We have morning tickets to see Highclere Castle (10:30 - 1:00). We will be traveling that morning from Stow on the Wold to Highclere Castle. I googled the distance. It said it would be 1 hour 15 min. drive. Our plan is to leave Stow in the Wold, drive to Highclere Castle, after our visit return our car at Heathrow airport and travel on to London by Heathrow Express. I just wanted to check to see if everyone agrees. Or should we find a hotel closer to Newbury the night before? Long day but is it do able?
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Yep, at that time of the day, don't push you luck--allow for way more times than any online maps might say.
This is fairly high stakes, 'cause if you get there late because of traffic, you might not get to see Highclere.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5329 posts
The A34 these days does bypass Newbury; the former road skirted quite close to the centre.
It is particularly busy through Oxfordshire and Berkshire as it is the main route to the South Coast ports from the Midlands as well as having a lot of local traffic particularly around commuting time which you might hit the back end of.
At present there are roadworks at the Milton interchange near Didcot to remodel the junction which at times means one of the lanes is fed round the roundabout underneath. This will continue until early next year.
You can avoid this part of the A34 from Stow by heading towards Swindon and coming towards Newbury on the M4.
Posted by
OP
Redding, California
244 posts
Thank you so much for this information. I think we will definitely stay in Newbury the night before we visit Highclere Castle. I wouldn't want to miss seeing Highclere due to traffic. I'm glad I posted this question! Also, thank you for the directions and insight on traffic construction. Spending the night in Newbury will help us be fresh and ready for our visit to Downton Abbey! I made a reservation at The Bunk Inn. It had good reviews on TripAdvisor. It says it is 10 miles from Highclere. Any opinions welcome! Thanks again!
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga, USA
2023 posts
When we visited Highclere we stayed at a B&B in Stockcross. Newbury looked a bit congested and not a place we wanted to drive in and deal with parking, etc. We found that driving times always took longer than we planned. And returning a car at LHR is never easy...