Gardens of England: Pitchup.com’s autumn adventures

With summer drawing to an end, the changing seasonal colours are best experienced in England’s most beautiful gardens, up and down the country.

Pitchup.com has put together a roundup of the best places to see in the autumn - with country walks, great village pubs and plenty of events and exhibitions for a camping, glamping or caravanning getaway, close to stunning flora and fauna:

Trelissick Gardens, Cornwall

Trelissick sits on its own peninsula in an unspoiled stretch of the River Fal. Arrive at the gardens by ferry from Truro, Falmouth and St Mawes and take in the full extent of the estate from the water. Look out for the water tower disguised as a fairy-tale folly.  

Stay at nearby Cosawes Park - with a resident otter, owls, badgers, buzzards, woodpeckers and deer, the picturesque camp site ranks as one of the prettiest spots in Cornwall, tucked into an idyllic valley, near the village of Perranarworthal. It’s perfect for holidaymakers looking for a site with excellent facilities (it has just won Loo of the Year) but no unnecessary add-ons. Pitches are priced from £13 per night.

Castle Howard Garden, North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is home to some of the most historically important eighteenth century landscape gardens. Known as the Versailles of Yorkshire, the 18^th-century palace, park and garden of Castle Howard is a must-see. So much more than a visitor attraction, Castle Howard is also a thriving rural estate with many traditional enterprises such as farming and forestry.  The profits generated from all estate businesses contribute towards the ongoing restoration and conservation of 200 listed buildings and monuments. Relax amid idyllic gardens, enjoy woodland and lakeside walks, and let off steam on the adventure playground – there is a continual programme of events and exhibitions for all the family.

The Hideaway at Baxby Manor is off the beaten track, offering guests luxurious bell tents fully equipped with everything needed for a glamping getaway, including comfy air beds and tea-light lanterns for evenings under the stars. Bell tents sleeping up to four people are priced from £110 for two nights.

Mottistone Manor Garden, Isle of Wight

Surrounding an attractive Elizabethan manor house this 20^th-century garden is experimenting with a Mediterranean-style planting scheme to take advantage of its southerly location – there’s a big chance of some September sunshine. Venture inside The Shack, a unique 1930s cabin retreat designed as their summer drawing office by architects John Seely (2nd Lord Mottistone) and Paul Paget.

Just down the road is Grange Farm – a unique campsite on a working farm with a multitude of creatures to meet and greet, including micro-pigs, alpacas, and water-buffalos. Pitches on site have endless views out to sea and guests are just minutes from the pretty village of Brighstone. Pitches are priced from £16 per night.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent

Kent is often referred to as the Garden of England and the most famous garden in Kent - and one of the most famous in the world - is Sissinghurst Castle Garden. Situated within the ruins of an Elizabethan hunting lodge is the garden created by Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West.

Hawthorn Farm has twenty-eight acres of stunning woodland grounds to explore – the site is ideally placed for jaunts around the Garden of England, and just a few miles from the coast. A five minute walk brings guests to the local village of Martin Mill. Pitches are priced from £14 per night.

Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire

Westonbirt, the National Arboretum, is based in Gloucestershire and located three miles from the traditional Cotswolds market town of Tetbury.

The 16,000 trees (2,500 different species) come from Britain, China, North America, Japan, Chile and other temperate climates. There are 17 miles of accessible paths and five national collections – the autumn colours are truly spectacular and this has to be the best season to visit this beautiful area.

Stay at Far Peak Campsite in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are miles of wonderful walks to be enjoyed in the area and lots of villages and (hilly) lanes to be discovered by walkers and cyclists or for the less energetic by car. The site gives guests as much space as possible to do their own thing – but does recommend the local pub for a spot of dinner, a short amble across the fields. Pitches are priced from £12 per night.

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About Pitchup.com

Winner of the Travel Journalists’ Award for Best UK Travel Website of the Year at the British Travel Press Awards 2011 and Best Travel Information Site at the 2010 Travolution awards, Pitchup.com is the most comprehensive website in the camping and caravanning sector. Launched in July 2009, the site features 5,000 campsites and holiday parks in the UK and Ireland, including many in hard-to-find locations. The website enables users to search and book using more than 80 search criteria to fine-tune their holiday requirements, and features mapping technology to make getting there simple too. The site also lists accommodation near nine National Parks, hundreds of beaches, 17 World Heritage Sites and the main UK festivals and can view nearby Good Pub Guide pubs, National Trust properties and National Cycle Network routes. Website owners can also add custom Pitchup.com listings to their site.

For further media information please contact:

Lewis Shields   020 7886 8449 lewis.shields@flagshipconsulting.co.uk

Laetitia Redbond 020 7886 8457 laetitia.redbond@flagshipconsulting.co.uk