English manor house swapped for Scottish castle in Downton Abbey Christmas special

Inveraray Castle, Scotland. Getty

This year the Crawley family and their best-loved servants are leaving Downton Abbey to head to the Scottish Highlands for a break.

According to the Daily Mail, the Downton clan are swapping beautiful Highclere Castle in West Berkshire for the equally stunning Inveraray Castle on Loch Fyne in Argyll for the period drama's Christmas special.

In the two-hour ITV1 show, viewers will see Lord and Lady Grantham and their family visit their Scottish cousins at Duneagle Castle with servants John Bates, his wife Anna and O'Brien.

And in a bid to fully embrace life in the Highlands, the men of the family will be seen deer-stalking, fly-fishing and going on shooting trips.

The area of Loch Fyne is already a popular spot with tourists because of its idyllic landscape and is expected to experience a boom once the programme airs.

Executive producer Gareth Neame told the Daily Mail: 'While the cat's away, the mice will play. The Granthams do not live at Downton Abbey twelve months of the year. They would go to London for the summer season and also go away on holidays like this.

'And when that happens the domestic staff of Downton would remain. What will they get up to while the family is away?'

Life back at Downton Abbey will also be shown in the special, where butler Carson desperately tries to keep the servants in check.

The Downton Abbey Christmas special airs on ITV1 at 8.45pm on Christmas Day.

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