Rendezvous Most Regal

Eat, Drink And Live Like The Lords With The Best Of England’s Heritage

- Stephen Connolly

Whether it’s the hum of a Rolls Royce gliding into a country estate or the genteel clink of bone china at afternoon tea, if there’s one image Great Britain sells well it’s that of aristocratic luxury. While owning vintage cars and stately homes may be beyond most of us, for travellers keen to live like a lord or lady and to experience some of England’s finest dining, drinking and travelling, there are options aplenty.

A GRAND ENTRANCE

Since 2010, the complex and expensive codes of upper-class behaviour (if you’re having tea at the Ritz then it should be stirred back and forth, never in a circular motion), have been brought to life for millions around the world by stories of the Crawley family in Downton Abbey.

If you’re set on emulating the Edwardians then Highclere Castle in Hampshire is the place to start. The main filming location of the series, Highclere is Downton Abbey, home of the Crawleys, and a tour of the estate has become a must for visitors wishing to reconstruct an age when an Englishman’s home was, quite literally, his castle. Highclere sits like the pupil in the green iris of the North Wessex Downs, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which has woods laden with wild flowers and dramatic chalk engravings at White Horse Hill. From roaring 1920’s themed parties and Christmas fairs to afternoon teas and art walks, a visit to the 19th-century mansion is sure to take you back in time. It is not possible to stay in Highclere Castle, but the idyllic English countryside around has luxury accommodations to make the Crawley family seethe with jealousy, and offer bases for a trip which includes everything you might need to enjoy a holiday of high glamour and luxury living (www.highclerecastle.co.uk).

THE HIGH LIFE