Downton Abbey & The Cotswolds

Yes. There is much more to Downton Abbey than Highclere Castle, and we can build a wonderful day around filming locations in the Cotswolds together with beautiful villages and countryside. This makes the tour possible on many dates when the Castle itself cannot be visited.

Bampton, used as Downton village, is one of the principal locations and includes several instantly recognizable places from the series as well as other sites in Swinbrook and Shilton too. Depending on the itinerary, we can incorporate other filming locations and combine them with some of the surrounding Cotswold countryside.

The amount of walking can be adapted around you. At filming locations such as Bampton there is time to explore on foot and see the recognizable buildings and village settings, while other stops can involve shorter walks or be enjoyed with minimal walking. As this is a private tour, we can adjust the pace to suit your group.

Not at all. The locations themselves are beautiful and historically interesting, so the day works well for couples or families where only some guests are devoted fans. We can balance filming stories with Cotswold villages, local history, countryside and a good lunch.

Yes — that is one of the main strengths of this tour. Rather than spending the entire day traveling between filming locations, we can also introduce you to classic Cotswold villages and countryside, creating a much more rounded day.

Your guide helps bring the locations to life by explaining where scenes were filmed, pointing out recognizable buildings and sharing stories about the series and the places themselves. There is also time to get out of the vehicle and explore rather than simply viewing locations through the window.

A traditional country pub works particularly well with this experience and helps make the day feel authentically English rather than purely film-focused. We can select the lunch stop according to the route, your preferences and the amount of time you would like to spend over lunch.

Yes. Your collection point, drop-off point and wider itinerary are considered when we plan the route. If you are changing hotels or travelling onward after the tour, let us know and we can explore whether the sightseeing day can also help with that journey.

Absolutely. It works particularly well as one themed day within a longer stay, leaving other days free for the classic Cotswolds, Oxford and Blenheim Palace, gardens, food experiences or other interests. We can coordinate the itinerary so locations are not unnecessarily repeated.