How to visit Highclere Castle [Downton Abbey] from London

In this week's episode we walk through exactly what you need to know before visiting Highclere Castle, the iconic filming location for Downton Abbey.

We share practical planning tips from our own recent visits, covering ticket options, how to get there from London, what to expect on the day, and the small details that make the difference between a rushed visit and a memorable one. Guest Melissa Jones also joins to share her first-hand experience of a guided tour to Highclere Castle which included an afternoon tea.

In this episode, we cover:
• limited opening dates and why planning around the calendar matters
• ticket options including general entry, guided tours, special events, and afternoon tea
• how to get to Highclere Castle from London via Newbury
• taxi, driving, parking, and accessibility tips
• the no-photography policy inside the house and how to enjoy the visit anyway
• highlights of the house, gardens, and Capability Brown landscape

🎙 Get in touch via SpeakPipe
Have you visited Highclere Castle, or are you planning a visit? What are you most looking forward to?

👉 Full show notes and helpful links at uktravelplanning.com/episode-187

🎧 Listen to next:

• Episode #185 – Set-Jetting in the UK: Movie and TV Locations to Visit
• Episode #127 – Solo Travel in London : Trip Report with Melissa Jones
• Episode #168– England Trip Report: Castles, Countryside + Iconic Sights

🎟️ Sponsored by Walks Tours & Devour Tours. Explore London with expert guides, from sightseeing to food tours.

👉 Book London sightseeing tours with Walks
👉 Book London food tours with Devour

Transcript

Welcome & Why Highclere Matters

SPEAKER_03 0:00

If Downton Abbey has inspired you to visit High Clare Castle, this episode is for you. This week I share exactly what you need to know before you go.

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Welcome to the UK Travel Planning Podcast. Your host is the founder of the UK travel planning website, Tracy Collins. Each week, Tracy shares destination guides, travel tips and itinerary ideas, as well as interviews with a variety of guests who share their knowledge and experience of UK travel to help you plan your perfect UK vacation. Join us as we explore the UK from cosmopolitan cities to quaint villages, from historic castles to beautiful islands, and from a picturesque countryside to seaside towns.

Setting The Scene: Downton Fans Unite

SPEAKER_03 0:39

Before we get started, we'd like to thank our sponsor, Walks and Devour Tours. If you're planning a trip to London, you'll already know the challenge. There's a lot you want to do and only a limited amount of time to fit it all in. That's where the right tour makes all the difference because you want experiences that are the best use of your time with more access, less waiting, and a deeper sense of the city. That's why we recommend Walks and Devour Tours. They offer walk-in tours and food tours designed to make your time count, often with early or after hours entry. You'll also be with exceptional local guides who add the stories and context so you leave with a richer understanding of what you're seeing and a trip that feels genuinely memorable. If you're visiting London as a couple with family or you simply prefer a more intimate experience, walks and devour tours also offer private tour options. To learn more, you'll find the link in the show notes. Now let's get into this week's episode. Hi everybody, and welcome again to this week's edition of the UK Travel Planner Podcast. I do have Doug here again. Hello. He seems to be on the podcast more and more, um, but just good, I think. You enjoy it. Yeah. Well, I couldn't not have Doug on talking about High Cleck Castle. So this is obviously the follow-up to our um episode 185 where we talk about set jetting, which Doug had no idea what it meant. Um but if you're planning, if you're you if there's somewhere in the UK that you are inspired to visit because of a movie or TV series or literary connection, that's episode listen to because we'll talk about all the different places we visited with that and also what's happened in 2026, because there's some quite exciting stuff out. So pop back and listen to that episode. But this episode we are focusing totally, totally on High Claire Castle, aka Downton Abbey. Um now, Doug and I we visited three years ago, is that right? About three years ago. Oh my goodness, and I visited uh in October 2024 with my friend Melissa Jones from the States. Now, um, I actually have got Melissa later on in the episode, and she's going to share about her experiences visiting um Downton Abbey, High Claire. Um, so listen for that, listen out for that. And also at the very end, I kind of give you those essential tips, things that you should know before you visit. Um, so you know what is it about Highclair Castle? I mean, it it it is the set for Downton Abbey, so there you go.

SPEAKER_02 2:58

That's kind of yeah, it is. It was uh also on a programme before that that I knew.

SPEAKER_03 3:03

Yes, yeah, it was a Jews and Wooster.

SPEAKER_02 3:05

Jews and Wooster series from the was it the 80s called Grief that's going back. I love that.

SPEAKER_03 3:08

Well, oh well for most people, I guess um you're listening to this because you are a fan of Downton Abbey. Now, the actual Highclare Castle uh is a private home, it's lived in by our Lord and Lady Kinarvin. Yeah, um, it was built, I believe, in the 17 late 1700s, um, 18 something, it became what we recognise as kind of Highclair Castle now. Um, and the the actual grounds in the gardens, which are beautiful, we loved that, didn't we? Um, were designed by Capability Brown. He was also very famous. There's lots of other places in the UK that he he uh he was you know there. Anyone had money, they would have their gardens designed by Capability Brown. That's right. Yeah, so um, okay, so let's talk a little bit about um you know what you need to think about uh when you're planning to visit. Um because we know we I mean we do a lot when we have consults, it comes up a lot, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_02 4:04

It really does. It does, yes.

