Once ensconced in your beautiful Cotswolds holiday home at Buckland Court, you might be disinclined to stray too far. There are so many treats in the doorstep, after all: Broadway, just round the corner; Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-water an easy drive away; and genteel Cheltenham and Gloucester awaiting your pleasure.
But Highclere Castle in Berkshire is worth the trip.
Highclere Castle is perhaps best known for its television appearance in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey. The castle is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, and has belonged to the Carnarvon family since 1679.
Highclere is decorated in a homely Victorian style and is set in 1,000 acres of spectacular parkland, which was landscaped by the renowned landscape architect Capability Brown during the 18th Century (who also worked his green-fingered magic at Chatsworth House).
The elegant rooms are a pleasure to explore, and particularly good fun for Downton fans who will recognise certain bedrooms and downstairs rooms as well as some of the views of the grounds. The gardens range from neat and formal to the Wood of Goodwill, which lies behind the Secret Garden and is a great one to explore.
One new popular attraction is the Egyptian Exhibition which is interesting for the whole family.
It has been opened in the cellars of the Castle in celebration of the fifth Earl of Carnarvon’s discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun with his colleague Howard Carter just over a century ago.
Take a look at the Highclere Castle website for opening times and prices.
Highclere Castle lies just under 70 miles south of Buckland Court, via the B4632, the A40, the A429, the A419, the M4, the A338, the B4000, the A34 and the B4640. The journey takes about 1½ hours by car.
