Things to do · Castle Combe
Castle Combe Circuit
A 1.85-mile motor racing circuit half a mile from Castle Combe, racing since 1950, with race days, action days, track days and driving experiences from spring to November.
Race days are good value, with under-16s free, and the grass banks put you close to the track. Bring a folding chair and a card: there are no stands round the circuit and no cash machine.
- Good: Under-16s free with an adult at race days
- Good: Free spectator parking on site
- Good: Advance tickets cheaper than the gate
- Worth knowing: No seats round the circuit: bring a camping chair
- Worth knowing: No dogs on days the circuit is in use, except assistance dogs
- Worth knowing: No cash machine; most stalls take cards
About
Castle Combe Circuit is a 1.85-mile motor racing track on the B4039, 5 miles west of Chippenham and half a mile from the village of Castle Combe. Racing began here in 1950, on the perimeter track of the former RAF Castle Combe airfield, which closed in 1948, and the circuit now runs race meetings, car shows, track days and driving experiences through the season.
It is open only for events, so check the calendar before you go. Club race days cost £25 to £30 on the gate in 2026 and the action days for modified and performance cars £35, with advance tickets cheaper and under-16s free with an adult. The circuit's two-day Stage Rally runs on 7 and 8 November 2026, at £25 a day or £35 for the weekend on the day, with under-16s free; crews tackle nine stages, two of them in darkness, over about 50 miles of tarmac.
You watch from grass banks with no stands or seats, so bring a folding chair, good shoes and something for the weather. There is no cash machine, but the office and most vendors take cards. Noise limits are strict because of planning rules, and no dogs are allowed on days the track is in use, apart from assistance dogs.
To drive yourself, car track days cost from £40 to £190 (2026) and need a full licence and a car to MOT standard; passengers must be over 16. All Star driving experiences give about two laps in each car, from £54 for one car. Book ahead for both. A race day fills a day; the village's pubs, such as the Castle Inn, are a few minutes' drive away.
Opening hours and season
Open on event days only, from spring to November. Track days run 9am to 5pm, with arrival by 7.30am for noise testing. Next: Stage Rally, 7 and 8 November 2026.
Facilities
- Car parkFree on-site public parking for spectators
- FoodCatering and trade areas on hard standing at events
- DogsNo animals on days the circuit is in use, except assistance dogs
The details
- Time to allow
- A day for a race meeting
- Features
- Parking · Events and meetings
- History
- Racing since 1950
- Parking
- Free on-site public car park for spectators on event days.
- Without a car
- Chippenham station, on the London Paddington to Bristol line, is about 5 miles away; take a taxi from the station.
Photos
Racing at Castle Combe 
A rally day at the circuit 
A hospitality suite above the track 
A JDM action day
Location
Accessibility
- Assistance dogs welcome
The circuit warns of uneven ground: spectator parking, campsites and display areas are mostly grass, and the weather affects how easily you can move around. There are permanent roads and hard standing in the paddock, catering and trade areas.
Places to stay nearby
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The Castle Inn
Inn · Castle Combe
An inn with 12 rooms on West Street, Castle Combe, part of the Exclusive Collection, with a menu holding two AA rosettes.
Dog-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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The Manor House
Hotel · Castle Combe
A hotel in a manor house of seventeenth-century origins at Castle Combe, part of the Exclusive Collection, with the Bybrook restaurant.
Dog-friendly · Wedding venues · EV charging
Verified Oct 2026
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Fosse Farmhouse
B&B · Castle Combe
A farmhouse bed and breakfast full of vintage finds on the Fosse Way at Nettleton Shrub, a mile or so from Castle Combe, with three dog-friendly holiday cottages in its old farm buildings.
Dog-friendly · Family-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- The White Hart, Castle Combe 0.6 km away
- The Castle Inn 0.7 km away
- The Manor House 0.7 km away
- Fosse Farmhouse 2.1 km away
Sights nearby
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By Brook
Sight · River · Castle Combe
The By Brook is the wooded valley stream that runs through Castle Combe and south by Long Dean, Ford and Slaughterford, in north-west Wiltshire. It once had some twenty watermill sites, for corn, cloth and paper, and public footpaths follow much of it.
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Castle Combe bridge
Sight · Bridge · Castle Combe
Castle Combe bridge carries the village street over the By Brook at the bottom of the hill: three low skew arches rebuilt for the Scropes in the early nineteenth century, with grooves in its buttresses for the iron screens that kept livestock in. Grade II.
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Market Cross, Castle Combe
Sight · Monument · Castle Combe
Castle Combe's medieval market cross, a stone-tiled roof on four corner posts over a central pedestal, stands where the village street begins, beside St Andrew's church. It is a scheduled monument, free to see at any time.
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St Andrew's Church, Castle Combe
Sight · Church · Castle Combe
Castle Combe's Grade I parish church, open every day in daylight: a fifteenth-century tower begun in 1434 with help from Sir John Fastolf's will, a medieval clock with no face, and the crossed-legged effigy of Sir Walter de Dunstanville.