Welcome
2012 will see the 20th year of Brightwater Holidays. I know it is a bit of a well worn cliché however, it really does seem just like yesterday when we set up our fledgling tour operating business from our garden shed with just a typewriter and a photocopier. Our early meeting with Peter Clough, at that time the Head Gardener at Inverewe Gardens, was a real inspiration to us.
“Well, if you’re going to be any good at garden holidays you’re going to have to take people to this place they’ve just discovered called Heligan in Cornwall – and you should include a trip to Tresco, but I don’t think they’re very keen on groups - tell them that Peter Clough will be the Tour Manager and see if that gets you in.”
What Peter did not tell us was that he was the former Head Gardener of Tresco’s Abbey Gardens which in time unlocked the door to many a garden and indeed resulted in many tours to Tresco.
This was exactly what we had in mind for our gardenholidays; creative itineraries expertly led by tapping into the knowledge of Head Gardeners and horticulturalists, including, where possible, access to exclusive private gardens not often open to the general public.
Our short garden tours by coach soon developed into longer overseas holidays to continental destinations, which in turn led on to exotic faraway lands.
Our successes in domestic holidays, particularly to the Scottish Islands, took Brightwater Holidays in a new and exciting direction with the introduction of our Archaeology tours; firstly to Orkney and Shetland, then to the Outer Hebrides, and then onto Mediterranean countries. We now have a growing portfolio of interesting archaeological holidays throughout the ancient world, escorted by suitably knowledgeable guides.
The years have passed with a quickening pace, the world has considerably shrunk and nowhere is off-limits in our pursuit of wonderful gardens or interesting sites. The same amount of planning and resources goes into a long weekend visit to gardens in Norfolk or Somerset as it does on a complex itinerary to the other side of the world.
Thank you for supporting Brightwater Holidays over the last 20 years. We look forward to welcoming you on more holidays in the future.
Directors
The Brightwater Experience
To go on a Brightwater Holiday is to join a group of like-minded, mature adults with enquiring minds, who are all looking for that bit more from a holiday package. Our holidays are all well planned and well paced, often with a twist or a theme. We work hard to arrange the innovative and the special, making it easy to visit that garden, antiquity or island you’ve always wanted to see.
To walk with the owner of a private garden that has opened especially for our party and hear the secrets and stories of their garden; perhaps have tea on the lawn, or see inside their potting shed is often the norm on a Brightwater Holiday. What a thrill it is to be able to buy rare and unusual plants for your own garden from a specialist nursery – we know that all gardeners like nothing better than to buy plants on tour, however we do have to temper that with “No trees please!”
Whilst we rely on our close ties within the world of horticulture and archaeology to ensure we have the most creative and enjoyable itineraries, first and foremost we are a company of passionate travel enthusiasts and experts in many areas. Ask Andrew in our Operations team about a ferry time out of Oban and he’ll recite the entire Caledonian MacBrayne timetable off pat! There is little Jenni does not know about booking flights or how to get the best rail fares. Evelyn, Susan and Moira, with over thirty years’ experience in Reservations between them, can process your holiday booking and answer your travel queries quickly and efficiently – you’ll even get a friendly Scottish accent! It is a team game at Brightwater Holidays where everyone wants to make your holiday as enjoyable as possible.
“A wonderfully loyal band of travellers”
We have a wonderfully loyal band of travellers - on average almost half of the participants on every tour is made up of returning clients. This loyalty has been built up over the years due to the fact that we listen to our customers and take heed of your shared holiday experiences in order to fine-tune our itineraries and hotel choices. Each and every holiday questionnaire is read by Graeme, Brightwater’s Managing Director, to ensure that we are getting our tour content just right while still
offering the best possible value for money.