Tag Archive: Bourton-on-the-Water


From London to London 2019

Filed under: Europe, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
June 24, 2019

My last visit was in 2003 but that was on official business so it shouldn’t count. In 1986 and 2000, I was there. First as a student, the next as a tourist. Most things remained the same, but for the price of West End tickets. As a newbie watching musicals for the first time, I was very lucky to be there when Les Miserables first showed some 3 months before my arrival in 1986. With my student discount, it was a steal watching it and quite frankly, I was beyond awed. I’ve never seen the likes of it till then. I’ve watched it several times since, both in West End and Broadway, and even back in my home country. This Cameron Mackintosh was my new hero. Fast forward 2019. Ticket prices have spiralled. Lowest-priced musicals still hovered from £30 upwards. Some at £200 and up. And I mean really upwards. If you’re aiming to watch only one or 2, sure you can splurge. But not if you’re meaning to watch more. And so, rather than stay longer in London, we moved to stay nearly a week in Amsterdam and then another week in Brussels before heading back to London and onwards for 8 nights in Bath and The Cotswolds. We made many day trips from our chosen city base using trains, buses and vans. This is our Trip Summary from May 19 to June 12, 2019.

London

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/05/21/touchdown-london/

London

Day Trip from London: Stonehenge

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/05/23/one-in-a-million-stonehenge/

Amsterdam

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/05/25/its-been-awhile-amsterdam/

DayTrips from Amsterdam

Giethorn

Zaanse Schans

Volendam & Marken

Delft & The Hague

Brussels

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/06/01/touchdown-brussels/

Day Trips from Brussels

Bruges

Ghent

Antwerp

Back to UK

Bath

The Cotswolds

Day Trip to Cardiff, Wales

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The Cotswolds

Filed under: Europe, Travel, travels — 2 Comments
June 16, 2019

Always in my mind. Always in my list. Been to Stratford-upon-Avon on its north side, and south of it, Bath, but never stepped into the real Cotswolds territory. Until now. Time well spent in the English Countryside. In some places, time stood still. The honey-coloured stone cottages, the centuries-old market halls, “wool churches” and biscuit-hued houses with dry stone wall fences. So lovely!

Castle Combe

Malmesbury

Corsham

Bourton-on-the-Water

Arlington Row in Bibury

Stow-on-the-Wold

Tetbury and Cirencester

And finally, Chippenham, where the wedding was held. The reason why we’re here. The Lost Orangery in Euridge Manor was the perfect venue for such a fairytale wedding.

Chippenham

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Bourton-on-the-Water

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June 14, 2019

Considered a “big village” among the tiny market towns in the Cotswolds, Bourton-on-the-Water lies in a valley populated by no more than 4,000. You’d find crowds here though, as busloads of tourists visit this charming village that’s also fondly called “Venice of Cotswolds”. The 5 low bridges, all constructed with local stones, spanning over the River Windrush is a charmer. All have very descriptive names: the Mill Bridge (built 1654), the High Bridge (1756), Payne’s Bridge (1776), New Bridge (1911) and the Coronation Bridge to replace a wooden footbridge built in 1750. The river cutting through town used to be wider until it was rechanneled to power the 3 mills.

Unlike the more bucolic Castle Combe and Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water is more modern and vibrant with its antique and souvenir shops, tearooms and restaurants lining the riverbank. The whole place is actually “prettied-up” for the tourists and it’s no brainer to think the tourism industry is making good money here. If you like shopping, you’d get busy here. And most restaurants offer good views of the river flowing through the entire town, complete with swans, ducks, even pigeons. There is a Museum of Vintage Cars as well as a “model village” showing a miniature Bourton-on-the-Water complete with bridges and stone houses. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit any. Just as well as I don’t fancy a car museum nor a village scale model. But I found a bench by the riverbank. And the time to sit still even for just a moment. It was a pleasant day. Not sunny, but at least it didn’t rain. Not too cold too.

The name Bourton-on-the-Water derives from a Saxon phrase meaning village or settlement by the fort or camp. Except that that settlement has been fully commercialised. Funny but every time I see shops selling gemstones like one would find in cruise liners, it hits a panic button. Instant alert that it is a tourist trap. Definitely not your idea of “countryside” but the stone houses, some ivy covered, still hits a spot. And yes, the low bridges over the River Windrush add charm. Like Venice? No gondolas for sure as they can’t pass under those low footbridges. But still a charmer. No wonder it’s one of the more popular towns in the Cotswolds area.

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