📷 Photo by George Ciobra on Unsplash
About five miles northwest of Chippenham in Wiltshire, this small village occupies a wooded valley and makes a natural stopping point when exploring Bath and the wider Cotswolds.
What really sets it apart is the remarkable preservation of its historic centre—no new houses have been built since around 1600, so you're literally walking through streets where the stone cottages look much as they did centuries ago.
The village has two distinct areas. The lower section sits in the narrow By Brook valley, where the medieval High Street runs alongside the stream with honey-coloured stone buildings that have caught the attention of film crews and photographers for decades. Upper Castle Combe spreads along higher ground to the east, accessible via the B4039 road and offering quite a different vantage point.
The settlement grew around a castle that's now in ruins, though you can still trace remnants of the old fortifications if you explore carefully. St Andrew's church, another focal point, dates to medieval times with later additions layered in over the centuries.
Most people come simply to wander the streets and absorb the atmosphere, which feels genuinely lived-in rather than staged. There are a handful of cafes and a hotel, but this remains a working village where real life continues. The surrounding countryside provides good walking routes through farmland and woodland, and you're well-positioned to venture further into the Cotswolds whenever you're ready to move on.