What Highclere Is And Isn’t

SPEAKER_03 4:06

It's a very, very popular day trip from London. So, first of all, I'll say that you can do you can visit Higher Clare Castle on a day trip from London, but but but but there are things that you need to know if you are considering this. So if you are going to the UK and you've got, oh, I'm gonna go and visit Downton Abbey, I absolutely love it. You need to know it's not open all the year round.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

That's right, it's a private home to start with.

SPEAKER_03 4:29

Exactly. Yeah, you must book your tickets beforehand because dates sell out quickly.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

Yeah, to save this appointment, you really need to look at that.

Tickets, Seasons, And Sold-Out Dates

SPEAKER_03 4:37

Yeah. Um, and they do have different types of tickets, okay? So it it it depends on the time of year and what they're doing. So they do have general admission days, they have guided tours, they have special themed events, they have options that where you can add an afternoon tea in. Um, but for all of these, you need to book them pre-you know, pre-book them online. Um, and I will put a link to the to the uh High Claire Castle actual official website where you could go and check it out what you want to do, but bear in mind it they book out early, they really do. Yeah, because it's so popular. Now I've just actually looked for April, so I may I may just take the a guide, it's actually not a guided tour, it's just a general the same as we did actually in July when we went a few years ago. Now, the one trip I did with Melissa was actually a guided tour of the house, and we had an afternoon tea, so it was a slightly different experience than the one that we had. Um, but it was so good. But also, and one question we get, I I think one a couple of things that have come up that I wanted to mention right off the bat is you can't just pitch up.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

No, that's that's true. Yeah, you can't. You can't just pitch up for a visiting house, and also you'd be disappointed if you're gonna drive to the gates and take a photo.

SPEAKER_03 5:44

Yeah, well, that's the thing. I and I we we do hear that quite often that people think that you can kind of kind of just drive by and take a photo. Actually, for a start off, you have to drive down a long driveway through the through the kind of the the castle grounds. That's right. Um, so it actually takes a few minutes before you actually even see the castle. Now, you I guess you could, I don't know, this is not official, but I'm just saying, I guess you could, if it's official opening days, so do not do this when the castle is closed. You could guess go to the car park because you can see the castle from there. But there is a fence, yes, and there is like a ticket booth where you've got to go and and present your tickets before you can actually even get in the grounds. Yeah, um, so you could potentially get a photo of yourself with Downaby in the background and you know, high clear castle in the background, but um, it's not that easy. I I would honestly recommend it's just worth going. Really? If you if you want it, you know, if you're a fan of it, you want to. Yeah, in a fan, you want it. Yeah, if you're a fan, you want to go and you want to go and inspect that house, you want to go and see all the places that you recognize, play the music. Uh well, yes. Okay, well, should we talk a little bit about our summer trip? So we went in the summer, we went in July. We did. Um, we actually ended up changing our plan. So we had been down in in Devon and Cornwall, and we were planning to spend the night in Newbury, but unfortunately, and actually my parents were coming, but unfortunately, um, and very unusually for the UK, it was hot. It was really, really hot, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_02 7:07

Yeah, it was.

Summer Visit Walkthrough

SPEAKER_03 7:07

I think it was into the 40 of 42 degrees centigrade, it was, which is oh, for those of you who use Fahrenheit still, it was 107 degrees Fahrenheit. It was hot. Yeah, it in fact I remember actually distinctly going to get us an ice cream. We sat underneath because there's beautiful trees that you can sit under. And by the time I walked back to it, I think my hands were just covered in ice cream because it literally just melted. Um, I have got some beautiful photos of me sitting underneath the the trees with the castle in the background. Oh, yeah, they're some of my favourite photos actually. Anyway, let's tell you a little bit about what we did. So we pre-booked the tickets. Um, it was just the general summer opening at that point uh in July. Um, so that you have a choice with that. You can book the actual castle and the grounds, or you can add in to go and see the exhibition, which is the Tutankhamun exhibition. Because um if if I don't know, if you know, I assume you might do that. That actually that the fifth Earl of Carnarvon was involved uh in the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. So that's so there is actually an exhibition on the like lower floor, so it's like where you would think the downstairs bit would be, not the upstairs, the downstairs where the servants are in down there. That's where the exhibition the exhibition is there. So you've got an option if you want to do that or not. So we chose not to, yeah. So we went and we got the ticket that was just the the house with not a guided tour, but it was like a self-guided walkthrough.

