Excursion Number One
(Scilly Isles)
Founded in the 19th century by Augustus Smith around the ruins of a Benedictine Abbey, Tresco Abbey Garden is now a sanctuary for over 2,000 exotic species from the southern hemisphere and subtropics - from Brazil to New Zealand, Myanmar to South Africa.
Set against the backdrop of a tiny Atlantic island, the Abbey Garden dazzles with its unexpected lushness: towering palms, flame trees ablaze in lipstick red, and an ever-changing display of rare and radiant plants. Red squirrels and golden pheasants roam freely and there are echoes of Scilly's maritime history in the atmospheric Valhalla Figurehead Museum.
Excursion Number Two (Guernsey, Channel Islands)
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society tour takes place on a vintage Albion bus and includes locations featured in the book and remnants of the Second World War German occupation.