DAY TRIPS FROM LONDON - London 2015 - page 744

Waterloo is more central within London and has a direct connection, it takes nearly twice
as long as the alternative from Paddington.
If you're day-tripping into London from Windsor, ask at the train station about com-
bining a same-day return train ticket with a One-Day Travelcard—you'll end up with one
ticket that covers rail transportation to and from London and doubles as an all-day Tube
and bus pass in town ( £ 13-22, lower price for travel after 9:30, rail ticket also qualifies
you for some half-price London sightseeing discounts—ask or look for brochure at sta-
tion, or go to www.daysoutguide.co.uk ) .
Visiting Highclere Castle
If you're a fan of Downton Abbey, consider a day trip from London to Highclere
Castle, the stately house where much of the show is filmed. Though the hugely pop-
ular TV series is set in Yorkshire, the actual house is located in Hampshire, about
an hour's train ride west of London. Highclere has been home to the Earls of Carn-
arvon since 1679 (and the current residents enjoy watching the TV show), but the
present, Jacobean-style house was rebuilt in the 1840s by Sir Charles Berry, who
also designed London's Houses of Parliament. Noted landscape architect Capability
Brown laid out the traditional gardens in the mid-18th century. The castle's Egyp-
tian exhibit features artifacts collected by Highclere's fifth Earl, George Herbert, a
keen amateur archaeologist. When Howard Carter discovered King Tut's tomb in
1922, he waited three weeks for his friend and patron Herbert to join him before
looking inside. The Earl died unexpectedly a few months later, giving birth to the
legend of a “mummy's curse.”
Cost and Hours: Entrance is by timed-entry ticket for slots at 10:30 or 13:00,
best bought well in advance online (although last-minute afternoon-entry tickets
sometimes available—call ahead); £ 20 for castle, garden, and Egyptian exhibit; £ 13
for castle and garden only, or Egyptian exhibit and garden only; garden only- £ 5;
open days sporadic but generally mid-April-Sept daily 10:30-17:00, last entry
at 15:30; tickets available online several months ahead—sales begin as early as
Feb for following summer; no photos inside, 24-hour info tel. [phone],
www.highclerecastle.co.uk .
Getting There: Highclere is six miles south of Newbury, about 70 miles west
of London, off A-34.
By Train and Taxi: First Great Western trains run from London's Paddington
Station to Newbury (1-2/hour, 50-70 minutes, £ 22-40 same-day return, tel.