Castle Combe : One of the most beautiful villages in England

Castle Combe : One of the most beautiful villages in England

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I live about 20 minutes from Castle Combe but always associated it with Car and Bike Circuit racing rather than being one of the prettiest villages in the UK until a recent Wiltshire day trip with Mad Max Tours. The Cotswold are so beautiful and make a perfect day trip from Oxford, London or Bath.

During our visit, I was surprised to hear that Castle Combe was voted as one of the most beautiful villages in Britain as I live so close and had never heard this before. I loved walking around this quaint little village and am gutted I have never visited it before as it is a little gem.

Where is Castle Combe

Castle Combe village is in Wilshire about 5 miles away from Chippenham.

There is a 14th-century market cross in the centre of the village that was from the days when the village was granted rights to hold a weekly market. The village still holds a regular Saturday market you can where they sell local produce, books, plants, and jewellery.

Visiting Castle Combe

We visited on a Monday and the village was quiet apart from a few people enjoying a cold beer outside the local pub. I loved walking around Castle Combe it was like stepping back in time.

They even had locals selling homemade produce such as cakes and jams outside their houses with honesty boxes for payment which is something you don’t see in the cities.

It would be my dream to live in a village like this I think it would be one of the best places to retire in the UK. I could see myself making jam, although not making cakes as I can not bake so will have to eat what the other villages bake which I am sure wouldn’t be a problem.

It would be great spending the sunny days walking by the brook or having a local ale in the White Hart pub which has been selling ales for 5 centuries.

What to see in Castle Combe

There is so much history in Castle Combe village. The parish church St Andrews has parts of the building dating back from the 13th and 15th centuries. The church has one of the oldest working clocks in the country.

It is a lovely little church, the doors were open so everyone is welcome to have a look around.

I loved all the little characteristics inside and outside the church, just take a walk around the church and you will spot little gargoyles and other décor in the stonework. There is also a war memorial by the church remembering the people that died in the first world war.

The village was the setting for the original Doctor Dolittle Film, I can not remember watching this film but I am going to watch it again to see if I can spot the village in it. This film was made in 1967 when apparently the village was so popular with visitors the locals were not impressed with the amount of people that started visiting the village. However, this did calm down after a few years.

There is the option to do a stepping back in time local walking tour you can find out more information on their . I enjoyed walking around the village looking at the cottages I agree it is one of the prettiest villages in the UK.

I visited Castle Combe as part of a Wiltshire tour with Mad Max which was excellent and I highly recommend and you can find out more here our tour guide Andrew was excellent.

It is an ideal place to visit if you are staying in Bath as it is not far. I liked the doors and original features on the buildings.

Have you visited another village that you believe is one of the most beautiful villages in the UK or even in the world, get in touch I would love to hear about it and might even get to visit it one day.

Places to stay in Castle Combe

The Manor House Hotel and Golf Club

Castle Combe, Chippenham SN14 7HR

The Manor House is a  5-star country house and golf club in Caste Combe. A lovely place to stay and you can even enjoy a game of 18-hole golf.

Old House at Home

Burton, Near Castle Combe, Wiltshire, SN14 7LT

As Castle Combe is such a little village there are limited places to stay but just outside in Burton is the Old House at Home. This looks like an ideal country place to stay with 6 rooms in a 5-star setting you can experience staying in a luxury pub.

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