Bourton on the Water is a captivating village within the Cotswolds, positioned within the coronary heart of England. With conventional stone buildings, quaint cottages and picturesque countryside, it’s not onerous to see why Bourton on the Water is likely one of the hottest and delightful locations to go to within the Cotswolds.
The River Windrush flows gently via the centre of Bourton on the Water, offering a reasonably point of interest for the village, alongside the inexperienced. Though the village is small, there are an abundance of outlets, cafes and points of interest to maintain all ages entertained, making Bourton on the Water an excellent time out for the entire household.
Let’s see among the greatest issues to see and do in Bourton on the Water in sooner or later.
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 various totally different actions to select from to start out your day, whether or not you’re visiting with youngsters, as a pair or group of mates.
Listed below are among the greatest points of interest 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 – excellent 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 house to over 500 species of hen and is likely one of 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 lots of points of interest and experiences at Birdland Park, together with the possibility to feed the penguins. For teenagers, there’s a ‘Jurassic encounters’ attraction, discovery zone, outside impediment course and play space, making it an excellent choice for households visiting Bourton on the Water.
Tickets are £11.95 for adults and £8.95 for kids between 3-15 years previous. It’s advisable to e-book on-line to avoid wasting queuing on the day.
Tackle the Dragonfly Maze! – an excellent exercise for mates and households
Situated 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 nevertheless 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 previous.
Really feel like an enormous on the Bourton on the Water Mannequin Village – enjoyable for the entire household
Tucked away behind The Outdated New Inn, subsequent to Rissington Highway 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 start out your go to to Bourton on the Water.
Entry is £4.50 for adults and £3.50 for kids between 3-13 years previous.
Go to the Cotswolds Motoring Museum – nice for giant youngsters
The Cotswolds Motoring Museum and Toy assortment is one among Bourton on the Water’s most well-known, and well-loved points of interest. The museum homes numerous collections of classic vehicles, automobiles and memorabilia, excellent for giant youngsters and classic automobile fans! The museum’s Toy Assortment may even ship you on a visit down reminiscence lane with toys and video games out of your childhood.
The museum is open every single day and tickets could be purchased on the door. The fee is £7 for adults and £5 for kids between 5-16 years previous.
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 excellent 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 beautiful ambiance and is ideal for an important 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 fairly priced sandwiches.
- One other well-liked tearoom is the Chestnut Tree on the excessive road. If the tea rooms alongside the inexperienced and excessive road 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 price range? Don’t fear, you may decide up one thing to remove from The Cornish Bakery or the Chip Shed, positioned subsequent to one another on the excessive road. Or, on a dry day, among the finest 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. Subsequently, in case you have a selected place you wish to dine for lunch, try to reserve a desk beforehand.
Get pleasure from 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 outlets and boutiques.
Benefit from the strolling trails in Bourton on the Water
The Cotswolds is an space of excellent pure magnificence and there are lots of 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 direction of the Battle Memorial and Cotswold Motor Museum within the centre of the village and comply with the River Windrush alongside the Windrush Manner. You possibly can stroll a brief distance alongside the riverside path till you’ve had sufficient, after which flip round and are available again the identical approach.
Should you’re feeling energetic, you may comply with 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 best way.
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.
Get pleasure from a paddle within the River Windrush
If all that strolling sounds a bit an excessive amount of like onerous work, then merely take pleasure in slightly stroll alongside the river within the centre of the village. The River Windrush is just 10 inches deep because it flows gently via Bourton on the Water, so it’s an excellent place to paddle your ft, or for kids to play, particularly on a sizzling summer time’s day.
Buy groceries
There are many nice little boutiques and unbiased outlets within the village, making Bourton on the Water an excellent place to buy one thing distinctive. You possibly can stroll across the village in a loop, stopping at numerous outlets alongside the best way. Begin alongside the excessive road, then cross the river and proceed down Victoria road, earlier than crossing again over the river and again to the excessive road.
Lining the excessive road are a number of cute reward outlets, promoting handmade crafts, candles, homeware and jewelry. Additionally on the excessive road is the Victorian Christmas store, the place you should purchase lovely hand painted Christmas decorations and baubles all yr spherical.
When you’ve got a candy tooth, ensure you cease at Candy Reminiscence sweet store, or Bourton’s Little Candy store, to replenish on quaint candies and sweets to take house with you.
Deal with your self to an ice cream
The day is coming to an finish and also you’ve completed plenty of strolling, so it’s time to deal with your self! There are two nice ice cream outlets 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.
Learn how 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 Highway (GL54 2EN) and Rissington Highway (GL54 2BN). The machines at each of those automobile parks solely settle for playing cards, nonetheless you should utilize the PayByPhone app at Rissington Highway. Each of those automobile parks are only a few minutes stroll away from the principle centre of the village, nonetheless they do get extraordinarily busy, particularly on financial institution holidays and on weekends in the summertime months. Should you experience a bike, you may park freed from cost at Rissington Highway automobile park. Notice that motorhomes and caravans can solely park on the Station Highway automobile park and you may solely enter and exit the village from Station Highway.
- Public transport: One of the simplest ways to achieve Bourton on the Water utilizing public transport is to journey by bus or practice to Cheltenham Spa, then from Cheltenham, you may catch the 801 bus to Bourton on the Water. The bus journey takes roughly 20 minutes. (Notice that the practice station and bus station in Cheltenham are a 20 minute stroll away from one another)
Native facilities
Apart from the quite a few outlets, tea rooms and cafes in Bourton on the Water, you will want to know some sensible info concerning key facilities within the village. So, what services 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 choose up maps of the native space and strolling trails in addition to info on native points of interest. The customer centre is located on Victoria Avenue, behind Victoria Village Corridor. It is just open at chosen occasions and days, relying on the time of yr:
- Between April – October, the customer centre is open 10:00 – 17:00, Monday to Saturday. (Within the peak season of Might – September, additionally it is open on Sundays 10:00 – 14:00).
- Between November – March the customer centre is just open Monday to Saturday 10:00 – 16:0
Comfort Store
There’s a small Londis comfort store on the excessive road within the centre of the village, which is ideal for selecting up some snacks or a bottle of water in your time out. Should you want a bigger retailer for picnic provides, there’s a Coop grocery store on Station Highway, which is subsequent to the Station Highway automobile park and only a 6 minute stroll from the excessive road 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 road. The bogs are 30p per entry and you may pay with money or by contactless card.
When is the perfect time to go to Bourton on the Water?
Bourton on the Water is likely one of the greatest locations to go to within the Cotswolds and subsequently it’s well-liked year-round. Nonetheless, it’s significantly busy on the weekends through the summer time months and in the summertime holidays. Parking could be difficult throughout this time and plenty of cafes and eating places have lengthy ready occasions at lunch.
The very best 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 many of the guests, additionally it is an excellent 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 excellent place to buy Christmas presents! If you’re desirous to go for Sunday lunch in Bourton on the Water, nonetheless, ensure you e-book forward. Sunday lunch within the Cotswolds is extremely well-liked anytime time of the yr!
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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 all the time liked travelling and on the age of 20 I moved to the USA for a yr’s work placement, which ignited my ardour much more. Since then, my want to journey to new locations has grown.
