The Cotswolds, a beautiful wander in Bourton-on-the-Water

This video was recorded on 26th March 2022.

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The text below is captioned with this video, enable CC to read along during the walk.

This morning we are up early walking in Bourton-on-the-Water. Bourton-on-the-Water is a village in Gloucestershire, in the South-West of England. Sitting within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The nearest city is Cheltenham, about a 30 minute, 25 km drive away. Roughly a hours bus ride. Bourton-on-the-Water is over a two hour drive from central London, about 140 kms. There is not direct route from London on public transport. A combination of bus and train rides would take around three to four hours. The 2011 census recorded 3,296 residents in Bourton-on-the-Water. From April 2021 to April 2022 the average house price was £438,180 - a detached house: £524,342. Semi: £349,149. Terraced: £313,600. Flats: £167,500. The average price of a house in Bourton-on-the-Water is 260% above the UK national average. Most areas within the Cotswolds are sought after, greatly increasing property value. We started our walk on the edge of the village walking down Lansdowne street, now we follow the footpath along the River Windrush into the centre of the village. The River Windrush starts around Taddington, in Gloucestershire gathering more water along the way from the surrounding area. The river meanders through the Cotswolds to Oxford, joining the River Thames at Newbridge. In Bourton-on-the-Water there are five low arched stone bridges straddling the River Windrush and connecting the village. Three of these bridges are narrow and not suitable for vehicles. In about five minutes we cross Mill Bridge, built from stone in 1654. Downstream the next bridge, High Bridge, is for pedestrians only, built in 1756. Further on is New Bridge, wide enough for vehicles, built in 1911. Next to New Bridge is Paynes Bridge, built in 1756, only suitable for foot crossings. Coronation Bridge built in 1953 is the last bridge, replaced after the old eighteenth century wood bridge collapsed. The river is the key feature of Bourton-on-the-Water. When the summer weather is warm the river-edges are full of visitors dipping their toes in the water. On average 300,000 people visit each year. Some of Bourton-on-the-Water is classed as a Conservation Area, meaning it has special architectural or historic interest that is worthy of preservation. English Heritage have designated 114 buildings in the village as Grade II listed. Because we are here early the paths and High Street traffic are quiet. Sometimes we can hear the flow of the river, we are blessed to hear many birds calling. There are mallards on the water, some of the birds we hear in the trees and sky are: crow, jackdaw, wood pigeon, collared dove, great tit, blackbird and robin. We know that humans have been present in Bourton since 4000 B.C., from the remains of Neolithic pottery that have been found. Ancient Roman pottery and coins have also been discovered in the village. By Norman times, in the 11th century, Bourton-on-the-Water was a well established village, and by the 12th century had three mills along the river, with the wool industry proving to be a popular trade. Up-to the 18th century it was reported that the river was still good for trout fishing. From 1862 to 1962 the village had a passenger railway service. The closest operating railway station is now at Moreton-in-Marsh. Bourton-on-the-Water became a popular visitor attraction between 1920 and 1930. A replica 1:9 scale Model Village of the village opened in the village to visitors in 1937. The model village itself contains a model village of the model village. I hope that made sense(?). The British rock band Oasis filmed part of their music video I'm Outta Time at the model village. Parts of the James Bond movie Die Another Day (2002) were filmed at Bourton-on-the-Water. Another popular attraction in the village is the Cotswold Motoring Museum, founded in 1978. It features motoring history from the 20th century. The buildings in the village are made from yellow ashlar limestone, that help give the Cotswolds area it’s unique charm. I’ll let you relax and enjoy the rest of the walk uninterrupted. Thank you for reading and walking along today. If you haven’t please like the video and subscribe. Do leave a comment, it is lovely to hear from people all over the world. Support the channel by buying me a virtual coffee, there is a link in the description. It gives me great pleasure to share my walks and make places like this more accessible. Take care.

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