SPEAKER_02 8:35

We were there in plenty of time, that's why we sat under the trees and yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:38

Well, it was it was really hot, so we spent a good few hours. Now you have to kind of book a slot. I think it was either morning or afternoon, and I think we had afternoon because we were driving from I think we're in Devon actually, so we're driving off Boblin Moor. Yes, so I think what what would summarise your kind of impression when you went down that drive? Excitement. It was, wasn't it? And and of course, and I talk about this later with Melissa actually, you have to play the don't navigate music because if you aren't playing it, you're singing it in your head. We definitely did though, didn't we? We did, we had it play in the city.

SPEAKER_02 9:10

Between the trees, and it's it people who watch the series who know that the house comes into view.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

Yeah, uh you just have to have if honestly, if you don't play it uh in your car or on in the taxi with a taxi, you're gonna be humming it in your head anyway, so just do it. It all adds to the experience, it really, really does. So obviously, we know we kind of know High Claire because we've seen it in Down Abbey. I mean, it's been in three movies, there was 56 episodes of a six series. I mean, you got me into it because I'm I wasn't a big period drama fan, and you were like, Oh, we need to watch this, we need to watch it. And we literally just kind of binge watch the whole thing, didn't we? Um, and I actually saw the last film with my daughter over in Perth last year. You haven't seen it yet, have you? I've not seen the last one yet. No, anyway, okay, let's talk a little bit more about experience. So you drive down the driveway and you park. There's a car park. Yeah, then there's like a booth, you have to go and show your tickets, so otherwise they're not gonna let you in. Yeah, um, and then after that, you've got you'll have a time when you can go into the house for your tour. Yeah, um, that they'll allow you because obviously they can't let everybody in all at the same time. So depending on when you arrive, you you you kind of have a slot then to go into the house. So we we kind of we went to the gardens first, didn't we?

SPEAKER_02 10:21

It was under the trees and then we had a stroll round, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:23

Yeah, and it was it was really, really it's a beautiful time of year. Okay, it was extremely hot, but there were so many flowers in the garden. Wildflowers and other wildflowers. I've got some again, some beautiful video of the meadow and with all the wildflowers in it and and and High Clare Castle in the background, which I actually have made a uh a YouTube video just showing that, so you can check that out on our YouTube channel, uh UK Travel Planner, um, if you want to see what that looked like. I actually should put something more together because I've got I've got so much of the different times I've been, but that will give you an idea of what you know what it's like. Because I will say, and I was gonna mention this afterwards, anyway, you can't take any photos in the house. That's right. Yeah, that's not a lot because it is a private home, and you'll see photographs like private family photographs everywhere. So they obviously don't want those.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

So you will recognise bits as you walk around the home, particularly the the sort of sofas and the drawing boob.

SPEAKER_03 11:12

That's what yeah, I love that. Being in that the library is the is the area where you kind of always think as them sitting with the fire and and chatting, and you've got um, you know, uh it the the desk and everything, and you know, and it yeah, and you just imagine the labrador sitting underneath the desk, don't you? That's right, yeah. Yeah, I mean it's just it it's amazing. So what so we did that. So we walked around the gardens first, we then sat underneath the trees, just cooled down a bit, waiting for our kind of slot to go into the house. Now, say it wasn't a guided tour. When I did it with Melissa, it was a guided tour, which I actually appreciated and enjoyed more to be honest, because I learned a bit more. But however, if you can't if you're on a time of year where you can't get a guided tour because they're kind of different times, then you it just just take the one where you kind of just do it yourself, which we did and it was fine.

SPEAKER_02 12:00

That's it, yeah. You uh when you booked your holiday or vacation there, you might not have much of a choice as to the other. Yeah, what's available, yeah, exactly.

Inside The House: Highlights

SPEAKER_03 12:08

But uh, the nice thing was because you go in and you recognise everything, is they do have these big pictures or kind of on like easel boards, and you can see where how it was uh for the sets, how they set it up, that's it. Yeah, and that was great. And obviously, the hall is amazing, like that big atrium, because you've got a big skylight in it, and so that that was beautiful and the staircase. I just loved walking down the staircase, yeah. It was just it really is a lovely experience. So you kind of so you've got to follow the route round. So you can't you go around, you you um I think you don't start in that hall, do you? You kind of go around and you start in kind of like a little room before going into that main library, then you kind of go through there's a dining room. I can't remember off the top of my head exactly the order, but after that you go upstairs, don't you? That's right. The balcony where the bedrooms are, yes, and then you look down on that kind of hall atrium, don't you? So you see some of the bedrooms, um, and then you come back down into the main hall, and then for Melissa and I, because we were doing the the um tour of the exhibition, we went to that, there's like a different door that you go down to that to see that. Um otherwise, I still think I still have a feeling we went downstairs and exited via a little there's like a cafe. Did we go back down through the kitchens and yeah? I was like, and there's no kitchens down there, it was like a cafe. Because I actually went down there. Melissa and I did the yeah, we did the we come out in the courtyard, that's right. And then there's a shop.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

Oh, it's always a shop.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

The high care shop is excellent. I've bought a lot of things in that high care shop.

