Castle Combe Loop full version

(For parking see end)

The direction of this walk starts in the Castle Combe approach and finishes in the village which I think is the best way but it can be done in reverse.

1. If you have parked in the upper car park then walk down the road towards the village. You will pass one small area where road parking is possible. Before the second larger area, on the left side of the road on the edge of the woodland, a path leads up the hill. Take this. If you have parked in the road you will need to go back up the hill and the path will be on your right.

2. Ascend the path, which is a bit of a stony gully. Do not be tempted by the broad track on your right at the top. This takes you back to the road. Instead press on a few metres and you will see a smaller track to the right. Take this which skirts the edge of the woodland with a field on your left before opening out into a lovely path through woodland, bedecked with wild garlic in season (don't worry, miles more wild garlic to come). This is also quite a good area for bluebells though it is the wild garlic which is spectacular.

3. At the end of the woodland pass through the gate and into hillside grazing (may be stock). This path converges with a path coming up from the village and there are various tracks but basically you drift along and down towards the field fence to your right.

4. You now enter a further area of woodland. The path is very clear. Just carry on over a few gates until you reach the hamlet of Long Easton. You can often hear (and see) the colony of Canada Geese which live on the islets of the Bybrook down to your right. As you approach the hamlet note the mill house with the overgrown leat which passes under the house where the mill wheel would have been.

Alternatively, rather then entering the woodland again you can descend into the valley and walk along the water meadows. See JDJS0011 for this option.

5. Loop round the hamlet following the road servicing the hamlet and over the bridge. Stick to the road and carry on until it ends by another old mill where you continue straight on up a stony (sometimes slippery and muddy) path, ascending now from the valley.

6. At the top pass through the gate and you are now in downland with the main Chippenham Bristol road down to your left and good views across the valleys. Walk between the barbed wire fence on your left and the trees/hedge on your right. After about 100m you will see a stile in the fence. Take this and follow the track across the field (usually stocked with sheep) sticking to roughly the same contour.

7. As you get to the end of the field note the stile in the hedge which will take you into the road serving Castle Combe from the main road. Moderate traffic - busy at tripper times, so take a bit of care. Carry on down the lane towards the main road.

8. Join the main road at Ford and after about 50m turn right up a lane which soon conks out and pass through a metal pedestrian gate at the end of it into a field. If you want a break at Ford then visit the White Hart. You can take the lane forking to the left which you will see but it is pretty narrow with a fair bit of traffic. Better is to carry on up the main road a little bit and go down a footpath you will see before the bus stop. This takes you out directly opposite the pub.

9. Follow the track across the field until you enter woodland. The track here can be pretty muddy. Come out into a field again (may be cattle) and keep left following the track to an ancient stone bridge across the Broadmead Brook.

10. You now have the steepest ascent of the walk as you have to get back to the top of the ridge on the west side of the Combe. It takes three stages. First follow the track up to the woodland (handy bench to rest). Then pase into the woodland to rough grazing above Follow any of the tracks here moving up and to the left. Pause to admire the view behind as cover for catching your breath, then carry on along the upper contour with the field margin on your right.

11. Enter woodland again and carry on along the well marked track until you are separated by the road by a fence. There is no need to join the road at the first gate. Carry on another 100m or so until after the road forks with the right hand fork desceding to Castle Combe. Join the road. This section has very little traffic and you are unlikely to meet more than one or two vehicles.

12. Walk along the road with fine hanging woods on your left. Note Shrub Farm house on your right with its fine avenue of trees and massive chimney block. The road starts to descend and turns left. You will see going off to the right a gated farm track with a very churned up wide and muddy entrance. Go to the far side of the "delta" and go up the track. Unless it is very dry weather you are best off taking the footpath on the left which leads above the main track, joining it when it is in a decent state.

13. Carry on along this track with fields to left and right and a fine view across through a gate on the left (don't go through) as the track starts to descend. It now becomes a bit of a stony gully. If you meet a horse coming up or down here (unlikely but it does hapen) there is not much room to pass and it is best to scramble up the bank in a convient spot for a moment.

14. The track eventually comes out at a lovely pack bridge across the Broadmead brook made up of three massive slabs of stone. Cross the bridge turning to the right, then left a few metres, then right again to pick up the path running parallel to the Broadmead. Keep on along this path (you amy need to take little detours if it is muddy) until you get to Nettleton Mill.

15. At Nettleton Mill with its little cluster of houses turn right and you will see the old big gates of the Combe Manor estate. Pass through the pedestrian swing gate to the right and follow the broad track with the stream on the left and woodland rising to the right.

16. As the woodland ends you will see a bell on a post encouraging you to sound it to alert Castle Combe golfers to your approach. A few metres on you enter the manicured golf course. Turn right and follow the golf cart road along and over the bridge of what is now the Bybrook (the Broadmeand joined it a little to your left out of sight). 

17. Shortly after turning right you'll see a sign saying you should go no further as you are now on the Manor House Hotel land and pointing the footpath which forks off left rising across rough ground. Follow this and after a while it enters woodland with a stone wall on the right which is the boundary of the Manor.

18. After a few hundred metres you will find to your right a lane coming up from Castle Combe. Take this and follow it down to enter the village. The road back up to the car park will be to your left. 

Parking
You cannot park in Castle Combe. There are very few spaces and even if you see one leave it for the locals.
There is a free large car park above Castle Combe which is well signed on approach from the North.
If you are coming from the south you will need to pass through Castle Combe, go up the hill and it is signed on the left. 
If you are early or out of season you can park on the hill between Castle Combe and the car park. There are two areas where there are no yellow lines. 

Hazards
Be a little wary of traffic on the lane down to the main road at Ford. 
Boots best as it will be pretty muddy in places except at dry times of the year. The woodland areas take a good while to dry out and springs run across the tracks at almost any time.