Latest news with #CastleCombe
Telegraph
22-06-2025
- Telegraph
How drone-wielding tourists are ruining peace and quiet in British beauty spots
Plenty of British villages have their own collective project, whether that's an annual flower show or a cricket match. But one picturesque Cotswold village has embarked on a very different project this year: declaring its own no-fly zone. Admittedly, the no-drone poster campaign is only advisory (at best) and doesn't apply to actual aircraft, but the residents of Castle Combe – population 400 – insist that their protest is in response to a very real problem: an influx of drone-wielding tourists whose quest for the perfect airborne video is causing havoc and invading their privacy. Castle Combe isn't the only tourism destination to find itself on the radar of drone enthusiasts. In recent years, the presence of buzzing drones piloted by amateur video enthusiasts has caused consternation (amongst some, at least) at national parks and beaches across Britain – with similar grumbles occurring across the US and Europe too. Of course, not everyone is so sour on drones. Just look at the huge growth in drone video channels on YouTube, where awestruck viewers are keen to see incredible sights – whether that's a sweeping tour of Yosemite, or an aerial cruise over a private island in the Maldives. But what is driving this explosion? 'It's much easier to get started than it was a few years ago,' says Dr James Kennell, head of hospitality and tourism management at the University of Surrey, who has studied how companies use drones to promote their tourism industries. 'Many of the drones can be operated with your mobile phone and it isn't hard to start making videos straight away.' Naturally, the pandemic played a role too. 'Once things opened up a bit, you had people heading to quieter places like national parks and beauty spots, and looking for something to do,' Dr Kennell adds. Now he and his colleagues are observing how some of the more switched on countries – New Zealand, for example – are using drone videos in their tourism marketing campaigns. Drones are clearly playing a role in stoking our natural wanderlust, then. But do they bring downsides for tourism? Tales of drones disrupting flights may be very rare but they aren't entirely without precedent: flights from Frankfurt airport were grounded for two days in 2023. But the more common complaints stem from the less dramatic aspects of drones. From the Peak District to the Cotswolds, the zippy aerial devices are increasingly being blamed for ruining the peace and quiet which plenty of us seek out in the first place. But are the complaints really fair? At risk of being added to their banned list, could I humbly suggest that Castle Combe's real problem (if you can call it that) is that it's one of many previously unsung destinations to go viral on social media, thus triggering a massive flood of impressionable tourists? Drones might be a symptom of this phenomenon, but they aren't the root cause. What's more, isn't a bit of bother part of the parcel for successful tourism destinations, which benefit, in turn, from the massive hospitality spend and house price boom? Could those locals taking aim, figuratively at least, at the drones be the equivalent of those disgruntled anti-tourism protestors in the Canary Islands? 'If you look at a typical tourist spot like Stonehenge, the average family with children is going to be making much more noise than any drone,' says Ian, who runs YouTube channel Ian in London, where he posts drone videos that he makes across the country. 'Of course, we don't make a massive fuss over children being noisy, but the thing with drones is that they are a new kind of noise that people aren't used to hearing.' As for the more disturbing complaints emanating from Castle Combe – drones buzzing past bathroom windows and the like – these sound like a clear breach of the law. 'Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules are clear that you should not fly below 50 metres when flying over people's property,' adds Ian in London. Operators who break the rules can be prosecuted. There are other rules they must follow too. The CAA requires drone operators to register their device before flying it, and then to keep it in a clear line of sight at all times (in order to avoid collisions). Flying over a crowd of people is illegal, and there are strict no-fly zones around airports and prisons. As for the chances of seeing a drone on your next holiday, it depends where you go. Some countries take a much stricter approach than Britain (Turkey likes to confiscate them at the airport, apparently), while others are even more accommodating. One drone website, UAV Coach, maintains a list of different rules and laws. Not brilliant news for the drone-haters, then, but they should at least be able to minimise their chances of encountering one by choosing a country that shares their scepticism. For everyone else – including the residents of Castle Combe – it looks like the aerial devices are here to stay.
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
How drones are terrorising England's prettiest village: They film children in gardens, locals in the bath and even try to get in to people's houses. Now furious residents say: 'It's like living in North Korea!'
Surely one of the most bizarre incidents in movie history took place during the shooting of the 1967 film Doctor Dolittle in the chocolate-box village of Castle Combe in Wiltshire, just eight miles from Queen Camilla 's country bolthole in nearby Lacock. With its honey-coloured Cotswold cottages strung out along the single street featured on many a postcard, calendar and jigsaw puzzle, Castle Combe is often dubbed 'the prettiest village in England'.