SPEAKER_02 13:35

Even I had to go in the shop to get out the sun.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

Oh, yeah, but it was great just to go in the shop. There's a shop anyway. I will say to you, you will buy things in the shop because they have really, really cool things in there. Um, so yeah, so do do plan that into your time when you're a bridge magnet, as always. Bridge magnet, and I just bought stuff for her ladyship on, you know, because you know I'm I'm posh.

SPEAKER_02 13:53

You are her ladyship.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

Um, bearing in mind, actually, that if I had lived at this during these times, I would have been downstairs. I would definitely have been downstairs. Listen to my accent. Do I sound like Lady Mary? No. Oh well, no. No. So I would have been downstairs.

SPEAKER_02 14:05

Have I been the chauffeur?

SPEAKER_03 14:07

Not sure to be honest. I think you would have been a gardener.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

Oh, yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 14:11

Because you like gardeners, so I think I think you would have been a gardener. So so that was that kind of that tour. I don't know how long it took us to the house with it, maybe about 30-40 minutes doing the tour.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

Yeah, probably about it.

SPEAKER_03 14:23

I think that was about it, yeah. And then um, you know, there were there were places that you could go and get some refreshments. Uh but we were there in the summer, so we just there was like an ice cream van, like a stall, not a van, but a stall with a melting ice cream, yeah. Um, and you could get drinks, like you could get um various drinks. I think I've probably got a PIMS, always have a PIMS and lemonade in the summer when it's hot. Well, I'd have been driving, wouldn't I? Yeah. So then, yes, you were driving. So, well, yeah, so you didn't have anything, I don't know, maybe just a cool drink or water because it was that hot. I don't drink very much. Yeah, so but uh all in all, we really enjoyed the experience. Enjoyed it so much actually. When Melissa Jones was going again, and and she sent me a message going, Do you want to come with me to High Claire? I was like, Yes, please. And when we were talking about this last night, you said you'd go again. Oh yeah, obviously. Because you enjoyed it. So obviously, we included it as part of a road trip that we were doing, yeah. Um, and we found it really easy. Once we've booked it, all the instructions of actually how to get there are on the High Clare website itself.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

I was gonna point out that the car park is on the flat as well. So if any issues as regards mobility, it is purely on the flat, isn't it?

Shop, Grounds, And Heatwave Memories

SPEAKER_03 15:31

Yeah, it is, yeah, it is. Um, but the gardens, I guess you could kind of walk down to the gardens as paths down. Okay, so let's talk about some of the logistics because once you've got your ticket, again, I would go on to the Halclair website. It does have, it's really it's actually very helpful because it will list what is still available. I was just on before just checking to see what was available. And at the moment there is some some in April that I could go to, but I was also looking uh for there's nothing in June uh at all that I could see except a kind of the more expensive option, which is uh where you have the guided tour and then you have an afternoon tea, I think it was. But um, again, it it varies with price, yeah. Um, and you you may not have a choice, as in the time that you are available you can go is is is less the kind of just open and and kind of wander around yourself to a bit more of a guided option with with afternoon teas and things like that included. Um, you can't buy an afternoon tea box if you just have the general kind of I think it's about£25 option. Um, I think that's£79 for an afternoon tea box, and that's for two people. We didn't do that, but I am I I I think I would do that next time.

SPEAKER_02 16:41

I just wonder what's included in that box.

SPEAKER_03 16:43

Oh well it well this you can choose whether it's like vegetarian, vegan, regular. I think there's I think there's champagne included in it, so I could have both of those.

SPEAKER_02 16:50

Oh, you would.

SPEAKER_03 16:52

I've just actually also found out that they sell gin at high price. So I'll be trying the gin if I go because I I I do enjoy I do enjoy I do enjoy I do enjoy trying different gins as I travel around. Everywhere does their own gin these days, don't they? I'll stick with my tea and cakes. Well, yeah, you do that. Right, so logistically driving was fine. There was plenty of places to park, we didn't have a problem with it.

SPEAKER_02 17:11

We didn't have a problem at all.

SPEAKER_03 17:13

No, that was fine.

SPEAKER_02 17:14

You went by train the next time, didn't you?

SPEAKER_03 17:15

Right, so then when Melissa and I we went we went by train, so we went from London Paddington. So because you're the train expert, I'm gonna hand over to you so you can explain a bit more about this.

SPEAKER_02 17:23

I think we should explain really where Newbury High Clare is.

SPEAKER_03 17:28

Yes, that's good. Good point.

SPEAKER_02 17:29

You visualised London, it's depending how you want to look at it, from which part of London, because London's pretty big. But if you're looking at the map of the UK sort of sort of south southwest.

SPEAKER_03 17:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 17:40

So it's about 65 miles, I think, from London, depending again, where you are considering your starting point. Um from driving time, I guess, is probably about an hour and a half to two hours, again, depending on what time.

