The Cotswolds is known as one of England’s most scenic locations, having earned its status as a designated area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with rolling hills, chocolate box villages and babbling brooks.
But it seems not everyone’s impressed by the quaint charm, having taken to TripAdvisor to express their disappointment over one popular tourist spot.
A number of American tourists were left feeling a bit confused by Castle Combe, a small village that lies five miles from Chippenham, having felt disappointed by what they found.
One visitor from Nevada, whose screen name was Linnbada, said Castle Combe was ‘cute enough’ - despite not bothering to actually walk into the village.
“We were going to walk the town but after we saw what little it had to offer besides a steep walk down the hill to get there and the return, we decided we would pass and wait for the Cotswolds,” they wrote, completely oblivious that they were already in the village widely seen not only as the prettiest in the Cotswolds, but also England.
Others also weren’t too happy about the ‘long walk’ from the car park into the village, with user zaclady, from California, saying: “Parking very limited and can be some distance away from the village. Pretty place. Not too much to do if you don't stay at the Manor House.”
BobKonecny from Alabama agreed, writing: “After a long walk from the car park up on a hill on a Wednesday afternoon, the village appeared to be closed.
"The short section of main street that was shown in War Horse is very attractive, but is that all there is?
"We entered the tea room and waited for 10 minutes while the owner spoke on the phone with someone, then she told us to order a full English tea or nothing - so we left.
"The one pub that was open seemed to have the only the town's activity. Castle Combe was a big disappointment - then we had to walk back up the hill to the car park."
According to Google Maps, it’s an eight-minute walk from the car park to the White Hart, one of the pubs in the heart of the village – although I’m pretty confident you could shave off a few minutes if you were particularly keen for a pint... In fact, having done it myself, I’m certain.
Another visitor from Texas, whose TripAdvisor name was hickss85, felt baffled by the name of the village, having found no castle – which was demolished centuries ago.
"There is NO CASTLE in Castle Comb," they said.
"No castle but there are remains of a castle, but you won't see it. It is overgrown and on private property."
