Lord of the Highlands, Highlands in Bloom ex Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh

Garden Themed Cruise

Guest Speaker: Chris Wardle - Chris initially trained in Horticulture, Forestry and Conservation at Capel Manor College in North London before moving to continue his studies in Amenity Horticulture at Askham Bryan College where he met his wife Ruth. He worked in private gardens in Surrey and Sussex before moving to the National Trust for Scotland in early 2000. Chris has held roles from assistant Head Gardener to Head Gardener at Crathes Castle until 2018. His career has continued into garden advisory roles, education and plant curation and his specialism is in trees and woodland management.

Scotland boasts a diverse collection of gardens which are home to a vast collection of plants from around the world, in spectacular natural settings. Experience the rich diversity of Scotland’s west coast gardens and explore botanic beauty on this horticultural extravaganza. Visit some of the area’s best kept secrets including Attadale in Wester Ross and An Cala.

Forever immortalised in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth,’ Cawdor Castle boasts three very different gardens each with their own unique history and appearance. Displaying a wealth of flora and fauna, they are ever changing with the seasons. After a scenic sail of the Caledonian Canal and a transit of the spectacular series of eight locks at Neptune’s Staircase, head to the Glenfinnan Monument Visitor Centre to discover the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the moving tribute to those who died fighting for the Jacobite cause. A wonderful example of a 1930s designed garden, An Cala sits snugly in its horseshoe shelter of surrounding cliffs. A spectacular and very pretty garden with streams, waterfall, ponds, many herbaceous plants. The remote, hidden gem of Lip na Cloiche Garden is situated on a steep hillside on the north west coast of Mull with views of Ulva, the Treshnish Isles and Ben More. Then sail the coast of Sutherland to Gairloch to visit Sir Osgood Mackenzie’s masterpiece, Inverewe Garden, home to over 2,500 exotic and tropical species of plant and shrub. Atttadale Gardens were skilfully restored by their owner Nick MacPherson as an artist’s garden after the 1980 storm, with an impressive sculpture collection scattered throughout the 20 acre site.

Itinerary:

Day 1:
Inverness – Embarkation

Day 2:
Inverness – Cawdor Castle Gardens.
Cruise the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness to Fort Augustus.

Day 3:
Cruise the Caledonian Canal and transit Neptune’s Staircase to Corpach.
Corpach – Glenfinnan Monument Visitor Centre.

Day 4:
Sail Loch Linnhe to Oban.
Oban – An Cala Garden.

Day 5:
Craignure, Mull – Lip na Cloiche Garden.
Tobermory, Mull – Guests rejoin ship.

Day 6:
Sail to Gairloch.
Gairloch – Inverewe Garden.

Day 7:
Sail to Kyle of Lochalsh.
Kyle of Lochalsh – Attadale Gardens.

Day 8:
Kyle of Lochalsh – Disembarkation.