While Highclere Castle might be the real-life filming location you first think of when it comes to Downton Abbey, the village of Downton is actually located more than 100 miles away from the impressive building. The cast and crew of the ITV period drama filmed most of the outdoor scenes in the Cotswolds village of Bampton - which is actually nowhere near Highclere.

When I was offered the chance to go on a coach trip to the village where so many of the external locations were created, I jumped at it. Evan Evans Tours offers a "taster" Cotswolds day trip - calling at Stow-on-the-Wold, Bampton and finally Blenheim Palace for a whistle-stop tour of the local highlights.

It's Bampton, however, that I was most keen to explore. Leaving London's Victoria Coach Station at 9am and only departing its first stop in Stow-on-the-Wold at 1pm meant we didn't have long to take in the sights, but thankfully our guide Simon was on hand to point out everything we needed to know, with audio guides available to use.

It's actually slightly tricky to spot the Downton locations - a lot has changed. The Cottage Hospital, for example, used Bampton library as its exterior - but once you enter the courtyard, things transitioned to an internal ITV set, so no filming took place beyond the stone wall border.

Now the library is home to a small gift shop boasting Downton paintings, tea-towels, fridge magnet and even photo calendars. It's also where fans can find the local archive which holds further information about Downton filming locally.

Located next to the library is Bampton's local church, St Mary's. This was used as the set for St Michael and All Angels' Church in Downton, where Lady Mary and Matthew exchanged vows and where Lady Edith was jilted at the altar.

The church bells were ringing out as our tour approached; a real-life wedding was taking place, meaning we couldn't go inside, but the church is regularly open to the public.

One thing that repeatedly struck me was how unlike Downton everything seemed. During filming, all the local cars were stored in a gated yard, leaving the cobbled streets empty and suited for the early 20th century time period.

Front doors were covered over with facades to ensure they all matched, with themed signs placed over any of the modern advertisements. One of the houses was turned into The Grantham Arms, with pub signage and an old-fashioned postbox constructed outside.

In Bampton, you'll also find Isobel Crawley's house. Its real name is Churchgate House, the village's old rectory.

Simon explained that for every modern element that had to be removed from the houses' exterior, homeowners would receive compensation. If a TV aerial had to be taken down, for instance, or something changed on a front door, ITV would have to pay out.

But the villagers ran into a snag when it came to a terrible storm that destroyed one of the local stone walls. Assuming Downton producers would pay out to fix it, the local council left the wall broken until the next series started filming - only for the crew to construct a false wall from fibreglass, placed over the ruin of the broken one.

To make matters worse, they took the fake wall with them when filming wrapped!

It wasn't all bad, though. When Downton filmed its village fair outside the church, producers rented a vintage helter skelter for the cast to ride. When filming was finished, it was left standing for a while so that the local children of the village could have a turn.

Unless you have an eagle-eye, it's pretty difficult to spot the Downton filming locations at first glance. Books are available for £5 in the gift shop which include behind-the-scenes photographs from filming and point out the locations in real life - something I'd advise for a first visit.

The surrounding villages also have Downton links. Shilton - just down the road from Bampton - was the site of The Red Lion pub, where Mr Bates worked in series two. Its actual name is the Old Forge, located near to Shill Brook.

A few miles away, Swinbrook is home to a cottage that was transformed into The Swan Inn, where Lady Sybil and Branson stayed planning their elopement to Gretna Green. And in Cogges you'll find historic farm buildings that made up the fictional Yew Tree Farm, home to Mr Drewe.

Evan Evans Tours offers day trips to the Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace from London, with tickets available here.