Spring Flowers trip 2027

Spring flower botanical tours led by Dr Jamie Compton.

Saturday April 3rd – Saturday April 10th 

Jamie is a leading botanist and plant collector with a special interest in the history and classification of plants. He studied at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and went on to become head gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden and wrote his PhD at the University of Reading on the genus Actaea, where he also studied cyclamen, salvia and wisteria. He has also worked with botanists and librarians to compile a beautiful illustrated book examining the development of botany and its depiction of plants through the ages. “Plant: Exploring the Botanical World” has images spanning 1,500 years.  Recently he has published ‘Wisteria, the Complete Guide’.

Jamie has travelled all over the world on plant-hunting expeditions and has an extensive knowledge of Mediterranean flowers and their history and his infectious enthusiasm for his subject and his constant desire to learn more about the flora makes him the perfect leader for a tour of the Peloponnese in the spring time. 

The tour will be based at Ilias in the Mani and will comprise days looking for wild flowers across different habitats in the varied countryside of the Mani and the Taygetos mountains, delicious taverna lunches and popping into the odd Byzantine chapel. The evenings will include a talk by Jamie and discussions of the day’s floral findings with a display table of specimens collected by him.  

The trip is limited to 12 people. Only double room occupancy available (which can either be double beds or twin beds). All rooms have ensuite bathrooms.

Costs: £2750 per person. A deposit of 50% is required to secure the booking which is non refundable and a trip cannot be rolled over to the next year. These costs include all food and drink, overnight accommodation in a hotel in Mystras and all guiding and local transport but not including flights.

Please contact Charlotte on charlotteheneage@hotmail.co.uk for further information and to book your place. 

Flights are direct EasyJet to Kalamata (35 minutes away from us)  or to Athens (which is 3 hours away from us). We will pick you up from Kalamata airport but if you fly into Athens you will need to make your own way to us.