Bourton on the Water is an enthralling village within the Cotswolds, positioned within the coronary heart of England. With conventional stone buildings, quaint cottages and picturesque countryside, it’s not arduous to see why Bourton on the Water is among the hottest and delightful locations to go to within the Cotswolds.
The River Windrush flows gently by means of the centre of Bourton on the Water, offering a fairly point of interest for the village, alongside the inexperienced. Though the village is small, there are an abundance of retailers, cafes and sights to maintain all ages entertained, making Bourton on the Water an important time out for the entire household.
Let’s see among the greatest issues to see and do in Bourton on the Water in at some point.
Associated learn: Locations to Go to in England Different Than London
A day in Bourton on the Water within the Cotswolds
Begin your day in Bourton on the Water with a morning of actions. There are a lot of totally different actions to select from to begin your day, whether or not you’re visiting with youngsters, as a pair or group of pals.
Listed below are among the greatest sights to go to in Bourton on the Water so that you can select from.
Go to Bourton on the Water’s well-known Birdland Park – good for youths and households
Begin your day in Bourton on the Water with a go to to Birdland Park & Gardens, positioned subsequent to Rissington automobile park. The park is residence to over 500 species of fowl and is among the greatest locations to go to in Bourton on the Water. Amongst the five hundred species on the park are flamingos, pelicans and even King Penguins!
In addition to the acres of lovely parkland to stroll round, there are numerous sights and experiences at Birdland Park, together with the prospect to feed the penguins. For youths, there’s a ‘Jurassic encounters’ attraction, discovery zone, outside impediment course and play space, making it an important possibility for households visiting Bourton on the Water.
Tickets are £11.95 for adults and £8.95 for kids between 3-15 years outdated. It’s advisable to e-book on-line to save lots of queuing on the day.
Tackle the Dragonfly Maze! – an important exercise for pals and households
Positioned subsequent to Birdland Park, the Dragonfly Maze is a good exercise if you’re quick on time. The hedge maze will solely take about 20-Half-hour however it’s nice enjoyable for the entire household!
The maze is open 10am – 3pm day by day and tickets are £4.50 for adults and £3.50 for kids between 4-14 years outdated.
Really feel like a large on the Bourton on the Water Mannequin Village – enjoyable for the entire household
Tucked away behind The Previous New Inn, subsequent to Rissington Street automobile park is a tiny village. The Mannequin village is an correct illustration of Bourton on the Water because it stood when it was first constructed within the 1930’s, however at 1/ninth of the scale! The homes within the mannequin village have been skillfully constructed by native craftsmen utilizing native Cotswolds Stone, while the gardens and environment have been lovingly pruned and landscaped. The mannequin village is a good place to begin your go to to Bourton on the Water.
Entry is £4.50 for adults and £3.50 for kids between 3-13 years outdated.
Go to the Cotswolds Motoring Museum – nice for giant children
The Cotswolds Motoring Museum and Toy assortment is one in every of Bourton on the Water’s most well-known, and well-loved sights. The museum homes varied collections of classic vehicles, autos and memorabilia, good for giant children and classic automobile lovers! The museum’s Toy Assortment will even ship you on a visit down reminiscence lane with toys and video games out of your childhood.
The museum is open on daily basis and tickets could be purchased on the door. The associated fee is £7 for adults and £5 for kids between 5-16 years outdated.
The place to have lunch in Bourton on the Water?
After a morning filled with actions, it’s time for lunch and you’ve got a number of choices to select from! Bourton on the Water has an important vary of locations to eat, to suit all budgets.
- The Rose Tree restaurant is a well-liked selection if you need one thing extra upscale. It’s barely costlier however has a stunning environment and is ideal for a special day.
- The Croft and Kingsbridge pubs which face the river are each nice choices if you need a pub lunch, or for one thing lighter, the Bourton Riverside cafe does nice moderately priced sandwiches.
- One other fashionable tearoom is the Chestnut Tree on the excessive avenue. If the tea rooms alongside the inexperienced and excessive avenue are busy, there’s one other three nice choices on Moore Avenue which are typically rather less busy.
Visiting Bourton on the Water on a funds? Don’t fear, you’ll be able to decide up one thing to remove from The Cornish Bakery or the Chip Shed, positioned subsequent to one another on the excessive avenue. Or, on a dry day, top-of-the-line issues to do for lunch is to convey a picnic and decide a spot on the village inexperienced, alongside the River Windrush.
It’s price noting that lots of the cafes, tea rooms and eating places do get very busy round lunchtime, particularly on weekends in the summertime months and within the holidays. Due to this fact, in case you have a particular place you need to dine for lunch, attempt to reserve a desk beforehand.
Take pleasure in a extra relaxed afternoon in Bourton on the Water
After a busy morning, spend the remainder of your day in Bourton on the Water at a extra relaxed tempo. Take a stroll alongside the River Windrush, or into the encircling Cotswolds Countryside, or just take pleasure in a leisurely stroll across the village, visiting the retailers and boutiques.
Benefit from the strolling trails in Bourton on the Water
The Cotswolds is an space of excellent pure magnificence and there are numerous strolling trails in and round Bourton on the Water, with lovely countryside and village views.
For a nice quick stroll, which requires no map, stroll in the direction of the Warfare Memorial and Cotswold Motor Museum within the centre of the village and observe the River Windrush alongside the Windrush Manner. You may stroll a brief distance alongside the riverside path till you’ve had sufficient, after which flip round and are available again the identical manner.
