holiday specialists Brightwater Holidays (www.brightwaterholidays.com, 01344 657155) has unveiled its second edition brochure for 2020. This bumper new offering features a selection of brand new tour experiences, which range from European garden cruises and a chance to attend the once-per-decade Floriade World Expo in 2022, to the introduction of self-drive tour options and an autumn holiday for literary lovers that takes in sites within the beautiful Lake District. Elsewhere, the second edition brochure also includes two hands-on RHS Workshops along with a total of seven holidays that are single-supplement free, meaning that the solo traveller is well represented among its pages. Trips for solos include a flower-filled foray in Switzerland, a horticultural holiday in Madeira and a chance to discover the historic houses of the Scottish Borders.
Commenting, Andrew Sharples, Product Manager at Brightwater Holidays, said: “We're delighted to share our second edition brochure. The new decade is set to start with a bang as we've got a selection of exciting new tours and we're excited to offer new ways to travel – our river cruises, for example. We've also added a new departure for our sell-out Singapore Garden Festival holiday due to overwhelming demand and we're anticipating another busy year for Scottish tourism, as departures for 2019 were up by more than 33% from 2018. For 2020, our holidays to Scotland will visit a total of 20 castles, 9 whisky distilleries and 24 fascinating museums across the entire country.”
Highlights from Brightwater Holidays' new collection include the following:
Taking place just once every two years, the Singapore Garden Festival is among the top flower and garden shows on the international calendar. In addition to spending a full day at this fantastic show, there is a visit to the spectacular Gardens by the Bay attraction, a chance to admire the view from the observation deck at the Marina Bay Sands hotel, afternoon tea at Raffles, a tour of Singapore's Botanical Garden, a cruise along the Singapore River in a 'bumboat', and a visit to the Jurong Gardens. 9 days from £2,495pp. Departs 15th and 20th July, 2020. Price includes return flights from London, services of horticulturalist Colin Crosbie as the guide, all excursions and entry to events, and some meals (6 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 6 dinners).
The second day of this short break is spent at RHS Garden Rosemoor, where guests will enjoy a full-day hands-on workshop both in a classroom and then outdoors in the garden itself. Other visits on this trip include Tyntesfield and Ridleys Cheer. 3 days from £595pp. Departs 1st October, 2020. Price includes a full-day workshop at RHS Rosemoor, services of a professional tour manager, all visits as mentioned in the itinerary, comfortable coach travel throughout, and 2 nights' dinner, bed & breakfast.
Autumn Tints of the Lake District
This is a brand new tour with no single supplement that takes in a range of sites in the beautiful Lake District. Visits include Sizergh Castle, William Wordsworth's Dove Cottage and his final home of Rydal Mount, Beatrix Potter's Hill Top farmhouse, John Ruskin's 'living laboratory' at Brantwood, the Arts and Crafts house of Blackwell, and Levens Hall. 4 days from £595pp. Departs 5th October, 2020. Price includes all visits as mentioned in the itinerary, services of a professional tour manager, comfortable coach travel throughout, and 3 nights' dinner, bed & breakfast.
This is a luxurious river cruise along the sinuous River Seine, which includes visits to Monet's garden at Giverny, Jardins Agapanthe, Jardin de Plume, the Gertrude Jekyll-inspired Bois des Moutiers, and Jardin Angélique. The boat for this holiday is the fabulous A-ROSA VIVA. 7 days from £2,495pp. Departs 3rd September, 2020. Price includes return Eurostar travel from London to Paris, services of a professional tour manager, 7 nights in a lower-deck cabin aboard the A-ROSA VIVA on a premium all-inclusive basis, and all visits as mentioned in the itinerary.
A classic cruise aboard the A-ROSA FLORA awaits, taking in the sights along the Rhine and the Moselle rivers in Germany. This trip includes 3 excursions: Reichsburg Castle with its opulent furnishings, the unique half-timbered buildings of Bernkastel-Kues and Koblenz, where the 2 great rivers come together at 'German Corner'. 6 days from £1,495pp. Departs 26th October, 2020. Price includes return rail travel from London to Cologne, 5 nights in a lower-deck cabin aboard the A-ROSA FLORA on a premium all-inclusive basis, 3 shore excursions, and the services of a professional tour manager.
