Subscribe to the BlogThe Cotswolds is a region of southern England, popular with visitors from both within the UK and those arriving from overseas, because of it's attractive rolling countryside and unspoiled villages dating back hundreds of years.
There are numerous of these unspoiled villages to explore, typically with a few streets of 300 year old houses built in the yellow stone that is the 'trademark' of the region, an old church, and often a river flowing slowly through the centre of the village. If you are lucky you will also find a pub in the village, with creaking beams bearing witness to hundreds of years of happy customers.
Among these villages one stands out in particular as being attractive to visitors - Bourton on the Water. Bourton has all the characteristics already mentioned, and also several extra attractions that make it an interesting place to stay. These include:
1) A riverside walk, with the river lined by parkland and crossed by several low bridges. This is the perfect place to take a promenade, while the children splash in the water.
2) Lots of carefully maintained gardens in front of the cottages help ensure the village is very photogenic from almost all angles
3) The model village. In the 1930's some local craftsmen spent several years building a perfect scale model of the village, so careful in detail that it also includes a model of the model.
4) Cotswold Motoring Museum contains a good selection of cars from throughout the 20th century, and also lots of the equipment used by people who went travelling with their caravans. A fascinating insight into a different, slower moving, world.
5) Birdland. A well maintained bird zoo that will bring hours of entertainment to you and your children. Watch the penguins being fed, see flamingos and owls, or watch a display by the birds of prey.
It is true that the village is rather handed over to tourism, but in the case of Bourton on the Water it is justified and does not detract from your visit.
You will see plenty of other villages during your visit to the Cotswolds, including nearby Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter, but in years to come when you remember your visit it is perhaps Bourton on the Water that will have made the greatest impression.
By: Marcus Smith
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