A Day in Bourton on the Water in the Cotswolds

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 laborious to see why Bourton on the Water is among the hottest and exquisite locations to go to within the Cotswolds. 

The River Windrush flows gently via the centre of Bourton on the Water, offering a reasonably focus for the village, alongside the inexperienced. Though the village is small, there are an abundance of retailers, cafes and points of interest to maintain all ages entertained, making Bourton on the Water an awesome day trip for the entire household. 

Let’s see a few of the greatest issues to see and do in Bourton on the Water in at some point.

Associated learn: Places to Visit in England Other 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 lots of completely different actions to select from to begin your day, whether or not you might be visiting with kids, as a pair or group of associates.

Listed here are a few of 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 – 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 automotive park. The park is dwelling 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 lots of points of interest and experiences at Birdland Park, together with the prospect to feed the penguins. For teenagers, there’s a ‘Jurassic encounters’ attraction, discovery zone, outside impediment course and play space, making it an awesome choice 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Tickets are £11.95 for adults and £8.95 for kids between 3-15 years outdated.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 book online to save lots of queuing on the day.

Tackle the Dragonfly Maze! – an awesome exercise for associates and households

Situated subsequent to Birdland Park, the Dragonfly Maze is a superb exercise in case you are brief on time. The hedge maze will solely take about 20-Half-hour but it surely’s nice enjoyable for the entire household!

The maze is open 10am – 3pm each day and tickets are £4.50 for adults and £3.50 for kids between 4-14 years outdated.

Really feel like an enormous on the Bourton on the Water Mannequin Village – enjoyable for the entire household

Tucked away behind The Previous New Inn, subsequent to Rissington Street automotive park is a tiny village. The Model 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 dimensions! 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 superb 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 large youngsters

The Cotswolds Motoring Museum and Toy collection is certainly one of Bourton on the Water’s most well-known, and well-loved points of interest. The museum homes varied collections of classic automobiles, automobiles and memorabilia, good for large youngsters and classic automotive lovers! The museum’s Toy Assortment may also ship you on a visit down reminiscence lane with toys and video games out of your childhood.

The museum is open day by day and tickets might be purchased on the door. The price 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 stuffed with actions, it’s time for lunch and you’ve got a lot of choices to select from! Bourton on the Water has an awesome vary of locations to eat, to suit all budgets.

• The Rose Tree restaurant is a well-liked alternative if you would like one thing extra upscale. It’s barely dearer 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 would like a pub lunch, or for one thing lighter, the Bourton Riverside cafe does nice moderately priced sandwiches.
• One other widespread 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 Road which are typically rather less busy.  

Visiting Bourton on the Water on a price range? Don’t fear, you may choose 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, top-of-the-line issues to do for lunch is to deliver a picnic and choose a spot on the village inexperienced, alongside the River Windrush.

It’s value 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, if in case you have a particular 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 encompassing Cotswolds Countryside, or just get pleasure from 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 lots of strolling trails in and round Bourton on the Water, with lovely countryside and village views. 

For a pleasing brief stroll, which requires no map, stroll in the direction of the Battle Memorial and Cotswold Motor Museum within the centre of the village and comply with the River Windrush alongside the Windrush Means. 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 means. 

In the event you’re feeling energetic, you may follow this 10 mile walk from Bourton on the Water, strolling to the picturesque villages of Lower 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 individual, or online. 

Get pleasure from a paddle within the River Windrush

If all that strolling sounds a bit an excessive amount of like laborious work, then merely get pleasure from somewhat stroll alongside the river within the centre of the village. The River Windrush is simply 10 inches deep because it flows gently via Bourton on the Water, so it’s an awesome place to paddle your toes, or for kids to play, particularly on a sizzling summer season’s day. 

Buy groceries

There are many nice little boutiques and impartial retailers within the village, making Bourton on the Water an awesome place to buy one thing distinctive. You possibly can stroll across the village in a loop, stopping at varied retailers alongside the way in which. 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 present retailers, 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. 

If in case you have a candy tooth, be sure to cease at Candy Reminiscence sweet store, or Bourton’s Little Candy store, to fill up on quaint candies and sweets to take dwelling with you. 

Deal with your self to an ice cream

The day is coming to an finish and also you’ve carried out loads 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. 

How one can get to Bourton on the Water

One of the simplest ways to journey to Bourton on the Water within the Cotswolds is by automotive. 

• Parking: There are two giant pay and show automotive parks positioned within the village at Station Road (GL54 2EN) and Rissington Road (GL54 2BN). The machines at each of those automotive parks solely settle for playing cards, nevertheless you should utilize the PayByPhone app at Rissington Street. Each of those automotive parks are only a few minutes stroll away from the principle centre of the village, nevertheless they do get extraordinarily busy, particularly on financial institution holidays and on weekends in the summertime months. In the event you journey a bike, you may park freed from cost at Rissington Street automotive park. Observe that motorhomes and caravans can solely park on the Station Street automotive park and you may solely enter and exit the village from Station Street. 

• Public transport: One of the simplest ways to succeed in 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. (Observe that the practice station and bus station in Cheltenham are a 20 minute stroll away from one another)

Native facilities

Except for the quite a few retailers, tea rooms and cafes in Bourton on the Water, you’ll need 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 select 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 Road, 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 Could – September, it is usually open on Sundays 10:00 – 14:00).
• Between November – March the customer centre is simply 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 to your day trip. In the event you want a bigger retailer for picnic provides, there’s a Coop grocery store on Station Street, which is subsequent to the Station Street automotive 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 automotive 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 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 subsequently it’s widespread year-round. Nevertheless, it’s significantly busy on the weekends throughout the summer season months and in the summertime holidays. Parking might be tough throughout this time and plenty of cafes and eating places have lengthy ready occasions at lunch. 

The most effective time to go to Bourton on the Water is exterior of the summer season holidays and through mid-week. While the hotter summer season months attract many of the guests, it is usually an awesome place to go to within the autumn and winter, because the village tends to be much less crowded throughout the cooler months. It’s also an awesome place to buy Christmas presents! If you’re desirous to go for Sunday lunch in Bourton on the Water, nevertheless, be sure to e book forward. Sunday lunch within the Cotswolds is extremely widespread anytime time of the yr! 

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