The Leicestershire-based Gardening Friends group decided to try something a little different this February and took an overnight trip to Gloucestershire. Brenda Redmile, GTO for the group, explains, “Being a group of gardening enthusiasts, we usually take our short breaks between April and October but this year, we decided to do something to beat the February blues.”

Fifty three people travelled to Gloucestershire by coach with local firm Robinsons of Burbage, stopping first at Painswick Rococo Garden. “We like to use Robinsons to support a local company and everyone enjoyed the Garden with its woodland setting, carpeted with single and double snowdrops – the tearoom there also proved very popular,” says Brenda.

After spending the afternoon at the Garden, the group continued on to the Ramada Jarvis Bowden Hall Hotel, near Gloucester. “We were made very welcome; staff greeted us on board the coach when we arrived and we were given complimentary tea and coffee,” comments Brenda. “We stayed just the one night for dinner, bed and breakfast and everyone asked me when we could do it again as it was so relaxing and unrushed.”

Before returning home, the group spent some time exploring the city of Gloucester. Brenda states, “We
were then able to tell our grandchildren all about our ‘sleepover’. We didn’t have a midnight feast as they do but we did have a very good dinner at the hotel! It was a very successful trip thanks to the staff at Painswick Rococo Garden and the Bowden Hall Hotel, who gave such good service.”