Castle Combe, a Fairytale Village in the Cotswolds

CASTLE COMBE

Having a car has given the boyfriend and me the freedom to explore further than we normally would. For my birthday weekend we booked a lovely cottage on airbnb (get £30 off here) in Batheaston, a village near Bath, and drove over from London. Before buying a car we would have had to stay in the centre of town and probably wouldn’t have ventured very far out, but this time we decided to enjoy driving the tree-lined country roads and visit the Cotswolds.

I’d been wanting to see Castle Combe for a long time (it’s all over Instagram!) and it was only a short drive away from our cottage so it made for the perfect excursion.

Castle Combe is often called the prettiest village in England, and it’s easy to see why. Every cottage in the village looks like it could be on a pretty postcard. Don’t expect to see an impressive castle here though; little remains of the one the village gets its name from.

How to get to Castle Combe:

The village is a 25 minute drive from Bath, or a 10 minute drive from Chippenham. If using public transport, get bus 35 from Chippenham train station.

There are free parking spaces at the top of the hill, North of the village.

“It’s run on trust”. This baker is counting on people to put money in the letterbox if they want to buy any cake. Very sweet to see!

Things to do in Castle Combe:

• Go for a walk along Bybrook river
• Visit the tea room – contact them before you go as they don’t have regular opening times
• Alternatively, have afternoon tea at the luxurious Manor House Hotel
• Have a pint at The White Hart, a 14th century pub
• Take pictures by the bridge – obviously!

Question is: where should we drive to next?