A Weekend Escape to Castle Combe

Since living in London/ the UK, I still hadn’t started exploring much of this beautiful country. So I decided it was time to make a trip to the Costwolds {finally}. After doing some research, and seeing its adorable charm, I thought Castle Combe was a must.

It’s not a far journey from London, just a short-ish train ride (just over an hour) from Paddington to Chippenham, and about 15-20 minutes in a taxi from there. I will say though, driving would have been a more preferred option as taxis can be a bit pricey back and forth if you aren’t staying in Castle Comb. There is a bus from Chippenham, but be sure to check the timetables – weekend service is limited, especially on Sundays and bank holidays can turn into massive headaches if you don’t plan ahead.

• Bus schedule from Chippenham: https://bustimes.org.uk/services/swe_47-35-_-y10
• Trains to Chippenham from Paddington: https://www.thetrainline.com/
• Coach to Chippenham via Megabus: https://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx

We stayed in most likely the smallest village in the UK called Tiddleywink. It’s just outside of Chippenham, next to Yatton Keynell. Yes, the name is real, but it’s only been named that for since about 2015. We found our accommodations on AirBNB, it was perfect for what we were looking for.

When we first got there, we headed straight to Castle Combe. We decided to walk, which was fine, but a bit of a struggle as there wasn’t a public footpath for us to follow the entire way there. We did manage to find a footpath just past Yatton Keynell, which was great.

Once we got to Castle Combe area, I knew we were in for something amazing, it was almost magical. Entering the town centre put us right into a storybook, it almost didn’t feel real. Sam said it was the cutest village he’s ever seen.

Take a walk along the streets, take a stroll through the church and cemetery, and down past the tea room. There’s a little river at the end, with the ‘iconic’ photo opp of the bridge overlooking the village.

Day 2

Our second day during this trip, we attempted to find our way to the Avebury Stones. I had found a lovely hike, but since it was a Sunday – public transportation failed us {aka, I failed to look at the bus timeteables…}. But, if you do have time to see them – I’ve only heard amazing things. Plus, you’re able to get closer to the stones and it’s much cheaper than Stonehendge {prices here}.

We ended up back in Castle Combe, but decided to go for a hike around the village. Definitely make the time to do this while you’re visiting Castle Combe. Here are a couple that you can follow: https://www.wikiloc.com/trails/hiking/united-kingdom/england/castle-combe. You’ll get your nature fix in hiking around the area. Plus you might even spot some lamb along the way.

I highly recommend taking local trips as well as international – the UK is beautiful and there are so many different things to do and see!