In the footsteps of the saintly
When thinking of pilgrimages, the Camino de Santiago immediately springs to mind, as does the story of the 29 pilgrims making their way to the grave of St Thomas Becket, immortalised in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. There were pilgrimages much closer to home, however, including one between the abbeys at Malmesbury and Glastonbury. This one is thought to have passed the religious sites at both Castle Combe and north Wraxall, whose churches dedicated to St Andrew and St James are both visited on this walk, a route that also passes St John’s Church in Ford, now de-consecrated and a private residence.
A more tenuous pilgrimage link is associated with St Aldhelm, one-time Bishop of Malmesbury. Following his death in 709AD at Doulting, between Frome and Shepton Mallet, his wishes were respected and his body was carried back to Malmesbury for burial. At intervals along the way, stone crosses were erected, with remnants existing at Colerne and Upper Wraxall. It is possible that the venerable saint’s body continued onto both north Wraxall and Castle Combe. As the Malmesbury history Society say: “We are unlikely ever to trace the exact route, but there is plenty to fascinate historians and pilgrims along the way.”
The walk starts from a lay-by opposite that de-consecrated church in Ford, with its little shingled spirelet and wagon roof. The Old Coach Road brings the walk to north Wraxall, a pleasant enough place whose setting is enhanced by its location on a hillside above an unnamed tributary stream of the By Brook. A steep hill, lined with attractive cottages, climbs up to the parish church of St James. Arthur Mee wrote of the beauty of the doorway here that must have delighted travellers for 800 years. he noted how it stood beneath a 14th-century porch which seemed to be falling down with age, that was decorated with a pretty timber frieze. Internally, look out for a side chapel that contains the earthly remains of Paul Methuen. he rests alone in the middle of the floor, in a white marble tomb, with 35 painted shields looking down on him from the ceiling above.
And so to Castle Combe, initially following quiet lanes as far as Truckle hill Barn, where dramatic views open up across the local wooded valleys. Secretive woodland paths bring us to the village, where the view along the main street from the By Brook to the Market Cross has featured on any number of calendars, magazine covers and movies on the big screen. These range from the 1967 version of Dr Doolittle through to the 2011 film War horse.
There is also St Andrew’s Church, originally founded in the 13th century, with the nave being a 14th-century addition and the tower being completed some 200 years later.
From Castle Combe, the By Brook Valley is followed through to Long Dean, described by nikolaus Pevsner as ‘a pretty group of mill and 18th-century cottages in a combe’, a succinct description of what is a perfect rural idyll. A hilltop path with fine views follows, and so back to Ford where the White hart, a former coaching inn on the road west from London, will prove an irresistible temptation. Cary’s Itinerary of 1841 lists Ford as the stopping point for visitors to William Scrope esquire of Castle Combe Manor, and Sawyer esquire of Lucknam Grove. Today it is a stopping point for visitors who wish to sample its ‘delicious home cooked food and crafted drinks’.
Getting there
Follow the A46 north from
Bath to its junction with the A420 at Cold Ashton. Follow the A420 towards Chippenham for 6 miles before parking in a lay-by on the right opposite the de-consecrated St John’s Church.
1. Cross the road and follow the A420 to the left before, almost immediately, turning right onto the Old Coach Road. Follow what becomes a track for 1¼ miles to reach a lane on the edge of North Wraxall by a bungalow. Turn right and follow this lane as it winds its way downhill and uphill to reach St James’ Church. Just past the church, turn right on a lane signposted to Nettleton, Castle Combe and West Kington. In 250 yards, turn right onto a lane and continue for 1 mile to reach a cattle grid before following an unmetalled access road along to Truckle Hill Barn.
2. Just before the barn, pass through a gate on the left, walk across a parking area and garden to a gateway opposite before following an enclosed path that shortly drops downhill to reach a stream in the bottom of a wooded valley. Cross the stream and follow a path on the right uphill to reach a lane in ¼ mile. Turn left and, in 25 yards, turn right onto a footpath and walk through Becker Wood, eventually dropping downhill to join the Ford to Castle Combe road. Turn left and follow this road up through Castle Combe to reach to the Market Cross. Follow the road to the right of the Cross for 50 yards and, immediately past a property on the right called Trimmels, veer right onto a path that climbs uphill through woodland for 250 yards to reach a junction with a track. Turn right and, in 25 yards, turn right onto a wide path that runs through Parsonage Wood.
3. In just under ½ mile, pass through a gate at the end of the woodland and follow a path downhill for 100 yards to a junction. Turn left and, in 600 yards, look out for a marker post indicating a path going off on the right. Turn right at this point and follow a path downhill - it shortly bears left - to reach a bridge that crosses the By Brook. Beyond this bridge, follow the path through the bottom of the valley to a footbridge. Continue walking ahead through the bottom of the valley to reach a handgate and junction with a track in ¼ mile. Turn right and follow this track uphill out of Long Dean to a gate, before keeping ahead until the track emerges into an open field. In 150 yards, pass through a gate on the left and follow a footpath across the top of a hilltop field to reach a gate and lane in 350 yards. Turn left and follow this lane down to the A420 in Ford. Follow the A420 to the right to return to the lay-by.