BIBURY, COTSWOLDS - ONE OF ENGLAND'S OLDEST VILLAGES
When I associate the word "picturesque" with England, the first place that comes to my mind is Cotswold, the region with the oldest villages, with cottages older than 600 years, which are still inhabited. A region like from a fairy tale world, where you have the impression that you are going back in time just by walking the streets. Only the cars parked on the side of the road and the tourists eager to explore, bring you back to the present.
The whole area looks like an open-air museum, where it is very quiet and you can only hear the song of the birds, although the village is full of people, mostly tourists. The houses of similar sizes and colors are aligned almost perfectly. The English call these houses as being made of "stone honey hued". Leaving aside the "museum houses", originally used as store houses for wool, and which have witnessed many times and changes of mankind, Bibury dates back to the Iron Age. Also, archaeological discoveries have been made that also place the Romans in this area.
Located on the river Coln and surrounded by greenery, with footpaths that connect the main streets of the village, Bibury can be the ideal place to spend a few hours, or even a day and enjoy British authenticity and all that traditional English life means: to houses preserved intact from the 14th century, to the food specific to the area.
I managed to visit only two villages in the Cotswolds region: Bibury and Castle Combe. In this article I am going to talk to you about Bibury, the village that I was constantly seeing through photos on social media, which made me want to put it on the list of places I want to go. What I can guarantee is that no matter how beautiful the photos are, they don't show 100% the beauty of the place.
HOW DO YOU GET TO BIBURY?
The nearest airport with international flights is Bristol. Other flight options would be at the airport in Oxford, the one in Birmingham, or those in London.
Because the Cotswolds area is quite rural, I recommend renting a car. This way, you will have enough flexibility to visit various places where public transport is more difficult to use.
If you don't want to rent a car and come from London, the easiest way to get there is by train from Paddington station to Kemble, and from there by taxi to Bibury. There is also the option of a day trip by bus to several villages in the Cotswolds. Departing from London, find tickets here, departing from Oxford, find tickets here, departing from Brisol, find tickets here.
For those who come by car, you have parking options: on the main street (which is always full), at the Trout Farm that I talked about above and left a link, and the third option, at the church, where it is free, but it is quite small, being only a few spaces.
WHERE DO YOU STAY IN BIBURY?
Accommodation options are very limited, being such a small town. If you are not limited in terms of transportation, I recommend booking in the nearby villages. The prices do not differ much, only the variety. Below are some of the options that caught my attention, both in Bibury and nearby:
Central Penthouse with Hot Tub & Views 23 - apartment accommodation unit, located in Cheltenham, 40 minutes from Bibury. It has an outdoor jacuzzi, parking and internet. The apartment has two bedrooms and can accommodate up to 4 people;
Sycamore - cottage-type accommodation unit, which can be fully rented and can accommodate two people. It has a kitchen, parking, garden and barbecue. It is located in Bibury;
Wild Thyme & Honey - accommodation unit with double rooms or suites, located in Cirencester, 18 minutes from Bibury. It has a non-stop open reception. parking included in the reservation price, and some rooms have their own sauna or bathtub in the bedroom;
The Keepers Arms - accommodation unit located in Quenington, 10 minutes from Bibury. It has double rooms or apartments that can accommodate up to 4 people. It has a restaurant, and parking and internet are included in the price of the reservation;
PLACES TO VISIT IN BIBURY:
Arlington Row is the most famous and also the most photographed street in the Cotswolds, being also the street where sequences from the movie "Stardust" were filmed. Located in the middle of an oasis of greenery, with a small river passing in front of the almost perfectly aligned houses, it is the ideal place if you want to take a trip "back in time". As I said at the beginning of the article, the houses are over 600 years old, but what is even more surprising to me is the fact that people still live in them. It is fascinating how the British managed to keep their houses so well. And if you wonder if there are still such old inhabited houses in England, the answer is YES, there are. In many of the localities of the country, you can find very old streets, with houses and in some cases even with very well-preserved street pavements that can be considered true museums.
Swan Hotel building and garden. Even if you don't stay there, they can be admired from the outside, both being absolutely gorgeous. The building is covered by a green vine plant (it has brown leaves in autumn), and in front of it you can admire the garden on the river bank. The only less pleasant part, being the cars parked in front of the hotel. If you choose to stay here, it is good to know that the hotel also accepts pets.
St. Mary Church, which dates from the medieval period and still preserves the memory and various parts of the old church, destroyed by King Henry VIII, when he dissolved all the monasteries in England. Right from the entrance, we were greeted by a garden with young fruit trees, which complement the landscape and the tranquility of the place very nicely.
For hiking lovers, there is also a route, without big differences of level. It's called the Cotwolds Way and it's 164 km (102 miles) long. The route starts from Bath and obviously, only certain portions of it can be covered at once. I leave a link to the site with maps and other details about the route, here.
In the locality there is also a trout farm, considered the oldest in England, where you can eat freshly prepared, absolutely delicious fish. The location is called Bibury Trout Farm and you can catch your own fish if you want. It is a place that can delight both children and adults.
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT IN THE COTSWOLDS, OR NEARBY:
Cirencester - the place with a rich history, where you can still admire archaeological sites from the period of Roman domination;
Bourton on the Water - is a village with stone houses and low bridges, also known as the Venice of the Cotswolds;
Tetbury - the second largest village in the Cotswolds and the place where King Charles has a mansion;
Stow-On-The-Wold - became famous because of the church door built in a tree trunk, which resembles the one from the movie "The Lord of the Rings".
Broadway - is the ideal place, if you want to enjoy shopping and walking through lesser known shops, even local ones;
Wotton under Edge - the ideal place to enjoy history, nature and even shopping at local shops;
Chipping Norton - the ideal place to visit antique shops and local markets;
Castle Combe - was named the most beautiful English village;
Adlestrop - a locality with only 80 inhabitants. It can be put on the list to visit, if you are passing through. In about 30 minutes it can be explored on foot;
Chipping Campden - is a charming village, surrounded by hills, on which sheep graze. It is known for locally produced wool;
CONCLUSION ABOUT BIBURY:
Although I had seen beautiful pictures of this village through social media and had set certain expectations about visiting it, I was not prepared to be surprised. Bibury and the entire Cotswolds region are some of those places, which although look absolutely gorgeous in photos, the reality on the spot cannot be captured even in the best photo. The silence and the atmosphere of the place, personally, surprised me in a very pleasant way. The whole region represents another face of England, which I did not know, but which conquered me at first sight. Although it is a very small village, it deserves to be put on the list to visit. If you don't choose the option of fishing, hiking, or sitting on the terrace, you can visit everything in one hour, maximum two.
Obviously, all the above are just subjective opinions, based on my own experiences, expectations and what I want from a travel destination. In addition to all this, an experience can also be influenced by aspects such as the weather, the period of the visit, crowding, etc. We had the perfect weather, with a lot of sun, at the beginning of June, but I think that Bibury (and I think, all the villages in the Cotswolds) would also look perfect in the autumn, when the leaves of the trees take on the brown color, specific to the end of October . Having said that, the Cotswolds is a destination that can be visited any time of the year, as long as the weather allows at least a walk on the streets.
Read also about other locations worth visiting in Great Britain: Tintagel Castle or Wales. If you liked this article, you can share it.
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