Castle Combe and Slaughterford
8 people attending
12 places left
Located within the Cotswold Hills, with its rolling hills and picturesque villages, the Cotswold Hills were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966 (now renamed as Cotswolds National Landscape) . Castle Combe is a quintessentially English village often named as the ‘prettiest village in England’. It has featured regularly as a film location, most recently in The Wolf Man, Stardust and Stephen Spielberg’s War Horse. It was also used in the original Dr Doolittle film. The village has a rich history and the houses are made up of the honey coloured Cotswold stone, typical for a village of this area.
Today’s walk is a circular route starting and ending at the 14th Century market village of Castle Combe, that has a mix of both meadows and woodland. We start by following the Bybrook River upstream to West Kington, before heading south, passing through North Wraxall, before we re-join the Bybrook River in Slaughterford. From here we then follow the valley of the Bybrook River back up to pretty market village of Castle Combe.
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Photo Credits: All photos taken by event leader and permission is granted to OutdoorLads for further use.
What to bring
Water: bring at least two litres
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Day rucksack: typically 20-30 litres, they are comfortable to wear and allow you to use your arms freely
Boots: waterproof and breathable and designed for hiking.
Gaiters: recommended for wet weather or boggy conditions
Socks: proper walking socks will keep your feet dry and help prevent blisters
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: Proper walking trousers. Breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproof jacket: essential when hiking in all but the calmest of weather, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Gloves: Windproof, or better still, waterproof gloves are the best choice, bring a spare pair if expecting rain
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Food & drink
Please bring snacks for energy, plenty of water for hydration and a packed lunch.