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Enjoy the wonderful Cotswolds villages including High Tea at Downton Abbey
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Oxford University Town
Where are the Cotswolds?
The Cotswolds are made up of the following 5 counties: Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Wiltshire. Accessible within a 1 hour and 40-minute train ride outside of London, the Cotswolds region is as Olde-England as you can get, a place that will make you feel like you stepped back in time.
What to See and Where to Go in the Cotswolds
A great way to experience the many Cotswolds villages is to rent a car or hire a driver to get around the countryside. Otherwise, you might be surprised to know that the Cotswolds is well connected with train links and bus routes.
The most popular villages on a Cotswold tour would include Bourton-on-the-water, Burford, Stanton, Kingham and Bibury. While visiting these villages, you’ll also make a fantastic discovery along the way, The Slaughters. I suggest to start out your day trip from Oxford in the medieval town of Burford, also known as the gateway to the Cotswolds.
First Burford…
You’ll arrive in Burford in about 35 minutes, driving through the winding country roads surrounded by sheep grazing hills. The village has many little boutiques, where you can buy Oxford shirts, Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbits and Hogwarts souvenirs.
After strolling the town, this Cotswolds tour’s next destination is the Slaughters, recommended by a local resident. With so many towns to choose from, I’m happy we took her advice and visited this one. The Slaughters is absolutely epic of them all. Again, always take advice from people who’ve actually been there.
Visiting the Slaughters
Just 30 miles out of the university town of Oxford, the Slaughters is perfectly located for a Cotswolds day trip. I could never have imagined that such a place even existed. Oozing with Olde English charm the upper-and-lower Slaughters takes the prize for the most picturesque place I’ve ever visited. It was just like stepping into a fairy tale where you would expect to see Alice in Wonderland characters come out of the hedges. It’s seemingly hard to conceive that people actually live here.
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Visit the Old Mill and its little shop, indulge in a tasty homemade ice cream, sit outside and take it all in. In essence, we can’t imagine visiting the Cotswolds without seeing the Slaughters. Plan an hour to have time to explore the village and make sure your camera’s battery is well charged to snap all of the many photo opportunities that await you.
Want to enjoy a Costwolds tour from Oxford or London without driving around?
The Slaughters Country Inn Patio ~ A idyllic place wouldn’t say?
Visiting Highclere Castle, Downton Abbey’s filming location
Carrying on, about an hour to the South, you’ll reach Highclere Castle, home of where the Downton Abbey television program was filmed. We loved this period series and were quite saddened when it came to an end. When the chance to visit this well know location came up, it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. Even if you’re not a fan of the TV series, Highclere castle is a most memorable place to visit on a day trip from Oxford or London.
The castle is privately owned and lived in by the Carnarvon family since 1679. Hence, by doing Highclere castle tour, you’re more than just entering Downton Abbey’s set, you’re going into an actual family estate and get to peek into what castle life is and was all about. As you can imagine, the cost of running such a place is exuberant, so the tours and filming of the series help with management and upkeep costs. There is a fee to enter, it includes garden ground access and a self-guided tour of the castle. The Carnarvons open the castle’s doors to the public about 65 days a year, so make sure to check the dates of your visit and preferably book your tickets ahead of time.
As most people who’ve visited the castle will tell you, the building is much smaller in stature than you would expect from the show.
It still remains a grand place to visit, one that will transport you back into an era of opulence and elegance. Settings in such places as when you enter the grand foyer with its magnificent staircase, the location where you’d expect Sir Crawley to come down. Or when looking through the second floor, you get a glimpse of Sybil’s and Mary’s rooms where you can see modern magazines amongst the decor, reminding you of its present modern-day residents.
Unfortunately, like most castle visits, no pictures are allowed inside (total bummer). But when entering rooms, a large picture of a scene filmed in that room is shown on an easel. The dining room is as splendid as seen in the TV series, set with royal china and silverware. As you enter the library, you come to expect to see a cute Labrador lying on its floor. The main disappointment is to find out that the kitchen and servants’ quarters isn’t actually in the castle’s basement, but set in a different location altogether.
Get insight into the real story of Highclere castle written by the Lady of the house, Fiona Carnarvon. A story which covers periods from 1894 to the Great War, similarly like the first two seasons of Downton Abbey: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey
If you want to delve into Downton Abbey’s filming locations, these tours offer just that…
Have you been to the Cotswolds or Highclere Castle?
Please share your experiences, comments or questions below…
Please share your experiences, comments or questions below…
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This looks so delightful! I’m from the UK but I’ve never been – and all this talk of high tea and castles and countryside is making me feel a bit homesick haha! Very helpful, detailed post – thanks!
Looks like a great tour and I love all your photos! I am a sucker for high tea so that would definitely be on the must-do list for us 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
(ps. your site loads so fast- I love it!)
Thank you Louise, High tea was loads of fun, especially it being on the premise of Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle.
Ohhhhhh will have to visit Cotswald when I go to the UK! Thanks for the useful tips!
The Cotswolds look SO delightful!! I’m hoping to make a trip here this year 🙂 I’m not a massive Downton Abbey fan but Highclere Castle still looks like a must regardless. Great read!
Thank you, Christina, and yes independently if you’re a fan of the tv series or not, the Highclere Castle is a fun and insightful visit showing you the a peek into the world of aristocracy.
What a great article! The Cotswolds is a great place to explore, we used to head out for the day and invariably end up in a beautiful pub somewhere. It’s definitely worth a visit.
I am interested in the day trip from Oxford to the Cotswolds with afternoon tea at Highclere Castle. I can’t find information in how much and what days might be available? Please advise where I could find the information.