The Cotswolds is one of the most beautiful parts of England, filled with charming villages made up of stone buildings and surrounded by gorgeous green countryside. The area contains hundreds of towns and little villages that are all worth exploring in their own right, but if there is one that gets more attention than the others, it would have to be Bourton-on-the-Water.

This idyllic town sits in the heart of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire and is characterized by its charming honey coloured stone shops and cottages, and picturesque low bridges that cross the River Windrush. With only one day to spend in the Cotswolds, I had to make sure to include Bourton-on-the-Water in my itinerary.

I had spent the morning exploring the nearby Cotswold town of Bibury, and it was only a short drive through picturesque green countryside to reach Bourton-on-the-Water. As soon as I entered the town I realised I had made a good choice to come here. I also noticed that this was a much larger place than Bibury, and I hoped I would have enough time to explore.

After parking my car I got out into the crisp Spring air and wandered along the picturesque banks of the River Windrush. A walking path follows it along and ducks swam in the slow flowing river while people sat on park benches enjoying the scenery. I meandered off and wandered along the main road for a while to check out some shops. One of the first I came across was the Victorian Christmas Shop, which I found quite remarkable…a shop entirely dedicated to one day of the year, and yet it was full of shoppers in April.

I was instantly attracted to the town, as touristy as it is with souvenir shops and everything English to appeal to the tourists. I think it is the setting and the preservation of the old stone buildings that got me. I wandered the streets for as long as I could, always seeming to find myself back along the River Windrush with its low stone bridges.

It was well past lunchtime so I found a local pub – The Duke of Wellington – and enjoyed some bangers ‘n mash  and a pint of ale (how could I not?). It was the sort of pub where you have to duck your head to avoid banging it on the old low wood beams, with walls so thick that you can no longer get mobile phone coverage. I love these old pubs as they always feel so warm and homely (the open fireplace probably helps with that). I could have lingered for another pint but my time-crunched itinerary had me back out the door and into the cool Cotswold air.

I slowly made my way back through town towards my car, but there was one other place I had to visit in Bourton-on-the-Water before I could depart – The Model Village.

The Model Village is an exact scale replica of Bourton-on-the-Water, in a miniature size, built in the 1930’s. And they are not exaggerating when they say exact. I was literally able to follow my own footsteps through town, and even found the pub where I ate lunch. The attention to detail and the work that must have gone into building it – and continues to maintain it – is quite remarkable.

The day was wearing on and I had one more town I wanted to visit, so I had to drag myself away from the Model Village and head back to my car. I realised that hadn’t allowed anywhere near enough time to fully appreciate Bourton-on-the-Water…ah well, I’ll just have to come back for another visit. What a shame