The Cotswolds often feature on lists and polls of the UK's most beautiful destinations, so one of its villages seemed to be the perfect place for a pit stop.
My boyfriend and I were facing a five-hour drive home after a long weekend away, and decided to break it up by heading to Castle Combe.
Not only was it conveniently placed right on our route home, but it's also been tipped as the 'UK's most beautiful village', so it felt like the ideal place to stretch our legs and explore for a few hours.
It's so pretty that it's become a real tourist hotspot, much to the frustration of locals.
While the drive towards Castle Combe was fairly quiet along winding roads, the moment we turned into the main square it's clear why residents have had enough.
The village was full of tourists, walking around and taking photos - we had to slow right down to a crawling pace to avoid any accidents.
Castle Combe is beautiful, there's no doubt about it; picture-perfect stone cottages, cobbled streets and impressive views of the surrounding landscape.
However... there just isn't much to see and do.
We had a wander around and it took a grand total of about 10 minutes, and even then that's because we were trying to stretch our legs. The village is tiny, so once you've wandered down the main street and seen the cottages, there's not much else to explore.
There are a handful of tea rooms and cafes, but we were there at Monday lunchtime and they were closed.
We had booked into the Castle Inn pub for lunch and found a parking spot nearby, which later one resident told us we'd been lucky to find, as apparently tourists and locals regularly fight for spaces. (When we left later, there were pedestrians huddling around our car ready to pounce on the space to hold it for others).
The Castle Inn itself felt like we'd stepped into the set of a storybook, with its cosy chairs, stone walls, and 12th century features. The food was amazing - one of us had the burger, the other opted for a satay cauliflower dish, and both of us were happily full by the end of the meal.
The inn also had a cosy lounge with huge armchairs and a fireplace which looked like they'd be gloriously comfortable post-walk in autumn or winter, but we didn't stay long as we had to get back on the road.
All in all, I think Castle Combe is more of a place to stop for lunch or as part of a longer hike, but not one I'd suggest for a full day out.
It's definitely beautiful and it's nearly impossible not to want to take heaps of photos, but I wouldn't urge people to go out of their way to see it.
