You watched the TV series, and you may be planning to see the movie (it opens in theaters across the U.S. on Sept. 20). Now you can sign up for a luxury cruise on the eight-passenger hotel barge Magna Carta on the River Thames to Highclere Castle, the setting for Downton Abbey, and you can put yourself in many of the rooms you’ve seen on the show or wander around the estate’s 1,000 acres of parkland.
There are still some cabins available for the rest of this season, and they start at $4,750 per person based on double occupancy. But you can charter the entire boat in 2020 for $35,000. Built in the 1930s, the Magna Carta, operated by European Waterways, the largest hotel barging company in Europe, is an upscale floating country hotel, fitted out with classic mahogany and teak plus such modern amenities as under-floor heating and TV/DVS players in the cabins.
The boat has a large salon and dining area with picture windows. The four suites are allair-conditioned, and they have a combination of period and contemporary furniture, plus en suite heads and showers. There’s even a heated spa pool on deck. A master chef prepares gourmet cuisine every night, served with fine wine. Derek Banks, managing director of European Waterways, says the cruise is “truly fit for a king.”
During the stop at Highclere, you can meet members of the household and perhaps Lady Carnarvon herself, the 8th Countess of Carnarvon and the current resident. The cruise itself winds through some of England’s most historic countryside, going past Windsor Castle and stopping for a visit at Hampton Court Palace, built by William the Conqueror in 1066, and Cliveden Estate, built in 1666 by the Second Duke of Buckingham as a hunting lodge and a country estate to entertain his mistress and friends.
The cruise also goes past villages at Henley-on-Thames, with a stop at the iconic Henley Regatta Rowing Course, followed by a drive to Oxford for a tour of Christ Church of Oxford. Along the way, you can enjoy walking or cycling on the Thames Towpath. Read more:
