The Cotswolds village, which has been dubbed one of the most beautiful locations in England, is battling drones and inconsiderate tourists. Castle Coombe, on the other side of the M4 from Gloucestershire, offers beautiful walking routes and quaint old streets, untouched by time.
This picturesque village is popular with tourists and has been used as a filming location for blockbusters such as Stephen Spielberg’s War Horse. Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the popular location, leading many residents to order crowds off their land.
According to residents, the number of people living full time in the Wiltshire village has declined in recent years. The house for sale is taken and used as a second home or Airbnb.
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Georgina Kingshott, 44, a post-doctoral scientist, has lived in the village since 2016 after fleeing London for a quieter life. He said that tourists violated his privacy by flying drones over his house and flying like a day by the beach.
Georgina said: “In the hotter months people congregate like on the beach which can be a bit annoying. People will gather on one of the benches and be here all day, like on the beach. It’s terrible because during lockdown it’s good.
“Another bad thing is that people will fly their drones over villages. It feels very disturbing.
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“They’re not supposed to do that and there’s a sign above and below. You’d be wandering through the park and hearing drones and thinking ‘what’s going on?’.
“There are coaches who come and do guided tours of the Cotswolds so we’ll do the pitching a few times a day. It’s great fun for us because we have a gate that stops people from coming in but sometimes people will pretend they don’t see them and sit on the opposite side of the fence they shouldn’t sit.
“I always feel a little bit like ‘get off my ground.’ It can get annoying with people running up and down.”
Anna Roberts, 60, has lived in the village for 20 years and runs a pop up teahouse. He welcomes tourists as they increase trade but says for years people have felt left the village.
When he first moved here, he said about 95 percent of the village was filled with people and now he claims about 50 percent. One resident said only 43 people actually lived in the village.
Anna said: “There have been many changes in the village over the years. When we first moved here 20 years ago, I think 95 percent of the village was inhabited.
“As time goes by, we are now occupied by under 50 percent of the population. This is because when the house was sold we found that very few people wanted to move and live here.
“We have people buying from overseas – they’re buying as vacation homes, second homes and Airbnbs. It’s one of the saddest things because it has completely changed the community for those of us who still live here.
“At one time, we knew everyone who lived in every house. It was a really good community, a close community, and there was a real sense of family.
“Now, unfortunately, people who live here part time or have it as a holiday home, they’re not really involved in things. It’s become very different. Having a business is what keeps us here.
“It’s a beautiful village and beautiful houses but at the end of the day, it’s a very touristy village. If I didn’t run my business from here, we wouldn’t want to live here.”
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