Bourton-on-the-Water

Bourton-on-the-Water is one of the best-known villages in the Cotswolds, and it is popular for obvious reasons: the River Windrush runs straight through the centre, crossed by low stone bridges with cafés, shops and attractions gathered around it. The trade-off is that it can become extremely busy, particularly on sunny weekends and during school holidays.

See it before or after the crowds

If you can, arrive early, visit later in the afternoon or stay overnight. Bourton changes character when the day-trippers leave, and the riverside is far more enjoyable when you are not sharing every bridge and bench with a crowd.

Easy with children

Bourton is one of the easiest Cotswold villages to fill a family day. Birdland, the Model Village, the Dragonfly Maze and the Cotswold Motoring Museum all sit close enough together that you can mix attractions with a riverside walk rather than spending the day driving between stops.

The Motoring Museum is particularly handy when the weather turns, while the river and open spaces make it easy to slow things down between activities.

Walk beyond the centre

It is worth getting away from the busiest few streets. Footpaths lead out into the surrounding countryside, and the walk linking Bourton with Lower and Upper Slaughter is one of the classic village-to-village routes in this part of the Cotswolds. Once you are out of the centre, the pace changes quickly.

Food and drink

There are plenty of cafés, pubs and restaurants, but the most obvious riverside spots can be busiest at exactly the time you want lunch. We tend to either eat slightly early or late, or walk a little further from the centre before choosing somewhere. The Mousetrap Inn is one of the established options if you want a traditional pub atmosphere and somewhere that can also work as a base.

Who Bourton suits

Choose Bourton if you are visiting the Cotswolds for the first time, travelling with children or want several attractions within a compact area. It is also a useful base for Stow-on-the-Wold and the Slaughters. If your ideal Cotswold break is silence, empty lanes and almost no visitors, there are quieter villages to choose; if you want an easy, attractive place with plenty to do, Bourton earns its popularity.