The ‘most beautiful village in England’ is just an hour from Bristol

It’s the absolute epitome of a ‘picture-postcard’ village – the kind that adorned the chocolate box lids that gave the created the idea of the ‘chocolate box village’.

And you will almost certainly recognise the village of Bibury, in the Cotswolds, even if you’ve never been there – it’s been the backdrop to films like Stardust and Bridget Jones’ Diary, and a view of it is even the illustration inside the front cover of your passport.

The artist William Morris called Bibury, which is just the other side of Cirencester and about an hour’s drive from Bristol, the ‘most beautiful village in England’, and while there are plenty of other similar places in this part of Gloucestershire, none are as famous or photographed.

READ MORE: Town near Bristol rated one of UK’s best places to live

Set along the banks of the River Coln, this Cotswold village is quintessentially Cotswold. Wander around and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped straight into the pages of a fairy tale, with its winding lanes, pretty riverbanks, quaint flower-filled gardens, ivy-covered cottages and stone bridges.

Not surprisingly, it’s rated as one of the most ‘Instagrammable’ villages in the UK, reports Birmin and just the names alone are intriguing – Awkward Hill, Pudding Hill Farm, Sundial Cottage and Squirrel’s Leap.

Things to do in Bibury…

Arlington Row

First stop has to be the Weavers Cottages on Arlington Row on Awkward Hill.

These cottages are believed to date back to around 1380 when they were originally a monastic wool store supplying cloth for the nearby Arlington Mill. They were converted into weavers’ cottages in the 17th century.

The stone cottages with steeply pitched roofs are now lived in by National Trust tenants, with no public access to the cottages or gardens, although you can rent out one of them as a holiday cottage.

Car maker Henry Ford is rumoured to have once tried to buy the Arlington Row houses to ship back to Michigan so that he could include them in Greenfield Village.

Arlington Mill

Arlington Mill is now a private residence, but it used to house the museum of Arlington Mill with a collection of period clothing, documents and working machinery illustrating milling & the Victorian way of life.

The cloth produced at the Arlington Row of weavers’ cottages was sent to Arlington Mill for fulling to make sturdy felted material.

Bibury Trout Farm

Bibury is also home to England’s oldest working trout farms.

Covering almost 15 acres, Bibury Trout Farm dates back to 1902. You can explore the grounds, go wildlife spotting, catch a fish, hire a barbecue and have a round of crazy golf. Admission fees apply.

Whilst there, sample the famous Bibury Trout in the cafe alongside a selection of locally sourced dishes, homemade cakes and artisan coffee.

There’s also a deli and gift shop selling William Morris designs china and textiles, English soaps and locally produced lavender products

The Church of St Mary

The Church of St Mary the Virgin overlooks the village square and the river and is thought to date back to the 11th century, or possibly even earlier.

It has a Saxon gravestone set into the exterior, a Norman doorway and some fine medieval windows plus a 1920s-designed stained glass window that appeared on the 1992 Royal Mail Christmas stamp.

The River Coln

The River Coln flows through Bibury sandwiched between the main village street and an expanse of boggy water meadow known as Rack Isle, so called because wool was once hung out to dry there on racks after it had been washed in Arlington Row.

It’s a lovely place to picnic when the weather’s warm.

Pubs, hotels and cafes in Bibury

The Catherine Wheel

The Catherine Wheel is a family-run pub where you can order homemade, locally-sourced meals.

Enjoy cosy fires in the winter and a pretty beer garden in the summer.

The Swan

The ivy-covered Swan hotel sits on the banks of the River Coln and serves afternoon tea together with traditional meals.

There’s a big open log fire, cosy armchairs to sink into, antler chandeliers and a terrace offering a lovely retreat on a sunny day.

You can dine in The Swan Bar or Brasserie, and you can stay overnight too.

The Twig

Baz and Fred have been making pizzas since 2012 using a rotating wood-fired oven and selling them at weddings and events.

Stop off at their cafe The Twig in Arlington for a coffee and a treat whilst visiting Bibury.

Bibury Trout Farm Cafe

As mentioned above, the Bibury Trout Farm Cafe is worth a look too.

There’s lots of outdoor seating, serving a menu packed with trout dishes, toasties, salads, homemade cakes and ice creams.

Also look out for the Cotswold Creperie and Coln Community Stores, which has a bakery and cafe.

Where is Bibury?

Bibury is near Cirencester in Gloucestershire.

It’s an hour’s drive from Bristol. Depending on which side of the city you start from – and the traffic – you can either head east up the M4 and then leave at junction 17 and go north up through Malmesbury and Cirencester, or head north up the M5 and then get off at Junction 11A, head south east up the famous Birdlip Hill onto the Cotswolds and it’s a few miles east of Cirencester.

Tips

It can get pretty busy in Bibury as it’s a bit of a magnet for tourists, especially on a sunny weekend afternoon.

You’ll sometimes see tour buses bringing people in to see the sights. Therefore, if you’re able, it’s probably best to visit on a weekday or in the morning if possible.

Nearby attractions

Bibury is around nine miles from the market town of Burford and the pretty town of Bourton-on-the-Water is 12 miles away. Cirencester and the iron-age hillfort town of Malmesbury are good to visit on the way back.

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