After parking your jet lag in the Cotswolds for a couple of nights, you’re very quickly into visits to a number of outstanding, mostly privately-owned stately homes and gardens. Continuing westwards, the edges of your tour of Herefordshire’s Black and White Village Trail might become a little blurred thanks to the locally made cassis, vodka and cider tastings along the way. The tour includes the Bard’s hometown of Stratford upon Avon and a visit to spectacular Warwick Castle. Other highlights include:
- The glorious award-winning garden at Kiftsgate Court
- The famous Arts and Crafts garden at Hidcote Manor
- Romantic privately owned Sudeley Castle, a former winner of the Historic Houses Association/Christies Garden of the Year Award
- The unique Rococo garden at Painswick House in a hidden Cotswolds valley
- Choral evensong in Hereford Cathedral
- The Herefordshire Black and White Villages trail
- Cassis, vodka and cider tastings spread throughout the day
- Jaw dropping history at imposing Warwick Castle
- Costumed characters and strolling players at the Shakespeare Houses
