Bourton-on-the-Water
Anne Hathaways Cottage Bath (feature) Bibury Bourton-on-the-Water Broadway Burford Town Charlecote Park Cheltenham Chipping Campden Cotswolds Farm Park Cotswold Wildlife Park Coughton Court Hidcote Manor Gardens Jephson Gardens Leamington Painswick Garden Ragley Hall Stow-on-the-Wold Stratford Butterfly Farm Stratford-upon-Avon Sudeley Castle The Slaughters Upton House Warwick	The thumbnails below are linked to larger pictures Bourton-on-the-Water is not your typical sleepy idyllic English village, this is really a tourist honeypot. It has got all the right ingredients, with the river Windrush and its six arched bridges and wide grassy banks, running parallel with the main street and dividing the the village in two. The traditional Cotswold architecture, some dating back to the seventeenth century, with honey coloured limestone walls, mullioned windows, stone tiled roofs and a generous helping of gables. This village has everything and knows it and on a warm summers day it makes a memorable visit, just promenade up one side of the river and down the other, taking in all the sights. It is not short on attractions, including Birdland, a trout farm, model village, model railway, motor museum and a perfumery, there are also a number of pleasant walks to be had. Of the above Birdland is my favorite, it has a large collection of exotic birds including penguins, pelicans, Toucans and pink flamingos. Admission includes the trout farm, where you can buy food to help feed the trout (now there's a clever business idea) and all set in pleasant gardens (see additional section on Birdland below). All this and history too, with its older name of Boroughton its origins can be traced back to Roman times and beyond, there is evidence to indicate a Bronze age settlement (1500-700 BC). The Roman Fosse Way which runs from the mouth of the Humber to Devon, passes the top of Bourton-in-the-Water. Birdland (September 2002) Birdland was first established in 1957 sited in the centre of Bourton and was moved to its present site nearer to the perimeter of the village in 1989. Set in about 7 acres of woodland with the River Windrush, ponds and gardens it contains about 500 birds and over 50 aviaries, including tropical, temperate and desert Houses. The Trout farm was existing at the new site and has been incorporated into the Birdland layout. Bourton Model Village (April 2004) The famous model village is situated in the grounds of the 'old New Inn'. It is a replica in local stone of one of the Cotswolds most beautiful villages. Built by local craftsmen in the 1930's, it was opened to the public on Coronation Day 1937 and remains one of the Cotswolds popular tourist attractions. It is constructed in one-ninth scale and incorporates the river Windrush with its distinctive bridges, together with the beech, willow and chestnut trees all in miniature. It is complete with the Church of St. Lawrence and the music of the actual choir. It even includes a model of the model village!. Back to the top