Oh Carol, how lovely. But, Cambridsge botanics has a miserably neglected rose garden so I will have a think because there are much nicer fellows gardens in the colleges (and you are always welcome to come and visit my allotment). Nonetheless, Cambridge is a lovely town and worth a visit but gardenwise, I think you can do better than the botanics.
Beth Chatto - well this is another garden I am familiar with but you will not be seeing many roses - gorgeous woodland and gravel gardens but roses, nada.
However, if you are heading Eastwards, then Peter Beales at Attleborough is standoutand is in the same(ish) area as Bressingham (but again, grasses and perennials but not exactly roses.
You absolutely have to take in Mottisfont though.
Finally, Wisley, which does have a decent rose display, is absolutely fabulous, for just about the best in horticultural excellence.
Are you planning on using public transport. Are you in a group? I will check in the yellow book (this is a list of local gardens open to the public and include some very grand gardens as well as entire villages, when a whole bunch of little private gardens are open on certain days). There are a couple of jewels near Cambridge (Docwras Manor springs to mind, in Shelford. Such a perfect time of year to visit the UK.

Campanula, thanks for your thoughtful advice. This is a tour sponsored by or connected to Massachusetts Horticultural Society, so it's pretty much a set piece. I don't dare try driving on the wrong side of the street, which means any additional excursions would have to be by train, taxi or local public bus.

DH has spent a bit of time in Cambridge and would love to take me punting on the river (if it doesn't rain or I suspect even if it does) and is willing to be dragged around to various gardens. But either before the tour or after, I could go alone to, say, Mottisfont, hey? It'd be a matter of getting from Windsor Castle to Mottisfont the next day, after the tour disbands. Would that be impossible? Time to google a map--

Carol

yes punting is just perfect - however, do lets stay in contact as the punting has become absolutely outrageous (we have had punt wars) - aggressive touting and some terrible firms....but, I can put you in touch with a couple of smaller and much nicer punters, usually run out of the colleges (Trinity and Kings both have little punting businesses, usually just a couple of boats) and you can avoid the more cut-throat end of things. Yep, I am sure you can fit in a visit to Mottisfont which really is the spiritual home of old roses in the UK.

Carol---I'm so envious----Sounds like a wonderful trip---Please take lots of pictures--I do love the little English Villages Hope you get to see Mottisfont and meet Jon.
Florence

This sounds like a well-planned tour. June is the perfect month for seeing English gardens.

I am planning a similar trip in late April- early May but we'll concentrate on East Anglia only. We've already visited Mottisfont and Wisley. The main reason for our visit is the Norfolk Auricula Day at Kings Lynn on April 30. I'm sorry it will be too early even for the species roses in Peter Beales' collection but we'll probably go to Attleborough anyway. It may not be the perfect time but I hope it will still be worthwhile. We hope to be able to take home a few roses and perennials.

aaaah, auriculas. Gorgeous little fragrant jewels and, unless vine-weevil abounds, surprisingly tough. I only have border and alpine ones, not any of the show fancies. What a lovely trip - might maybe think about jumping on a train.

Carol, Mottisfont was the high point of my trip to England last year. I echo Suzy's opinion that it's the place to go for old roses. Wisley is lovely but the roses are mostly modern and we didn't think that part of the garden was very interesting - in comparison, the long, long border and the rock garden were absolutely wonderful. Sissinghurst had the roses oddly tied and self-pegged, although the climbers on the walls and some of the species roses in the backs of the borders were nice. I liked seeing Vita's famous tower but think the garden isn't nearly as closely planted and free as it would have been in her time. Peter Beales' garden has wonderful species roses and mature roses - also very nice.

The trip sounds great, particularly the punting, and the chance to see Suzy's allotment sounds terrific.
Anita

Anita, thanks for the input. It turns out we won't be able to go on the "Mass Hort." trip because of a previous commitment of my husband's time. And I haven't found any tour online that is in June instead of May (Chelsea show, you know).

But wait! I could organize our own shorter and more specific trip: Mottisfont, Sissinghurst, Runnymede (for DH - where the Magna Carta was signed) and Wisley. It's just a matter of working with train schedules and booking small hotels or B&B's near stations. I think.

Carol

Jsnelle (Jannorcal) and I organized our own trip last year. She drove, heroine that she is, but others have told us that it's possible to do it by train.

I wanted to comment that many of the gardens are diverse enough that even a non-rose person would find much to enjoy. Mottisfont has companion plants and beautiful grounds. Sissinghurst does, too. And, some of the places not renowned for roses have plenty of them to see.

We went to Kiftsgate and Hidcote in the Cotswolds. They are four miles out of Chipping Camden, so you'd need to arrange transport there. Renting bikes, if you ride, is one possibility. Well worth adding to your trip, if you can. One surprise was that Hidcote was open quite late, which the website info didn't tell us, making it even more possible to do both gardens in one day.

We traveled June 11-24 and the roses were great. It was early for ramblers, but you can't have everything. The great Kiftsgate rose doesn't bloom until July - also the R. mulliganii in Sissinghurst's white garden is a July bloomer - but we ogled the buds and foliage and imagined what they both were like.
Anita

cemeteryrose, campanula,mariannese: I found a Norfolk mid-June tour that hits some rose gardens as well as other gardens, and is small-group! I'll take photos and I hope I can figure out at last how to post some on the forum. This tour includes Peter Beales' place but I'll have to add Mottisfont after. I am DETERMINED to visit Mottisfont.

Thanks to you all for your help and advice and warnings and encouragement!

Carol