Sept 1
A stop in Castle Combe is a must while visiting England’s Cotswolds district. The hamlet is nearly perfect. All that would be needed to make it 100% so would be if the locals all dressed in period costume, say around 1801, and if they got around on horseback instead of in cars. Even so, a stroll down the one street of Castle Combe truly does transport the visitor back in time. Cottages are lined up along the winding road from the tiny square with its magnificent market cross down about 150 yards to where a stone bridge passes over a gurgling brook where (of course) two swans act as town sentinels. A couple of quaint old hotels with pubs and one grand five-star hotel set in expansive gardens complete the picture of England’s most perfect village. And just in case more is needed, the village church features a knight who died in 1270 after being involved in two crusades. Step back in time by stepping through Castle Combe.
