While Wales is home to many areas of great beauty, including the Brecon Beacons and stunning coastlines, a village just an hour away has been crowned the prettiest place in the UK. Located in the picturesque Cotswolds, just across the border from Wales in England, this village has it all.
Castle Combe, which is also known for its racetrack nearby, really is picture perfect. The village is hailed for its timelessness, with 107 listed buildings in the parish, as well as its honey-coloured stone houses.
Castle Combe was named the prettiest place overall in the UK by Fbm holidays as BristolLive reports after firstly being crowned the prettiest village. Keswick in the Lake District was named prettiest town and Tenby took second place in this category, read more about that here.
READ MORE: The 'stuff of dreams' Welsh beach with sand like nowhere else in the country
Meanwhile, the villages category featured three places from Wales - Portmeirion, which was in second place, and Llanberis and Beddgelert coming in eighth and ninth.
In Castle Combe, rows of sand-coloured houses prop themselves up along slopping streets. A sweet and tranquil stream runs throughout the village where you feel like you have stepped into a fairy-tale. You can keep up to date with the latest What's On news by signing up to the newsletter here.
Castle Combe is also home to a lot of history. The church in the village, St Andrew's Church, was first founded in the 13th century and has been expanded regularly since.
It's home to a faceless clock, which is believed to be one of the country's oldest. And history buffs can enjoy the well-maintained graveyard with tombstones going back centuries.
You can also enjoy wandering the grounds of a 17th-century manor house, which is now a hotel. The Manor House Hotel is home to intricate and pretty gardens on a gradual incline.
Here there is gorgeous architecture to enjoy and rest in and views to admire. The Manor House grounds are also home to a faster-flowing and wider river set with a quaint humped-back stone bridge. There are also stepping stones across the river, adding to the mystical feel.
The Manor House is steeped in history, its land is the site of a Norman castle settlement that hosted a number of Lords, the most famous was Sir John Oldcastle, the figure Shakespeare based his character of Sir John Falstaff upon in his play Henry IV. Other former homeowners of The Manor House include geologist and political economist George Poulett Scrope and during World War Two parts of The Manor House were used as a hospital.
Visitors to Castle Combe can also enjoy the Castle Combe circular walking route. It begins in the village's car park and then goes through the village and across several fields and a golf green.
You'll come across several picturesque streams and brooks before the path takes you back to Castle Combe. The whole walk is 3.5 miles long, which should take a little over an hour to walk at a leisurely pace. And when you're back in the village there are plenty of dinner options too.
For a private afternoon tea, reserve a table at The Old Rectory Pop Up Tea Room. For £28.50 per person, six to 50 guests can enjoy an afternoon of sandwiches, scones, cakes, and hot drinks.
To enjoy something more substantial, head to The Salutation Inn where you'll find everything from sandwiches and burgers to pie and mash, pasta, and a whole host of desserts. Visitors to the village will easily be able to while away summer days as they enjoy paddling in the river which runs alongside the gorgeous houses and feel like they have stepped into a different century.
READ NEXT:
Where is hot in October? Here's where to go on holiday this autumn
Athens beats eastern European favourites in budget break rankings
British Airways unveils massive savings on flights and holidays in latest sale
Grab cheap flights for late summer getaway with this important advice
Ryanair announces record winter schedule with 21 new destinations from UK airports
