Highlights of Argyll & Bute

We depart Sussex and make our way north. Having made a suitable stop en route we break our journey in Coventry. The coach will set you down close to the city centre and within walking distance of the Cathedral and the transport museum. Time for lunch and a look around. Later in the afternoon we continue to our overnight hotel.

After breakfast we continue our journey to Scotland. Later in the afternoon we arrive at Gourock for our short ferry crossing to Dunoon.

This morning we drive to Benmore Botanic Gardens which is part of The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. On entering the gardens you are welcomed with an impressive Avenue of Giant Redwoods. Arguably one of the finest garden entrances in the world, these majestic giants are over 120ft tall. The garden is renowned for its collection of trees and shrubs and there are marked walks which lead to a beautiful pond and a formal garden displaying a wide variety of Himalayan and Oriental plants. From Benmore we continue along the banks of Loch Fyne and passing through Inverary to Crarae Gardens NTS claimed to be Britain's finest example of an exotic Himalayan-style woodland garden. Crarae Garden is a tranquil site, with its dramatic gorge, rippling burn, waterfalls and cliffs. The informal hillside layout of mature woody plants radiating out from the burn creates a wonderful natural effect. It is a magical spot at any time of year, with the earlier flowers of countless rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and magnolias being replaced later in the season by the rich tints of foliage and fruit.

Today we take a scenic drive to Colintravie where we make the short ferry crossing to Rhubodach on The Isle of Bute. We continue via Rothesay to Mount Stuart. Mount Stuart is an incredible Gothic palace in red stone. Created by the 3rd Marquess of Bute from the ashes of an earlier house on the site, it was begun in 1879 and remained "work in progress" on his untimely death in 1900. The 3rd Marquess has been described as a compulsive builder, responsible for buildings as varied as Cardiff Castle and the restored Falkland Palace, and it is tempting to suspect he saw Mount Stuart as a hobby almost as much as he saw it as a family home. Today Mount Stuart is the foremost visitor attraction on the Isle of Bute. The house is surrounded by a 300 acre estate of gardens and woodland and visitors can enjoy a range of landscapes, as well as the house itself. And the new visitor centre demonstrates that Mount Stuart's role in staying at the cutting edge of architecture is alive and well. Later in the day we retrace our steps to the ferry for our journey back to the hotel.

Today is a free day in Dunoon. You may wish to visit the fascinating little Castle House Museum or just enjoy the waterfront and relax.

After breakfast we pass through The Argyll Forest Park once again as we then make our way over The Rest and Be Thankful Pass and drop down to the shores of Loch Lomond. We pause briefly in Luss before continuing on to our visits for  today, Hill House NTS and Geilston NTS.High on a hill in Helensburgh, overlooking the River Clyde, sits what is universally regarded as Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s finest domestic creation.  The Hill House is a visually arresting mix of Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Scottish Baronial and Japonisme architecture and design.  Mackintosh designed nearly everything inside the Hill House too, from the decorative schemes and the furniture to the fittings and contents.  His wife, Margaret Macdonald, designed and made many of the textiles as well as a beautiful fireplace panel. Much of the house has been restored so it looks almost exactly as it did in 1904 when its first residents, Glasgow publisher Walter Blackie and his family, moved in.  The beautiful, formal gardens have also been restored in line with the early designs, using plants that would have been available at the time.  Geilston NTS is a delightful garden, typical of the small country estates on the banks of the Clyde purchased by merchants and industrialists in the 18th and 19th centuries. Attractive features include a walled garden and a burn, winding through the wooded glen. Overall, Geilston is arguably one of the Trust’s most alluring gardens, with its tranquillity and intimate atmosphere.

We leave our hotel and take the ferry back to Gourock. Picking up the motorway network we commence our journey south and travel to our overnight hotel.

After breakfast we depart our hotel and head for Sussex. Having made suitable stops we expect to be back in the Maresfield area by approximately 18.00.