England Things to Do

With its vast plains brushed with wildflowers, rambling hilltops and dense woodlands, England is a country tailor-made for hiking – so much so that each year millions of hikers happily don their waterproofs and brave the notoriously changeable weather to enjoy the views.

The TV show won four Emmys this year, so it’s clear that we all love the glamor and drama of stately English country living. Downton Abbey is filmed at Highclere Castle, a wonderful house in Hampshire, west of London and south of Oxford. The house is owned and still occupied by the Carnarvon family who have lived here since 1679. These days it’s the 8th Earl of Carnarvon and the Countess of Carnarvon who occupy the house. (If you happen to run into them you need to address them as Lord and Lady Carnarvon.)