Combe Hay

Combe Hay is a small, rural parish in Bath and North East Somerset set in rolling limestone countryside on the fringe of the Cotswolds and Mendip uplands, a short drive from Bath. The settlement is made up of a handful of stone cottages, farms and a quiet village street; its setting in a narrow valley gives it a tucked-away, quintessentially Somerset feel with hedged lanes and expansive views over farmland.

Its most notable claim is industrial rather than grand: the remains of the Somerset Coal Canal and the dramatic, steep flight known as the Combe Hay Locks speak to a past when coal and local industry shaped the valley. Today the parish is largely agricultural with a small, close-knit community and attracts walkers and industrial-archaeology enthusiasts who come to see the canal remnants and enjoy the surrounding countryside while many residents commute to nearby towns for work.