HEAD NORTH FOR THE PICK OF FRENCH GARDENS

Northern France is blessed with charming, rolling green countryside which hides many of the best gardens in the country. Cross the Channel with SeaFrance from just £25 each way for a car and up to five passengers and discover some of the secret, green gems that await garden fanatics or those simply in need of a space to kick back and relax.

Multi-sensory gardens
Les Jardins de Valloires, Picardy
These stunning ornamental gardens are to be found in the heart of Picardy's Authie Valley at the foot of a 17th century Cistercian Abbey. Featuring over 5,000 varieties of mainly Asian plants and flowers, it is of particular educational value. One of the most memorable areas is the Garden of the Five Senses, which dazzles guests through smell, colour, taste, sound and touch. Regular concerts are held in the gardens and it is even possible to get a feel for the monastic life by staying in one of the abbey's guestrooms. Rates start from €50 per room per night. Visit www.abbaye-valloires.com for further information.

Floating gardens
Les Hortillonnages, Amiens
Dating back to Gallo-Roman times and farmed since the Middle Ages, les Hortillonnages are floating gardens in the very centre of the city of Amiens that are surrounded by water and still used for market-gardening today. The gardens cover an area of almost 300 hectares and are made up of numerous plots of land, criss-crossed by canals and navigable by flat bottomed boats called ‘barques à cornets'. Les Hortillonnages are a UNESCO world heritage site where visitors can join the locals to buy produce from the gardens every Saturday morning or take a boat trip around the gardens. See www.visit-amiens.com for more information.

Flemish renaissance kitchen garden
Le Jardin de la Ferme du Mont des Récollets, Flanders
This award-winning garden surrounds an old Flemish farmhouse on the outskirts of Cassel, in French Flanders, not far from the Belgian border. The gardens melt into the surrounding landscape and the plants are cultivated to create frames for gorgeous vistas. Although much of the garden's influence is taken from the renaissance period (such as the yew and box hedges), it is also a modern kitchen garden with beautiful patterning and cutting edge topiary. Tel: +33 3 28 42 43 23

Cascading terraced gardens
Jardin du Vendangeoir d'Orgeval, Picardy
A cascading, three-tier garden in the grounds of an 18th century wine grower's manor, the Jardin du Vendangeoir d'Orgeval is filled with ancient varieties of roses, irises and clematis. Owner Nathalie Vinçon runs an antiques shop and restores old iron furniture, which she then places about the garden to give it an ever-changing effect. In summer, Nathalie also runs regular ‘Meet me in the Garden' weekends, where, if weather allows, she opens her garden from 10pm to midnight, with over 300 candles lighting the terraces.
Garden fanatics would be advised to stay in one of two stylish guest rooms in the stables of the Vendangeoir d'Orgeval. Rates are just €65 per room on a bed and breakfast basis for two people sharing. For more information visit www.vendangeoir-orgeval.com

Getting there
SeaFrance operates up to 15 daily return car ferry crossings on the Dover-Calais route. Online fares for a car and up to five passengers start from just £25 each way for any duration and from £19 return for a day trip.

To book your crossing visit http://www.seafrance.com or call 0871 22 22 500*
*Calls cost 10p per minute from BT landlines, calls from other networks and mobiles may vary.
-ENDS-
For further press information contact:
Ruth Haffenden / Sara Whines at bgb communications, www.bgb.co.uk
Tel: 0207 902 2990 or email rhaffenden@bgb.co.uk / swhines@bgb.co.uk

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