This is a great way to experience the legendary Passion Play in Oberammergau, which takes place once per decade. On this tour, guests will visit the fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle, wander the gardens of Insel Mainau, visit Tettnang New Palace, explore Meersburg New Palace, and discover the UNESCO-listed Pilgrimage Church of Wies. Then, on the 5th day, guests will witness the iconic Oberammergau Passion Play in the charming Bavarian village of the same name. 6 days from £1,895pp. Departs 25th August, 2020. Price includes scheduled flights between London and Munich, 4 nights' dinner, bed & breakfast, 1 night bed & breakfast at a hotel in Oberammergau, all visits as outlined in the itinerary, comfortable coaching throughout, tickets for the Passion Play itself, and the services of a professional tour manager.
Grand Tour of the Outer Hebrides
This is an extended tour of the Hebrides, offering a unique opportunity to travel the length and breadth of the Western Isles. The tour sees guests stay at two comfortable hotels while visiting sites that range from 5,000-year-old standing stones to the unusual airport at Cockleshell Beach. Elsewhere, guests will visit the Black Houses at Gearannan, the Norse Mill at Shawbost, Lews Castle & Museum, St. Columba's Ui Church at Point near Stornoway, and the Butt of Lewis – home to the Stevenson lighthouse. 6 days from £995pp. Multiple departures in 2020. Price includes ferry crossings, meals as per the itinerary, comfortable coach travel throughout, the services of a professional tour manager, accommodation, meals as per the itinerary, and entry to all sites mentioned.
Some of the finest gardens in England are nestled among the rolling hills of Gloucestershire and this tour visits Rodmarton House, Hidcote Manor, Kiftsgate, Misarden Park, and the National Arboretum at Westonbirt. The highlight of the trip is undoubtedly the visit to Highgrove House and Gardens, the country home of HRH the Prince of Wales. This is a rare opportunity to see these glorious gardens in person, which are – of course – cultivated using wholly organic methods. 4 days from £595pp. Multiple departures in 2020. Price includes comfortable coach travel throughout, the services of a professional tour manager, meals as per the itinerary, accommodation, and entry to all sites as listed.
Independent & Self-Drive Holidays
From 2020, any itinerary in Brightwater's programme can be tailored to become an independent, self-drive holiday. The number of requests for such a product drove the Brightwater team to make such an option possible for its guests, which officially launches in January. To book an independent or self-drive holiday, guests simply need to call the company's team of travel experts, who will be able to offer an itinerary to suit their exact needs. Whether they want to do an exact replica of the group itinerary, or they want to add extra days, stay in higher-rated accommodation or hire a car upon arrival at the starting point, the Brightwater team can arrange this on a bespoke basis.
A Range of Holidays with No Single Supplement
To cater for solo travellers, Brightwater Holidays is offering a total of 7 single supplement-free trips throughout 2020. These can take guests to destinations throughout mainland Europe as well as England and Scotland, and include: Autumn Tints of Arran, Arran: Scotland in Miniature, Historic Houses of the Scottish Borders, Gardens of Northumberland, Autumn Tints of the Lake District, Alpine Flowers of Wengen, and finally Gardens of Madeira.
For bookings, contact Brightwater Holidays on www.brightwaterholidays.com or call its team of travel experts on 01334 657155.
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For further media information, please contact Martha Whatley: martha@specialistjourneys.com.
Notes to Editors: With over 25 years of heritage, Brightwater Holidays is a well-established specialist in quality, escorted garden tours. It won gold at the 2019 British Travel Awards in the Best Coach Holiday Company category as well as silver for Best Special Interest Holiday Company. 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 tours often include guided tours with garden owners or designers, visits to private gardens, and behind-the-scenes visits to nurseries and even to potting sheds! As well as benefiting from an experienced Brightwater tour manager, there are often specialist hosts on the tours, too.
As well as gardening tours, 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, as well as bespoke travel arrangements for private groups and societies. Brightwater Holidays is part of Specialist Journeys, a collection of escorted tour operators, each offering a highly individual style of special interest holiday. Brands within the Specialist Journeys family include leading archaeological operator Andante Travels and each company retains a very individual feel and style, yet all share the ethos of providing a truly unique and magical holiday for their customers.
