July 22, 2026
I love Downton Abbey so a trip to see Highclere Castle was what I planned for celebrating my birthday!!! Yes, I am going to be Lady Mary for the day!!!
Very early in the morning we headed to our pickup spot to go on our Downton Abbey, Cotswolds, and Highclere Castle Tour.
We headed to the Cotswolds countryside and visit some of the filming sites of Downton Abbey. The Cotswolds is a rural area of south central England covering parts of 6 counties, notably Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. Its rolling hills and grassland harbour thatched medieval villages, churches and stately homes built of distinctive local yellow limestone.
Our first stop was Cogges Manor Farm located on the banks of the River Windrush. The farm’s role in Downton Abbey was as Yew Tree Farm where the Drewe family raised Lady Edith’s daughter Marigold.
We visited the kitchens and Mr. Drewe’s living room along with the farmyard where many scenes were filmed. It is a working farm with lots of sheep, pigmy goats and horses,
We continued on to the delightful village of Shilton, famous for its shallow ford and stone bridges; to see the spot where Bates worked in the ‘Red Lion’ after being forced to leave Downton Abbey.
Our next stop was to Bampton to see St Mary’s Church, the scene of so many weddings and a funeral or two. During our walkabout we saw the cottage hospital Mrs. Crawley’s house, the village green, the post office, Mrs. Patmore’s bed and breakfast, and The Grantham Arms pub.
Next we headed to the magnificent Highclere Castle, known to many as Lord Grantham’s family seat, Downton Abbey itself. We had lots of time to explore both the inside of the castle and the gardens!!! It was fun seeing various scenes for the series and then standing in the rooms imagining that I was there!!!!
Absolutely one of my favorite ‘Best Day Ever….So Far”!!!!!!
Tomorrow is a travel day as we leave London and head to Kenya to begin our safari!!!
