Our readers have had adventures all over the world in 2024, sharing their stories and travel suggestions from quite a lot of enticing destinations, from Italy’s Aeolian Islands to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

This week we hear from a Pleasanton couple whose recent trip took them to a really famous a part of England. Read on for details and find more travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/.

Wish you were here

ENGLAND: Pleasanton residents Paul and Carol Christensen's recent visit to London included an unforgettable day trip – a coach tour to Highclere Castle, the house of the eighth Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, known worldwide because the setting for “Downton Abbey.”

“The next series is currently being filmed, so we were on one of the last tours (for now),” says Paul. “The furnishings are original to the castle with a few exceptions – table lamps have been changed to reflect the period in which they were filmed. The kitchen scenes were shot in a studio in London as the kitchen at Highclere is small. The grounds are vast – over 1,000 acres – (and) the gardens near the castle had azaleas and rhododendrons in full bloom.”

TRAVEL TIPS: Several tour corporations offer day trips to Highclere Castle, which generally cost $220 to $260 per person and include various additional stops. Downton Abbey fans take note: The tour the Christensens took “included neighboring Bampton, where town scenes are filmed. The beautiful church of St. Michael and All Angels is a stone church that is larger and more ornate than those typically found in small villages.”

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Originally published: August 26, 2024 at 6:45 am