When you’re feeling energetic, you’ll be able to observe this 10 mile stroll from Bourton on the Water, strolling to the picturesque villages of Decrease Slaughter, Higher Slaughter and Naunton, stopping at The Slaughters Nation Inn in Decrease Slaughter on the way in which.
For extra info on the strolling trails from Bourton on the Water and within the wider Cotswolds area, and to buy a route map, go to the Bourton on the Water guests centre in particular person, or on-line.
Take pleasure in a paddle within the River Windrush
If all that strolling sounds a bit an excessive amount of like arduous work, then merely take pleasure in a bit stroll alongside the river within the centre of the village. The River Windrush is barely 10 inches deep because it flows gently by means of Bourton on the Water, so it’s an important place to paddle your toes, or for kids to play, particularly on a scorching summer time’s day.
Buy groceries
There are many nice little boutiques and unbiased retailers within the village, making Bourton on the Water an important place to buy one thing distinctive. You may stroll across the village in a loop, stopping at varied retailers alongside the way in which. Begin alongside the excessive avenue, then cross the river and proceed down Victoria avenue, earlier than crossing again over the river and again to the excessive avenue.
Lining the excessive avenue are a number of cute reward retailers, promoting handmade crafts, candles, homeware and jewelry. Additionally on the excessive avenue is the Victorian Christmas store, the place you should purchase lovely hand painted Christmas decorations and baubles all 12 months spherical.
If in case you have a candy tooth, ensure you cease at Candy Reminiscence sweet store, or Bourton’s Little Candy store, to fill up on quaint candies and sweets to take residence with you.
Deal with your self to an ice cream
The day is coming to an finish and also you’ve executed plenty of strolling, so it’s time to deal with your self! There are two nice ice cream retailers within the village, each positioned alongside the river: Bourtanicals Marsfield Farm Ice Cream and Cotswolds Ice Cream.
If it’s too chilly exterior, swap the ice cream for a cream tea or espresso and cake in one of many cosy tea rooms as an alternative.
The best way to get to Bourton on the Water
One of the simplest ways to journey to Bourton on the Water within the Cotswolds is by automobile.
- Parking: There are two giant pay and show automobile parks positioned within the village at Station Street (GL54 2EN) and Rissington Street (GL54 2BN). The machines at each of those automobile parks solely settle for playing cards, nevertheless you should utilize the PayByPhone app at Rissington Street. Each of those automobile parks are only a few minutes stroll away from the primary centre of the village, nevertheless they do get extraordinarily busy, particularly on financial institution holidays and on weekends in the summertime months. When you trip a motorcycle, you’ll be able to park freed from cost at Rissington Street automobile park. Observe that motorhomes and caravans can solely park on the Station Street automobile park and you may solely enter and exit the village from Station Street.
- Public transport: One of the simplest ways to achieve Bourton on the Water utilizing public transport is to journey by bus or prepare to Cheltenham Spa, then from Cheltenham, you’ll be able to catch the 801 bus to Bourton on the Water. The bus journey takes roughly 20 minutes. (Observe that the prepare station and bus station in Cheltenham are a 20 minute stroll away from one another)
Native facilities
Other than the quite a few retailers, tea rooms and cafes in Bourton on the Water, you have to to know some sensible info concerning key facilities within the village. So, what amenities can you discover in Bourton on the Water?
The Bourton on the Water customer centre
The Bourton on the Water customer centre is the place to go to to select up maps of the native space and strolling trails in addition to info on native sights. The customer centre is located on Victoria Avenue, behind Victoria Village Corridor. It’s only open at chosen occasions and days, relying on the time of 12 months:
- Between April – October, the customer centre is open 10:00 – 17:00, Monday to Saturday. (Within the peak season of Might – September, it is usually open on Sundays 10:00 – 14:00).
- Between November – March the customer centre is barely open Monday to Saturday 10:00 – 16:0
Comfort Store
There’s a small Londis comfort store on the excessive avenue within the centre of the village, which is ideal for choosing up some snacks or a bottle of water on your time out. When you want a bigger retailer for picnic provides, there’s a Coop grocery store on Station Street, which is subsequent to the Station Street automobile park and only a 6 minute stroll from the excessive avenue within the centre of the village.
Public bogs
There are bogs positioned in Rissington automobile park, and likewise by the church, on the different finish of the excessive avenue. The bogs are 30p per entry and you may pay with money or by contactless card.
When is the most effective time to go to Bourton on the Water?
Bourton on the Water is among the greatest locations to go to within the Cotswolds and due to this fact it’s fashionable year-round. Nevertheless, it’s significantly busy on the weekends through the summer time months and in the summertime holidays. Parking could be tough throughout this time and lots of cafes and eating places have lengthy ready occasions at lunch.
The perfect time to go to Bourton on the Water is exterior of the summer time holidays and through mid-week. While the hotter summer time months attract a lot of the guests, it is usually an important place to go to within the autumn and winter, because the village tends to be much less crowded through the cooler months. It is usually an important place to buy Christmas presents! In case you are eager to go for Sunday lunch in Bourton on the Water, nevertheless, ensure you e-book forward. Sunday lunch within the Cotswolds is extremely fashionable anytime time of the 12 months!
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Curious Goose
I am Helen, a British travel-addict with a curious streak, who likes to discover, hike and go to new locations.
I’ve at all times liked travelling and on the age of 20 I moved to the USA for a 12 months’s work placement, which ignited my ardour much more. Since then, my want to journey to new locations has grown.
