Random Cotswold days out and beautiful Bibury

It’s not often I do random days out, but having a full flexi-day off allows me that opportunity. I can tick off places that N won’t visit.  This time I visited Greys Court, a National Trust property near Henley, then decided to detour to the Cotswolds on the way home. I debated Castle Combe but it was a bit too far out of the way. So I stopped off at Bibury to see the famous Arlington Row of houses instead.

You won’t see lots of pretty chocolate box thatched cottages in Bibury. The houses are grey stone, with the renowned Arlington Row alongside the River Coin, a row of old weavers’ cottages. You can even stay in one of the cottages, thanks to the National Trust which owns them. With the river running nearby, I imagine it looks a lot prettier in the sun than in the gloomy November day I was there. I’m still to be convinced, but William Morris exclaimed Bibury as the

the most beautiful village in England.

If you’re visiting Bibury, get there early. There is parking alongside the river and a bit by the coach park. Even out of season, I was lucky to get a space in the middle of the day. Then it’s just a short walk to see Arlington Row, a short circular walk through the wooded walkwear or just along the road.

You can also head into the village but because I was just passing through I didn’t have much time to explore further. I did pop into the Post Office – handy as I needed to post something I’d been walking round for a week with in my bag. They also serve tea and coffee, and sell delicious local sausage rolls and pasties.

Arlington Row overlooks the river, with the water meadow between the two. It’s a well known photo spot so you do have time time your photos to avoid people walking past or those talking selfies. The water meadow isn’t pretty at this time of year, so finding a good angle to cut most of that out was difficult.

I did enjoy the calmness of the village. It was very quiet and peaceful. Being midweek, there were no children running around, and people were just gently walking around.

It was lovely to just stand and watch the swans and watch the people deciding when to drop their flower garlands downstream (let’s hope they were full decompostable).

I was probably only in Bibury for an hour. I’m not sure Bibury is worth the fame and excitement it gets, but as a stop on a journey around the Cotswolds, it’s a nice place to stop and find out more about the history of the village.

Considering we only live about 15 minutes from the Cotswolds, we’ve not visited many of the villages, so we really should make the effort to see more of them.

Where do you like to visit in the Cotswolds?

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