Castle Combe
Castle Combe is one of the most famous and picturesque villages in the Cotswolds. Centred around the 14th century Market Cross and with attractive rows of cottages, it has been used as a location for several films. The walk passes through the village and also through some lovely woodland and meadow and an interesting side valley.
Directions:
a Turn right out of the car park onto the road, then right at the next junction. Follow the road down the hill and past the museum. Walk through the village past the Market Cross and across the By Brook. Go past the bridge with the iron gates on the left and continue to the footbridge.
b Cross the bridge, go over the stile and follow the path along the side of the valley. Keep to the left of the fence for almost Â¾ mile (1Â¼km), crossing an open area and going over two stiles before turning left onto a track.
c Follow the track down to the road junction, turn left and walk to the next road junction. Cross the road to the stile just to your left. Cross the stile and turn left to follow the path along the valley bottom, bearing right and climbing a little up to the left to follow the path to a gate.
d Go through the gate and follow the path through woodland to the next gate.
e Go through the gate and carry on straight ahead (do not turn to go up the valley to the right) to go through a gate onto a track. Follow the track to the right of the farm then follow the drive to the road. Follow the road past an entrance to Castle Combe circuit to the junction.
f Leave the road and follow the track to the next road. Turn left, follow the road to a junction then turn right through the village. Turn left down the lane by the telephone box, then right at the junction back to the car park.
Places of Interest:
1 The village prospered in medieval times as a centre for the cloth industry with the river By Brook powering cloth mills and cottage weavers producing a red and white cloth called the âCastlecombeâ. With the decline of the weaving industry the village relied on agriculture, especially sheep rearing, and its sheep fair attracted flocks from as far afield as Northamptonshire. A Norman castle to the north-west gave the village its name, but only the earthworks and some stonework now remain.
2 Castle Combe Circuit opened in 1950 on the site of a former World War II airfield and has since been a venue for car and motorcycle race meetings and track days.
Hike
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