Villages of The Cotswolds Small Group Experience

The journey, in full

The Cotswolds Covering almost 800 square miles and no fewer than five English counties, the Cotswolds are the single largest designated Area of Natural Beauty in the UK. The area was once renowned for its wool production, reminders of which you can still see today. During this Experience, we will be visiting three picturesque villages hidden in the heart of the Cotswolds, with honey-coloured limestone period buildings and rich cultural heritage. Relax aboard your Luxury Small Group Vehicle with an expert guide as you enjoy the best of the English countryside. Bibury - “the most beautiful village in England” On arriving into Bibury you may think you have been transported back to a different age. The village was once described by the British poet, artist and novelist William Morris (1834-96) as “the most beautiful village in England”. Bibury’s attractions includes Arlington Row, a 17th century row of weavers cottages built of local stone next to the River Coln. It is one of the most photographed areas in the region and was chosen as a location for the 2007 film ‘Stardust’. Close by you will find the Bibury Trout Farm and a Saxon Church. The River Coln flows between the main village street and a watermeadow: together with Alrington Row as a backdrop, it makes one of the most picuresque scenes you will find in the Cotswolds. Burford – “Gateway to the Cotswolds” Burford is known as the gateway to the Cotswolds. Its High Street slopes from the high Wolds, where you have beautiful views over the open countryside, down to the willow fringed River Windrush in the pretty Windrush valley. Bourton-on-the-water – “The Venice of the Cotswolds” Regularly voted one of the prettiest villages in England, Bourton-on -the-Water has a unique appeal to visitors and residents alike. Known as the Venice of the Cotswolds, this one village offers a wealth of attractions and shops, restaurants and tea rooms, or simply the space for you to enjoy some tranquil time by the River Windrush, spanned by its five arched bridges. Bourton-on-the-Water’s most prized feature is its tranquil river. Fed from many springs, its source is approximately ten miles from the village, and even in the 1976 drought the flow continued. Where the river enters the village centre, over the rapids next to the Old Mill, its clear waters flow under a miscellany of arched stone bridges past the green with its banks of Cotswold stone. The earliest evidence of a Christian presence in Bourton-on-the-Water goes back as far as 709AD when a wooden church was built on land donated by the local king, centred to the Abbey of Evesham. Today the parish Church remains the focus of a lively worshipping community in the village of Bourton-on-the-Water, extending a warm welcome to visitors.