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Click on thumbnail to view full size picture of Castle Combe CASTLE COMBE to FORD
General :- A 6 mile circular walk that's one of the prettiest in Wiltshire. There are charming villages and good views with woodland, open countryside, and a stream trickling alongside the path for much of the way. One steep climb and pubs at the halfway and finish points. (GPS route length 5.68 miles) Castle Combe:- There was a castle built on the high ground above the golf course but as the need for defence declined the castle was demolished and the stone used for the village houses. Castle Combe grew prosperous weaving high quality wool. The Blanquet brothers had perfected a thick red cloth regarded as some of the finest in Europe. It's still seen today on guardsmen's tunics outside Buckingham Palace and the name "blanket" survives too. The village is a good example of the self contained "Cottage Industry" common to the age. It's wealth was ploughed back into the community, if you look at the house names you can see a court house, reading room (library), school, etc and the market cross in the centre of the village was used to trade wool. Life was well organised and good, what could possibly go wrong? Steam power heralded the "Industrial Revolution". Soon massive factories with large automatic weaving machines were built close to the coal mines to provide fuel for the engines. In terms of productivity it was a massive leap forward and Castle Combe could not compete, almost overnight the village died. It lay in a cocoon, nothing happened until the early 1950's when a blossoming tourist industry re-discovered it's charm. How to get there:- A420 out of Chippenham towards Bristol. At ST 883 749 turn R on B4039 to Castle Combe. Go through Yatton Keynell, sharp right bend @ ST 848 773. At ST 846 778 turn L to visitors car park 100mtrs on R.
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