GLOUCESTERS HIRE, ENGLAND
Fireside armchairs in the bar at the Kings Arms
ABLAZE IN FIERY SHADES FROM SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER, the National Arboretum at Westonbirt is possibly the only place in England that can give the US region of New England a run for its money when it comes to autumn colour. Starting a collection of over 3,000 tree types in the mid-19th century, founder Robert Stayner Holford’s stated aim was to create ‘variety without confusion… informality and picturesqueness’, essentially to apply the principles of painting to the art of landscape gardening. Visitors today will find his vision undiminished as they wander along avenues lined with Japanese maples turned cherry-red, explore glades strewn with the copper-coloured leaves of tulip trees, or curl up on one of the natural seats formed by low branches to inhale the scent of the season.