The UK village where oblivious tourists are driving locals bonkers | UK | News

Locals in a beautiful village that’s previously been named the prettiest in the country have said that oblivious tourists – some as far afield as India, Japan and Argentina – are photographing them through their windows and knocking on their doors, and then expressing surprise when they answer. Residents add that visitors treat Castle Combe in the Cotswolds – where films such as War Horse, Stardust and the original 1967 Doctor Dolittle have been filmed – do not know where to draw the line. It is only home to about 400 people, but it is reported that around 150,000 visitors flock to the chocolate box village every year.

Hilary Baker, 69, a former police officer and bed and breakfast owner, urged visitors: “Give us a little bit of consideration.” She added that drones have even been flown over the village, “filming children”, but pointed out that this has been less of an issue recently. Ms Baker said: “That’s what caused everybody to go, ‘This is now beyond reasonable.’ Because our children are precious, you don’t know who’s on the other end of the camera. I’m not casting aspersions, but you just don’t know anymore. It’s out there in the ether before you can blink an eye.” Hilary, who has lived in Castle Combe for 35 years, added: “If only they would stop and think, ‘How would I feel sat in my garden minding own business with a drone flying 20 feet above my head?’

“It could be four or five. I don’t think they would cope with it either.”

Hilary also recalled a recent occassion when a visitor was looking into her house.

“I was walking the dog and talking to one of my neighbours, when I saw this lady looking through my letterbox.

“I said, ‘Are looking for somebody? Can I help you?’ They said, ‘I’m just looking.’

“I replied, ‘People live here.’ They said, ‘Oh, do they?'”

People have also asked if they can come into her house. “No,” Ms Baker replied. “Unless you want to sit on the sofa with our dog.”

When the Express visited the village in the south of the picturesque Cotswolds, most residents were unwilling to be named or have their photo taken as they sought to guard their privacy. One, whose family has lived in the village since 1979, and wished to remain anonymous, said: “Some days you can’t get on the pavements for tourists. A lot of them have no boundaries, and don’t seem to accept that it’s not a museum. They think it’s their right to look through our windows, apparently.”

They are also noisy, the man, who was only willing to admit that he was aged in his 60s, added. He complained of “screaming” children, and added: “A lot of people moved here at a time when there weren’t so many tourists. It’s always been popular, but they’re a different kind [of visitor] now.

“They don’t seem to regulate their behaviour.” The local also described the TikTok effect, which has seen the number of tourists increase as people are eager to post photos of themselves in the beauty spot. The man suggested that it is all about indviduals saying: “Look at me and my fabulous life.”

“They knock on our door and pull our bell,” he added. “You come to the door and they say, ‘Sorry, sorry.’ What did you think would happen?”

Another resident said visitors display “pure curiosity”, which “can be a bit annoying”. “It’s kind of like not respoecting people’s privacy,” she added.

A 62-year-old former executive of a global IT company has lived in Castle Combe after emigrating from Australia around six years ago.

He said: “It’s exponentially got worse. Social media has got hold.”

“Traditionally, years ago, there were peaks and troughs with the holiday periods,” the retiree added. “Now it’s 7am until 9pm.”

He also observed that the amount of tour buses had increased over the last few years. “They unload quite a few people, and it just goes on all the way through the day,” he said.

Another problem, the resident noted, is younger people using “suction cups” to attach their phones to his windows in order for them to take a photo of themselves.

“They think it’s part of the set of Disneyland,” the Aussie said.

Jean Boucher, 86, a retired teacher, says she does not have much trouble with visitors, as her house is raised above the main street.

But she added: “The whole world is full of tourists being a nuisance.

“There are more people travelling, I suppose, and people are obsessed with photographing everything now.”

“People couldn’t care less, that’s the root cause of it. People have worked really hard to be able to afford [these homes].

“The double yellow lines. Forget it, they don’t mean anything.

“When we first came it was really quiet because we had Covid. But even prior to that it was a lot quieter. It continues to get busier – it’s social media.

“Even just walking around, predominantly what you see is people taking photos, and you can understand that. It’s a pretty village.

“But you’ve got to question whether they appreciate the nuances.”

It’s estimated that 60% of properties in the area are second homes, including some that are rented out as Airbnbs.

Fred Winup has been chairman of the parish council for more than 20 years. He told the Express that despite its beauty there isn’t actually much in the village to see.

He added that the best time to visit is during cold winters, when there are fewer people around.

Elderly visitors, he also advised, should be careful of the steep hill from the car park.

It is a “lovely place to live”, he added. “When you think of it, this is a 15th- or 16th-century village.

“They’re [buildings] all Grade listed. You can’t alter them. Nobody’s going to start putting supermarkets down here, or anything like that.

“It’s a quiet place to come and visit, maybe spend an hour here, and that’s it.”

Perhaps for those tourists desperate for the perfect picture an hour, however, is just never going to be enough.