Tickets, Tea, And Extras Explained

SPEAKER_03 17:52

Well, depends where you are in London again, and also I wouldn't be driving from London anyway. It was only because we were doing a road trip that we included it. So I would not be driving. If you're in London, you A, we always say don't hire a car in London. Absolutely. And secondly, I would say uh if you're in London and do this a day trip, just take the train.

SPEAKER_02 19:05

Oh, we take the train, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 19:06

Which is why yeah, I was asking you to share about the train dogs.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

So, from the train perspective, the direct train is from London Paddington. Yeah, the fastest journey currently is 39 minutes, which is very, very long. And that's great, uh, great Western Railway service. There is alternative uh stations you can come from in London, London, Waterloo, but involves uh changes, and it's gonna take you close on to two hours.

SPEAKER_03 19:28

Yeah, it's a bit longer, it's a bit of a longer trip to do. So it's actually Newbury's easy, Newbury's easy easy, and that's what that's exactly what Melissa and I did actually. We just had tickets, we got tickets from Paddington to Newbury return. Um, I think we yes, we had a specific train booked to come back as well, so we didn't have like an open return. We we booked our tickets and knew what time we're leaving and what time we're coming back, yeah, based on the time of our tour. Um, so I will just talk a little bit about what Mel how what happened for Melissa and I because I know if you're planning to do this and you're gonna take the train, which I would advise, it's really easy, to Newbury. Now, when you get into Newbury, they're generally, I'm not gonna promise this, but there generally are taxis waiting because they know, and our taxi driver, we we came, we came out the station and there were taxis waiting. And bearing in mind this is October, so I will kind of put that proviso, and it was a weekday. But he said to me, they know when the trains are coming in from London and Paddington, and they know that 90% of the people arriving on that train are wanting to go to High Claire Castle.

Getting There By Train Or Car

SPEAKER_02 20:29

And I guess depending how many people are getting off the train, is that you know, if there's you might have to wait for a taxi for somebody to come back and collect you. So if you'll get there and there's no actual taxi, don't be disappointed, just hang on.

SPEAKER_03 20:41

Well, that yeah, but I think the other option I would say, and uh we didn't do this, it was October, as I say, it was midweek, is that um you can pre-book a taxi. And I know that there is a list on the High Clare site of uh local taxi companies that you can book because if you're nervous about this, like you know, I don't know if your tickets at 11 and you're arriving at 10:30, yeah, it takes about 15 minutes to get to High Claire, right? Um but if you're hanging around for 15 minutes waiting for a taxi, you're gonna get a bit nervous.

SPEAKER_02 21:10

Yeah, I'll catch an early train if you're able to.

SPEAKER_03 21:13

Yeah, but if you book a taxi, you don't have to worry about that. But the other thing is to know is that when you come out after you've done your tour or whatever, there's no way you can get a taxi at High Clare Castle. So you need to organise that. So now when Melissa and I jumped in our taxi, the guy said, Do you want picking up this afternoon? Yes. So we said yes. For some reason, I have no idea why. We didn't ask for his WhatsApp, we didn't even exchange any of that. We just went, yep, perfect. We finished it this time. This is the time we're catching the train. Can you pick us up? So we finished our tour, we stood in the car park and we were just like, Oh, I hope this guy turns up. And he did. He did, he did, he turned up, took us back to the train station. Lovely, lovely guy. Um, so you can do that. Um, that's what we did, and we had no problems. But I would suggest if you're gonna a very busy time of year, the summer, or a weekend or a Sunday, that you maybe consider pre-booking, because I just think it would stress me out.

SPEAKER_02 22:06

Yeah, potentially.

SPEAKER_03 22:07

It would stress me out if I got there, and I was like, what happens if there's no taxi? Anyway, we drove one time, the second time was a taxi, and it was fine. But I just want to mention that, and you know, if you are a planner and you would get a bit stressed out, you'd be better off just booking the taxi, never back. And you'll know, kind of give yourself plenty of time, depending on when your tour is, just give yourself plenty of time to explore the the gardens, um, you know, go and explore the shop because you're going to, believe me.

SPEAKER_02 22:33

Or basically, what I'm gonna say is explore the gardens and the grounds, but really what that's all about is you want to look at the house from every possible different angle that they've used in the TV programme. So every time, true.

SPEAKER_03 22:46

And and I and I think you will I understand that you can't take photographs in the castle, it's just like you really you know, and you really want to, so it's kind of like because you're like so you you kind of have to take. Those photographs with your mind and just remember it. And I can, and because to be honest, you will recognise it so much anyway.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

Because it's if you've seen the series, you'll know exactly the whole setup of the hell.

SPEAKER_03 23:09

Exactly, exactly. It's really interesting because the discussion with with Melissa later on in the episode, she remembers far more about the upstairs than I do because I couldn't remember which bedrooms we saw, but she remembers like the colours and some of the artworks that she saw. It's just funny what different people kind of remember and what they leaves an impression.

