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I’ve already written about what things to expect and bring to racetracks, and this is the first of many posts about specific details of a racetrack. Castle Combe is definitely the track I know best as it’s the closest track to me and I’ve been there over five times this year already. So in the first installment of individual track guides, here is all you need to know about the Wiltshire circuit:
Entry/Exit:
While there are four different entrances into Castle Combe, I personally always use the green entrance by Quarry as there is some tree cover for parking, so my car is ever so slightly cooler when leaving later in the day. You can go through almost any entrance and park anywhere though. However, if you enter through the yellow entrance you can only park in that area. There are roads all around the circuit, and you can drive almost the entire way around, but you cannot drive through the paddock.
Traffic in and out of the circuit is never a problem due to the multiple entrances, and that no major series visit the circuit.
Facilities/Food:
The facilities at Castle Combe are genuinely incredible given its size and the lack of major events. It’s a small circuit but there are permanent, well looked-after toilets everywhere; you’re never more than a few minutes’ walk from one and there’s never a queue. Food options are also very good, there are three food stands at Quarry (one of which does an absolutely amazing hot chocolate), a bar, and an ice-cream van. There’s more food over by Tower, Camp and within the paddock. The paddock also has an indoor café/bar with full indoor and outdoor seating and ice cream trucks are found all the way around the track.
Track Spots:
Almost all of the track can be viewed unobstructed, due to grass banks higher than the track and over many of the fences. Quarry, a totally unobstructed viewing point, is where the majority of the fans will be, and where most of the action happens. however, it has no shade at all and can get toasty on a warm day. Plenty of action also happens at Tower, while there can also be quite a lot going on at The Esses, and occasionally you’ll see a car go into the maize field at Bobbies. I’d always recommend moving around the track between sessions and see where you like best.
It’s a short circuit, so you can lap it by walking in a short time. It can be easy to lap the circuit a few times in a single day.
Useful Information:
You can buy tickets in advance on the website for the same as the gate price, they also come with paddock access (which costs £2.50 on the entrance to the paddock if you do not have access with your ticket), but by buying online they charge a £2.49 admin fee. You may as well just take cash and pay on the gate since you’ll need cash to buy food anyway. There are no cashpoints at Castle Combe.
If you’re expecting heavy rain on the day, I highly recommend some wellies as grass/dirt banks surround the track and they can get very muddy and slippery. Quarry is paved so, if you do not have the best footwear, it will be the best place to be.
There are areas of shade all the way between Tower and Camp, however, most of it is at Tower. The shade around Bobbies and Camp is generally full of people since there is less of it in those areas. There are also some areas of shade at The Esses, but it’s patchy and generally, people are already in all of the shaded areas.
Live timing and the event timetable can be found on TSL timing.
Accommodation:
Generally, I would have some personal recommendations of local hotels here, but I live fairly local to the circuit so I’ve never used one. Swindon and Bristol are not particularly far by car, and the circuit lists many local hotels and B&Bs here. Though, given that all but one events at Castle Combe happen over a single day, unless you’re coming an incredibly long way it’s probably easier to just drive there and back.
The Track in Pictures:
