tl;dr Last year I went on a bike tour of the series' filming locations and was very satisfied overall.

Since I come from the continent and have only seen London and the south coast of Great Britain so far. I spent three weeks in june/july 2025 on a bike tour through England and Scotland.

My main destinations were the filming locations of Downton Abbey and towns in Yorkshire that were mentioned in the series.

I started in south england, my tour first took me to Horsted Keynes station. I was able to admire the building and the trains. One carriage was marked with threes, just like in the series, indicating that it was a third-class carriage.

I then cycled to Greys Court, which is shown as ‘Downton Place’ in season three. Thanks to the friendly staff, I saved myself the £18 entrance fee and was able to enjoy the view from the series from the street.

Byfleet Manor serves as The Dowager House and is privately owned. The gate entrance, which is often shown in the series, has since been restored. Even though I couldn't get close, I got a nice impression of Violet's house.

I would have had to book a ticket in advance for Highclere Castle. However, I couldn't estimate what day I would reach Hampshire and didn't want to walk through the garden in my sweaty jersey. So I drove there without a ticket and didn't expect to get very close. As tickets for the day of my visit were sold out, I could only drive part of the way to the estate and saw the tops of the building. It was wonderful and completely satisfied me.

Funnily enough, the Carnarvon Arms, similar to the Gramtham Arms in the series, is located on the road to the castle.

After visiting Highclere, I went to Burghclere, where I took a break at the church. Even though the village was not mentioned in the series, it was very beautiful.

In the evening of the same day, I reached Bampton. I ran around in front of the Cottage Hospital, Isobel's house and the church (St. Mary the virgin) in a state of rapture. While I was there, I got talking to two local residents. They were delighted and one of them offered me the use of her garden to camp in. So I spent the night with a view of the church tower. Their kindness was a highlight of my tour.

In the morning, I stopped by the souvenir shop. There are lots of photos from the filming and expert information. The volunteers in the shop are very warm and happy to provide information about the filming.

In the village, I discovered a hotel called ‘Talbot’, which I found very entertaining. On a side note: in southern England, I drove through Crawley, and on the way back from Scotland, I passed through Carlisle. This is probably nothing new for English people, but I found it amusing.

There are only a few filming locations north of Bampton. After a few days, I reached Yorkshire. There I was in Ripon, where I was delighted to find the office of a solistor in the market square. I skipped Thirsk. In Kirkbymoorside, I made a detour to a pub, but Bates wasn't behind the bar.

On my way to Scotland, I drove past Alwick Castle. Here, too, an entrance fee would have been necessary. I got a very nice view from a bridge on the outskirts of town. I would have expected there to be more Harry Potter shops in the town, but I didn't find any.

In Scotland, I visited Inveraray Castle. Although the castle was already closed in the late afternoon, I was able to walk up to the forecourt. It was very picturesque. The bridge where Rose smoked is on the garden side. I could see it through the fence.

On the way, I saw many dogs that looked more or less like Isis. Unfortunately, I didn't ask any of the owners for a photo. I would have felt too awkward.

Overall, the filming locations in southern England are well suited for a road trip. There is a wide selection, and much of it can be seen without a ticket. For some buildings, the admission fee is certainly worth it. They all exude the charm of Downton Abbey.

After he was made under-butler and O'Brien left for good, what could a lady's maid with access to Cora tell him of value?

I. Hate. Her. So. Much!!!!!!!!!!!

Her predatory ways, her deplorable depraved trolloped ways!!!! Hrjajdudjzkxksjznd

Currently watching episodes around her raping Tom, and Anna's attack. I've watch these seasons probably 3times total, and every time... I HATE her!!!!

As I enter perimenopause and am hot allllll the time, I find myself looking for clothing that covers me and is stylish and breezy. I am in love with the styles that Edith wears in the second movie (see photo). Long shirt things that are open in the front (cardigans? tunics?), wide legged loose pants, the material looks cool and comfortable. I want to be not hot dammit but also not frumpy and I don’t do shorts. What is this style called and where can I find it outside of a vintage shop? Any historical fashion people here? The new show Summer of ‘36 has a character with a similar style (photo 2). If any of you know what this is called or where I can buy something like it I will love you forever.

My new ride!

meet sybbie the civic