SPEAKER_02 23:27

The true you know dedicated fan of what even name episodes when such and such things.

SPEAKER_03 23:32

Yeah, that's true. I mean, what I think was I'm sure some of the family photographs there was pictures of Lord and Lady Carnarvon with the late Queen. I'm sure there was. That's something that is in my head.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

But I'm thinking the Jeeves and Wooster in there when it's when it was cut. It wasn't High Claire and wasn't Downton Abbey, was it Toddington Towns or something like that?

Taxis, Timing, And Stress Savers

SPEAKER_03 23:50

Yeah, well, anyway, but everybody listening, unless you're you've listened you know anything about Jeeves and Wooster, that's yeah, well, you've gone off in a tangent as always about stuff that you enjoy. But anyway, we'll go back to High Claire. Um I think really we you know, like I said when we talked about it last night, would you go again? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 24:08

I definitely would, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:09

You know what I'd really like to do is go at Christmas.

SPEAKER_02 24:12

Ah, that'd be really good.

SPEAKER_03 24:14

Because can you imagine how beautiful it is when it's I can well imagine when it's I mean, and a lot of the stately homes in the UK do such a good job.

SPEAKER_02 24:23

You're thinking of chats with other people.

SPEAKER_03 24:24

I am, I am. They just do, they're just magical. I mean, the chances are you won't get snow, it's very, very unusual.

SPEAKER_02 24:30

It won't be 42 degrees if it's guaranteed.

SPEAKER_03 24:32

Yeah, no, it certainly won't be that hot. But yeah, I think so. So so I mean, maybe maybe this year we'll get back again. If I do, um, I will put that onto my Instagram or put that onto YouTube. So again, follow us on those channels because you don't want to miss that. Um, I'm gonna leave it there with Doug. Is there anything else you want to say or anything you kind of want to share with people about visiting?

SPEAKER_02 24:54

I think um just on the general topic, it in reality, bringing your TV programmes and things that you actually really enjoy watching to life to visit them, I just think is just magical.

SPEAKER_03 25:04

It is, and that's exactly what that whole set jet and why it's becoming so popular. People actually want to go and see these places, you know. So if if that is something that you're interested in, definitely go back and listen to episode 185 as well, because we share lots of different places.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

It's called jet setting.

SPEAKER_03 25:18

Uh set jetting. Set jetting. Set jetting.

SPEAKER_02 25:21

Oh, there you go. You learn something every day.

SPEAKER_03 25:22

Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I will um I'm gonna be back after this segment with uh Melissa, and I'm gonna just recap and share some of those tips again so you haven't missed anything. Uh and anything else I can think about that you need to know if you're planning to visit Downton Abbey. Okay, hi Claire. Yeah. Okay, thanks, Doug. Let's see what Melissa has to say about her trip.

SPEAKER_02 25:42

Yeah, I'll be uh interested to hear that.

SPEAKER_03 25:45

Melissa, it's great to have you uh back on the podcast. You were on episode 127, where you shared all about your solo trip to London, where actually I met up with you on that trip and we we did some day trips, including the visit out to High Clare Castle. Um, and we do talk about it in that episode, but I thought it would be perfect to have you back on this dedicated episode, all about High Claire. Just to ask you a few questions about uh your impressions and how you found it. Obviously, we went together on that day and it we had a really good time. Um, I know you're a Downton Abbey fan, and um, I'll let you introduce yourself again quickly. Uh but but the first question once you've kind of said hello is what were you what was your first impression when we arrived at High Clare driving down that driveway? It was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00 26:32

Well, hi Tracy. Glad to be back and have an opportunity to talk about uh one of my favorite things that we did while we were there. My name is Melissa, and this trip that I met with you, um met up with you, uh, was my very first trip to London. I've been back since, and I'll be back again uh this year. But I would say for me, when when we were coming up the drive, I think it surprised me that it kind of stands there alone from a distance, you don't see anything around it. Um and it was just very stately looking. The colour was magnificent, and as you can imagine, as we were coming up the drive, the downtown Abbey theme was just playing through my head on repeat.

Why Fans Keep Returning

SPEAKER_03 27:14

Absolutely. I have to, I I think I don't know if I played it as well when we're doing it, because I remember saying when when Doug and I drove down that drive the first time, we put the music on because you just have to it's quite a long drive down before you actually see the castle, and it's uh it it is a pretty amazing sight. And you you just can't not think about uh Downton Abbey, can you? It's just it just is it is Downton Abbey, isn't it, when you see it. Yes. Um, so obviously, as a Downton Abbey fan, because that's why you went to High Claire, um, how did it compare to what you'd seen on the TV series?

SPEAKER_00 27:48

So I think that the some of the rooms felt smaller than they looked on TV for me. That sort of surprised me. Um, but the furnishings and the decor inside were just absolutely amazing. It was really colorful. There was lots of different colors in the different rooms, especially the bedrooms. Some of the bedrooms had a lot of pastel colors that I really appreciated because I felt like the kind of downstairs main area was a lot of kind of heavier, darker, kind of Victorian-looking colours.