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Independent
Cotswolds villagers call for ban on tourists' drones after man filmed in bath
Residents of 'the prettiest village in England' are calling for a ban on tourists' drones after one local reported being filmed while taking a bath. 'No drone zone' signs have now been plastered across the windows of homes in Castle Combe in the Cotswolds, as well as in the local church and the public car park. Residents say the aircraft are constantly flying over their gardens and streets – and even by one man's bathroom window. Retired police officer Hilary Baker, 69, told The Sunday Times: 'It's almost like some of the visitors have lost their moral compass, they have lost their boundaries. When you go into your back garden and put your washing out and there is a drone hovering 20 yards above your head, it really quite rankles. 'Another neighbour had been working in his garden and jumped in the bath and there was a drone at his bathroom window, watching him in the bath. You just think, really? 'I should think on a monthly basis I will get verbal abuse [for asking them to stop].' Police were reportedly called on a pilot who would not land his drone last month and verbally abused locals when they asked him to respect their privacy. It is claimed he filmed children playing in a back garden and flew up and down the high street hovering at first floor window level. The Independent has contacted Wiltshire Police about the incident. Before the drones, tourists were overstepping boundaries in Castle Combe for years, according to residents, with signs seen asking visitors to not pick flowers or walk down homes' side alleys. But Ms Baker, who has lived in the Wiltshire village for more than three decades, said there has been a recent surge in tourists flying drowns for their social media channels, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. While the picturesque village is only home to a few hundred people, thousands of visitors descend on the area every week, having seen videos on various social media platforms. Often referred to as one of the 'prettiest villages in England', its historic centre is a particular draw as well as its chocolate box cottages. Sisters Lydia Chia, 27, and Deborah Chia, 24, who were posing for photos on a trip from Singapore, told The Times: 'I saw it on my friend's Instagram and a little bit on TikTok. It's really pretty. I pick where to visit based on pictures and aesthetics, and whether or not it's Instagrammable.' Chairman of the parish council Fred Winup found that just over half of tourists chose to visit Castle Combe after seeing it online, in a visitor survey he conducted last year. The retired bank director told of a time a drone followed him along the high street 'just five feet above my head', adding: 'It was a Californian [piloting it], he was a nice guy who didn't know the rules and said he was sorry.' Wiltshire council has now put a sign up in the public car park, following calls from the parish council. The warning to drone pilots reads: 'If you use these devices where people can expect privacy, such as inside their home or garden, you are likely to be contravening CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] guidelines'. The rules that are in place around drones, while complicated, typically require pilots to have the aircraft in their line of sight, to avoid getting close to crowds or building, and to respect people's privacy. With some devices having reportedly crashed into the church roof or resident's trees, Mr Winup said: 'People do lose control of drones and they could take an eye out.'
The Independent
02-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
The ‘prettiest village in England' launches war on drones
Residents of Castle Combe in the Cotswolds, known as 'the prettiest village in England,' are calling for a ban on tourist drones after incidents of privacy invasion, including one report of a resident being filmed while taking a bath. 'No drone zone' signs have been posted across the village, including on homes, the local church, and the public car park, due to constant drone flights over gardens and streets. A retired police officer, Hilary Baker, reported that some visitors have lost their moral compass, recounting incidents of drones hovering over gardens and near bathroom windows, leading to verbal abuse when residents ask pilots to stop. Police were called last month on a drone pilot who verbally abused locals and allegedly filmed children playing in a back garden; Wiltshire Council has since put up signs warning drone pilots about violating privacy guidelines. A survey by the parish council chairman, Fred Winup, revealed that over half of tourists visit Castle Combe after seeing it online, with many influenced by social media posts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, leading to increased drone usage and privacy concerns.
The Independent
01-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Independent
Residents in scenic Costwolds village fight back against tourists
Residents of Castle Combe in the Cotswolds, known as 'the prettiest village in England,' are calling for a ban on tourist drones after a local resident reported being filmed while taking a bath. 'No drone zone' signs have been placed on homes, the local church, and the public car park due to constant drone flights over gardens and streets in the Wiltshire village. A retired police officer reported instances of drones hovering over gardens and near bathroom windows, leading to feelings of intrusion and verbal abuse when confronting pilots. Police were called last month on a drone pilot who verbally abused locals and allegedly filmed children playing in a back garden. A Wiltshire Council sign in the public car park warns drone pilots that using devices in areas where people expect privacy may violate Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) guidelines.
