We will be coming from a 6-day walk in the Cotswolds (our last day will be in Winchcombe) and are considering going to Downton Abbey on our way to Sandwich on the east coast. How long does it take to do the tour of Highclere castle and the grounds?
Posted by
Granite Bay, CA
1914 posts
I can't answer your question since tickets were sold out when we were in England, but if you are a Downton Abby fan make sure you visit the village of Bampton! It is a major outdoor filming site. If you go to the village library you can buy a flyer of the filming sites for about 50 pence. You'll be amazed how much they film in one small street.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16333 posts
It probably depends on what type of tour you book. When will you be there? As of now they have not released any 2017 dates other than the "Literature and Landscapes" in May (15 May to 21 May). There are tickets available for that.
https://www.highclerecastle.co.uk/public-opening-times-and-prices
Posted by
Millstone Twp., New Jersey, USA
80 posts
We visited Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) this summer, and if you're a Downton fan or just love touring grand homes, this is special. We got there opening time and it was not at all crowded. You are welcome to go at your own pace. By noon the parking lot fills, but the grounds didn't seem overcrowded. I'd say about an hour or so for the house, more if you visit the Egyptian exhibit (I did not). The grounds are expansive, but most people stick to the surrounding grand lawns and beautiful informal gardens near the house. Say another hour or less unless you linger, which most did. There is a gift shop, and you can buy lunch in one of the out buildings and sit outside and enjoy. We splurged on the tea in the Coach House, and it was wonderful. A glass of champagne, stacks of sandwiches and baked goods and tea, of course. Very well down. Too much food for one person to eat, but I did my best. The house has been beautifully restored and maintained. It didn't feel commercialized at all.
Be sure to watch the website from January on and pounce on tickets when are released (usually on or slightly before February 1). We took the train from Paddington and cabbed it from the Newbury station. Totally doable. There are plenty of cabs. On the way back, you can either call a cab company or let the staff at the exit call for you.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23290 posts
We were there last month on the last day it was open this season. Lines were long and it took over an hour to just get in. It is a one way trip and took an hour and a half or so to walk through. It was a bit of a shuffle but great to see all of the TV sights. And you could easily spend another two hours on the ground depending on how you want to go on the grounds.
Bampton was equally interesting but it a good 50 miles away or over an hour of travel. Not easy to get to but it a sleepy village without a tourist in sight. The little information center next to the church in the library have some great pictures for how the village was organized for the shoots. It is well worth the effort to see it especially if you are a fan.
Posted by
Missouri, USA and Essex, UK.
992 posts
I am a big Downton Abbey Fan and managed to get tickets for a trip in July of 2015. You do need to watch the website and get tickets right away. I agree, I think it was about February time frame when the calendar and tickets were available for the Summer. Its is very special driving up to the House. We took a picnic lunch, and when I asked where the Picnic area was, we were told we could eat anywhere on the lawn. We found a spot with the House in the background. There were several others who had large hampers and real wine glasses. Eating and celebrating the day in style!
We opted for the afternoon visiting slot. We got there around 1 (if I remember correctly) and the crowd was fine. We did the Egyptian tour - Its was wonderful. This did take an hour or so, as there is much to see and read up on. It is really interesting and as the owners of the house had funded the expedition to Egypt, the story and findings are intriguing. You walk the house at your own pace. It is still someones home, so there are pictures of the current family members around the house. There is also a person in each room that will give you information and answer questions. You do not get to go in every room. But Its just magical if you are a big fan.
Posted by
Cherry Hill, NJ
148 posts
Not exactly an answer to the OP, but just my 2 cents regarding obtaining tickets for Highclere...
We will be in London for 6 days next April and Highclere has been on my radar although I really thought it was a long shot that they would be open during our available dates. I kept checking the website, but no 2017 dates yet. On a whim I must have Googled something which brought me to the Viator site which advertised a tour to Oxford, Highclere and Bampton Village and it was running during our dates in April. I don't normally book such tours, but I jumped at the opportunity to grab the reservation since I wanted to visit Oxford anyway. It's pricey, but to me it's worth it to have this opportunity during such a small window of availability.
The dates vary depending on tour.
Highclere and Oxford
https://www.viator.com/updateShoppingCartItem.jspa?itemId=592624113
Posted by
OP
13 posts
Thanks so much for all this information. Sounds like going to Highclere could be a bit of a challenge, but worth it. We will pursue since 3 out of 4 of us are big Downton Abbey fans. (My husband did not watch it, but he's being a good sport about allocating a day for the rest of us to visit...)
Posted by
Mission Viejo, Calif., USA
1010 posts
Hello. We were in London and the Cotswolds in August. We were there the whole month. We had a driver pick us up at the Conrad Hilton (London) to take us to Chipping Camden. He dropped us off at Highclere Castle on the way. He stayed in his car and did paper work. We toured the Castle for two hours. We had a lovely time. You can definitely see the castle (without the Egyptian area) in two hours. We wished we could have spent time walking the beautiful gardens. I believe there are 1,000 acres in total. Our driver parked in the parking lot adjacent to the Castle. We only had to walk a few yards. There were probably only thirty people there. We only waited probably 10 minutes to get in. I had emailed Highclere Castle, back in May. I had asked if we could possibly get in, if we just showed up. I was pleasantly surprised when I was advised that we would not be turned away. We were told that there isn't any problem, when there are only two people. Also, the owner of Cotswold Walks (Andrew Gyuppy) told us the same thing. As it is his business to plan Cotswold Tours, he is used to having tourists who want to visit "Downton". In fact, Andrew Guppy's sister used to work at Highclere. Another day our Cotswold guide drove us to Brompton. We talked to a villager. She told us that Brompton was very thankful for Julian Fellowes. The little lady told us that because the series was filmed there, the library in Brompton was saved from closing.