Tease: Melissa Joins The Conversation

Melissa’s First Impressions

SPEAKER_03 28:18

Yeah, and it's it's uh it it's like it's like the set, isn't it? You you kind of recognize when you're walking into different rooms, you kind of go, oh, I I know, I know this one, I know that one. Especially, I think for me it's like that the library when you walk in there and it and it's amazing. And the fact they've got those, they've got kind of screenshots of what it looks like when it when it's set up. But you can honestly, you can sit there and imagine yourself talking to to Lady Mary. I think that's uh I think I was put yeah, I think I was putting the accent on, though I I do say that if I had lived during that time, I would have been downstairs. Unfortunately, I would not have been upstairs. That's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

Probably staying here.

SPEAKER_03 28:54

No, we did a guided tour, which I actually really enjoyed. How what you know, what was your thoughts about that experience?

SPEAKER_00 29:01

You know, I thought it was really interesting because uh, you know, you and I have talked about this before. I appreciate a tour. Sometimes I appreciate being on my own, but I think with the tour you get to learn a little bit more. So we had an opportunity to walk through various parts of the house. And I would say that you know, one of the favorite parts is, and I don't know what you call this area, but we were upstairs and we walked sort of through the hallway and we looked down into the center of the house. And I just felt like I could visualize all the people that live there, the parties that must have happened, what the holidays look like, family gatherings. And as we approached the staircase, which you see in Downton Abbey repeatedly, as we're walking down the staircase, I kept thinking about like Mary and Edith coming down in their wedding dresses, is all I kept thinking about. So I think the tour really helped to just engage you in the experience.

SPEAKER_03 30:02

Yeah, I must admit, I I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and actually learning a little bit more about kind of the history as well. Um, because it is High Clare Castle. We kind of think of it as Downton Abbey, but obviously it's got a a long history as as High Clare Castle, um, and the home of Lady uh Lord and Lady Kenarvin. Um so there's a lot of history around that as well, which is really interesting. Um, was there anything that surprised you about the visit, uh either inside the castle or outside? Anything you weren't expecting?

Guided Tour Insights And Moments

SPEAKER_00 30:29

Yeah, I would say outside is the really beautiful trees that are on the ground. Some of these trees are absolutely huge, and they were magnificent. I don't know what type of trees they were, but they were just so beautiful, and I could only imagine how long they had been there. And then I would say inside the artwork really stood out to me, especially when we were in the dining room and they talked about during filming that they had to remove some of the artwork because it didn't line up with the timeline. And so I really enjoyed that. And I would say lastly, we had kind of an afternoon tea after the tour, and that was really nice to just kind of be able to sit and absorb uh and talk about what we had experienced.

SPEAKER_03 31:12

Yeah, and then we I think we both then went to the shop, didn't we? Have to say the Danton Abbey shop is fabulous. Uh I should try and avoid it because every time I go out I buy something, usually with her ladyship written on it, you know, that we'll bring home. It was really beautiful. It's amazing. Um now I I'm gonna share some tips anyway in this podcast um about like how we got there and and and uh and things to know because often people will just think they can book or actually not even book, just kind of go to Downton Abbey and go to High Claire, but it's actually not that straightforward. You actually um can get caught out with that, and uh you need to think ahead because it's not open all year round. Um, and they do have different types of tours, but I will talk about that in a bit more detail. But um, for anyone from your point of view, Melissa, for anyone in planning their first visit, is there a tip that you would share to make the day go smoothly?

SPEAKER_00 32:06

So when I started to plan my trip, there was nothing on the High Clare site uh showing that they had any dates available for the time I was going to be there. So I emailed the High Claire office and said, This is when I'm going to be here. Are there any potential events or tours that are happening at the time? And they actually said yes, they just hadn't published them yet, and they gave me a separate link to go and book tickets. So if you find that you're going to be there at a time when it isn't listed as a kind of an opening visiting time, I would suggest you contact the office just in case there's something upcoming that hasn't been published. And I would just say from a visit standpoint, take a moment. When we were outside, we sat on a bench. I have a picture that you took of me sitting on a bench. Just take a moment to sit out there and absorb and just kind of take it all in because it's absolutely gorgeous. And if I could add one more thing in, it would be sort out your cab situation. When when we arrived, we went outside, we were able to grab a cab, but our driver was so great that we arranged with him to come back and pick us up so we didn't have to try to contact another cab to come out. And that really just kind of took some of the worry away of trying to get a cab to get back to the train station.

SPEAKER_03 33:23

Yeah, it's it is it is pretty easy. And I I know he mentioned to us that they they know the trains that are coming in uh from London, they they know that majority of people are going to be going to High Claire, so you generally can find a taxi. Um, the other time of year that Doug and I went was in July, and we actually drove there ourselves, so we didn't have to um kind of negotiate public transport. Um, but it's an easy day trip from London, isn't it? It's it's it was smooth.

