Bibury and other beautiful villages to see in Cotwolds (England)

I had been wanting for a long time visit the Cotswolds because the rural atmosphere that the images I had had the opportunity to see conveyed caught my attention.

In fact, that image of villages with stone houses It is one of the characteristics that I have always liked the most about a trip to britain.

Therefore, a couple of summers ago I planned my trip to north wales with the end point of a route through the Cotswolds.

With the name of the Cotswolds is known is a region that extends across the south west england, to the north of Oxford, which is characterized by landscapes that combine hills and leafy valleys with rivers.

What are and where are the Cotswolds?

But the most characteristic of the Cotswolds are its charming towns of the deepest rural england.

In this regard, there are several towns that show that charm, among which are Chipping Campdem, Moreton in the Marsh y Broadway, which I visited on that trip.

This is the experience of visiting the Cotswolds

But in this article I want to focus on the two towns that, from my point of view, have the most charm, specifically, Bibury y Bourton on the Water.

What's more, of Bibury it has been said that it is the most beautiful town in england. It's difficult to say, but I can assure you that she has a very special charm.

What to see when visiting Bibury

When you go to visit Bibury during a Cotswolds driving routeDon't expect a big town.

On the contrary, I would tell you that it is almost a village whose houses extend along two roads that run along the banks of the coln river.

Park your car where you can and get ready to start a pleasant walk.

En Bibury you have one of the best samples of typical Cotswolds rural architecture.

You will not find half-timbered houses, as in Chester, Canterbury or many other places in Great Britain. Nor the characteristic houses with almost black stones of North Wales.

All Bibury houses They have great uniformity, as they are built with cream-colored stone, even close to gold, and with slate roofs.

Even the manor houses show great sobriety, but the architectural ensemble, combined with the lush vegetation that surrounds them, as well as their flowered gardens, is ideal for enjoying a pleasant walk.

In Bibury don't expect to see castles or grand churches, just charming country houses.

Of course, in a town that must receive many visitors (when I went there were practically no tourists) even from Japanese tourists because, as a curiosity, some warning signs are displayed in English…and Japanese.

What to see when visiting Bourton on the Water

Even if it is summer, arriving around six in the afternoon to one of these small towns in the English countryside is synonymous with finding the shops closed and the streets empty, so you miss out on much of its charm.

This is what happened to me when we arrived at one of the aforementioned towns.

On the other hand, on my trip I had the opposite luck in Bourton on the Water. It was Sunday, I arrived shortly before lunch, and I found the town in its greatest splendor.

Bourton on the Water It is one of the most visited towns in the Cotswolds and I could see the main reason.

This charming town of stone houses is crossed by the waters of the small windrush river, which run through the grass of the large green and tree-lined areas that surround them.

Bourton on the Water It is one of the most visited towns in the Cotswolds and I could see the main reason.

This charming town of stone houses is crossed by the waters of the small windrush river, which run through the grass of the large green and tree-lined areas that surround them.

The river has almost no depth, so it becomes an invitation for children to play in the water on a pleasant Sunday afternoon during the summer.

So I found Bourton on the Water, with the meadows full of families having a picnic and children enjoying the water.

The beautiful houses that flank the river and the numerous small stone bridges that cross it make up a charming scene.

If you also sit down to eat in the pleasant garden of a Ads on the banks of the river, it is an ideal place to spend part of the afternoon in this town of the Cotswolds.

Surely, in that time of enjoyment and relaxation I left a good part of the time that I would have later needed to get to Chipping Camden.

But anyway, it was worth it, and on the other hand I already have an excuse to return to the Cotswolds on an upcoming trip to England.

Map: where the Cotswolds are and how to get there