Finding the Life of Downton Abbey in the U.K.

PHOTO: The West Oxfordshire City Council has compiled a series of tours and brochures highlighting Downton Abbey locations. (Courtesy of Oxfordshire City Council)

The final episode of Downton Abbey's fourth season left fans wondering how at least five different story lines would resolve themselves in that far-off paradise called season five. Will Bates escape the gallows? Which lucky beau will Mary choose? Will Carson and Mrs. Hughes keep foundering in that sea of sexual tension? Somehow you have to wonder if this is what Tony Soprano had in mind when his family revived the soap opera.

The longing for more of the Crawley sagahas left a lot of Americans with an appetite for that High Tea Telly that Honey Boo Boo won't be able to satisfy. The folks who bring you English tourism have prepared many ways for Americans to cross the pond and continue saturating themselves in the British Upper Crust. While the BBC gets down into making Season 5, English tourism offers the best remedy: the real thing. England's well-manicured countryside, dotted with sheep and stately manors, is promoting itself to Americans who want to see how the other half really lives on the other side of the Pond.

A new partnership struck by VisitBritain, Visit Manchester and Rail Europe has produced a treasury of downloadable Downton-era itinerary nuggets complete with handy information on the nearest local train stations in England, as well as a special 20 percent off discount on all train travel across the country with Rail Europe. An online sweepstakes will give its winner a trip for two people to Manchester including accommodation at the grand hotel The Midland and non-stop flights from the U.S. into Manchester Airport.

Manchester (www.VisitManchester.com) is promoting itself as an ideal home base located at the nexus of an extensive rail network for exploring high tone country life. The discount from Rail Europe makes it a convenient access gateway into the northern counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire. The city's surrounding areas offer visits to stately homes and gardens where travelers can appreciate aristocratic tradition with afternoon tea, tours through rooms upstairs and down, pamperings by personal butlers or side-saddle rides like Lady Cora across the Yorkshire hills, the fictional home of the famous Downton Abbey estate.

With its history as the center of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester's visitor offering is a textbook of upstairs/downstairs conflict. While Victorian aristocrats were playing croquet at Tatton Park, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were working out a few ideas in a manifesto format at the city's Chetham's Library. The convenience of Manchester is heightened by its non-stop connections to eight U.S. gateways.

The Oxfordshire Option

West Oxfordshire, where the series was mostly filmed, has developed a series of small group tours and a leaflet and website stringing together the shot locations for Downton Abbey. West Oxfordshire's District Council developed these guided tours with tour operator International Friends. The tours visit Bampton, the scene of Downton village as well as Cogges, Witney, The Swan Inn at Swinbrook and The Old Forge, at Shilton, which have been used for filming, as well as local landmarks such as Blenheim Palace.

A 'Downton Abbey' page tells the story online. Cabinet Member Richard Langridge said, "We are proud to not only support our tourism industry, but also work actively to encourage its growth and ensure West Oxfordshire is a must-see destination for people from across the world. By working with an experienced tour operator, we are tapping into a growing demand from overseas visitors and this is good news for the District."

The guided tours will be for small groups up to 16 people starting in March. In Bampton, visitors will see Churchgate House, used as the Crawley family home; The old Grammar School building AKA 'Downton' hospital; St Mary's Church, renamed as St Michael and All Angels, the set of various Downton weddings, funerals and christenings; and Church View, which has appeared regularly throughout all four seasons and is home to two fictional pubs - The Grantham Arms and The Dog & Duck - as well as being the site of Downton Fair.

For those looking to pump a little adrenalin into their explorations of the aristocratic life style, there is the option of taking horseback riding lessons at Ireland's Castle Leslie Estate in County Monaghan, an hour from Belfast. The 1,000-acre estate is offering riding lessons against the backdrop of the Irish countryside, dotted with woodland and lakes. The five-day learn-to-ride program features three hours of riding per day, five nights bed and full Irish breakfast and a choice of a two-course meal in Conor's Bar each night or a main course in Snaffles Restaurant. More experienced riders will prefer the three-day Horse Sport package, which incorporates a mix of show jumping, cross country, dressage, and estate rides.

The castle underwent a major restoration program over the last decade, and has a variety of accommodations. There are no televisions, radios, Wi-Fi hotspots or minibars within the 20 bedrooms of the castle. The 29-room lodge offers a completely different experience to that of the castle. For those looking for a self-catering holiday with family and friends there is the luxurious Old Stable Mews and Village Cottages. Both offer guests independence with the option to avail of all the estate has to offer.

Besides riding, the estate also offers such activities as pike fishing, a private cinema, walking trails, kayaking, clay pigeon shooting, hot air balloon rides, falconry, and a spa. The restaurants at Castle Leslie Estate source regional and artisan foods locally. Breads and scones are baked daily.

For something a bit more modern, you might try living the life of a lord in the Edwardian country house at Llangoed Hall, Powys, mid-Wales about 90 minutes from Cardiff. Llangoed Hall's imposing arts and craft style is one of the last Edwardian country houses to be built. The hall had fallen to near ruin by the late 1980s and was on the verge of demolition before Sir Bernard Ashley rescued it.

As well as falconry and archery, guests can also enjoy clay-pigeon shooting, croquet on the lawn and fly fishing with its 17 acres of landscaped gardens. Meanwhile, art lovers can admire works by Edwardian artists such as Walter Sickert, Augustus John and Rex Whistler as well Herman Dudley Murphy and James Cowie.

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