SPEAKER_00 33:48

Absolutely. It was a simple you know train trip. It it went by really fast. I got an opportunity to see some of the countryside and some of the sheep on the side of the road. So that was really enjoyable, and it went by really, really quickly.

Surprises: Trees, Art, And Tea

SPEAKER_03 34:00

Yeah, I really enjoyed it. I have to say, I've been twice and I I would happily go again. And um, so we are actually Melissa. Well, while you're on, I'm gonna just mention as well to people is that uh Melissa and I are gonna be traveling together a bit actually in May when Melissa's come on over uh again uh later on this year. So you you visit basically every year. Um, so we are doing some travels in London. We're also gonna be up in uh in Edinburgh for a while and then back down in London. So we've got some exciting things planned. So Melissa and I will come on in probably June after Melissa's done a trip and just chat about some of the things that we uh we did and we organized. So I have to say thank you to Melissa for letting me gate crush your trip.

SPEAKER_00 34:42

I'm really looking forward to it. I think we're gonna have a lot of fun, and you and I are gonna get to experience some things that you haven't done either. So it's gonna be fun, is to enjoy it together.

SPEAKER_03 34:51

It's gonna be a lot of fun. Well, uh thanks Melissa for coming on there and sharing uh some some of your thoughts about your visit to uh High Claire Castle, aka Downton Abbey.

SPEAKER_00 34:59

You're welcome. Thanks, Tracy.

Practical Tips From A First-Timer

SPEAKER_03 35:02

Thanks again to Melissa for coming on and sharing about our trip, which was it was also fun. It was actually really good to have gone in two different times yet, because I say with Doug we went in the summer and then with Melissa I went in the autumn. So completely different experiences, completely different types of tour as well, because the one I did with Doug was literally uh you just walk through the house, there's no guided element to it. Whereas with Melissa it was a guided tour, and then we had afternoon tea, um, so which was really lovely. So I enjoyed both. It depends, yeah, there's lots of different types of ticket, as I've mentioned um earlier, but these are things that I want you to know. So I just want to kind of go through these things again. Check your opening dates early, book tickets online in advance, build your itinerary around ticket availability. So don't do your itinerary and then kind of think, oh, I'll go to How Claire on this Thursday or go on this Tuesday without checking. You need to check if it's open, you need to check if there's actually any tickets available. So it's one of those in-advanced places that if you're gonna go, there's if it's a must-do for you, add that into your itinerary and work other stuff that can be moved around around that. Um, choose the right ticket tab. So again, it's looking at what is available when you can go. So, do you want to go and see the Tuton Carmen exhibition or do you just want to go at the house and garden? So there's your options for some of them. Other ones, do you want to add on an afternoon tea? So just have a look at all the different options that they've got. They've got they've got so many different types of tour, so definitely have a look. If you don't have a ticket, don't just turn up. I have heard that sometimes they have tickets that they'll sell on the day, but honestly, do not depend on that because I can't imagine that this they have many tickets, and that might be sometime in like I don't know, low season that that might happen. But please, please, please, just don't turn up at High Clare Castle to hoping you're gonna get a ticket because it's just not gonna happen. Um, remember there's no photography inside, so I'm saying that because you're not disappointed when you get there and you want to do that. Um, once you've got your ticket books, plan your transport, plan how you're gonna get to Newbury and then how you're gonna get to the castle. As I say, there are taxis waiting outside Newbury train station, but if you want, there is I will put a link to the um High Claire website where they've got a list of the different train companies that you can book if that makes you feel better. Um trying to think what else that I could share. I think uh really I think that's about it. Uh, those are the main things that I wanted to kind of put across in this episode. Don't, as I say, if you really want to go, don't be disappointed if you can't if you don't book ahead and you can't get a ticket. Also, just be aware that there are times when it's actually not open to the public. Um, so you just need to check that out as well. There are some guided tours that uh from London, but they tend to be more going to uh the villages as well, like Bampton, which uh uh is part of where um uh Downton Abbey was was filmed as well. So I will put a link to some of the guided tours that you can take. Otherwise, uh thanks as always for listening to this week's episode of the podcast. Get in touch via Speakpipe. Have you visited High Clare Castle? Are you planning to visit High Clare Castle? How did you enjoy it? What is it you're looking forward to the most? Um, let us know on Speakpipe. That will be the link is in the show notes. As always, you can find all the information we talked about and the links in the show notes at uktravelplanning.com forward slash episode 187. But that just leaves me to say until next week. As always, happy UK travel planning. Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode of the UK Travel Planning Podcast. As always, show notes can be found at uktravelplanning.com. If you've enjoyed the show, why not leave us feedback via text or a review on your favourite podcast app? We love to hear from you, and you never know, you may receive a shout out in a future episode. But as always, that just leaves me to say until next week, happy UK travel planning.