The most beautiful village
Bibury makes you feel that you have travelled back to the England of the late Middle Ages when the Hundred Years’ War with the French was raging. The quaint and endearing village is situated on the River Coln, a tributary of the Thames, and placed on the eastern edge of the Cotswolds. In fact, a large number of images that crop up on Google when you search for ‘Cotswolds’ or Gloucestershire may have been taken at the picturesque Arlington Row, with its traditional stone cottages, complete with gables.
We journeyed to Bibury from Leicester, a historic town in the East Midlands region. We passed the scenic towns of Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon and the idyllic village of Bourton-on-the-Water on the way.
Writer and artist William Morris, credited with founding the British arts and crafts movement in the 19th century, described Bibury as ‘the most beautiful village in England’. We parked our car next to Bibury Trout Farm, reportedly England’s oldest working trout farm. You can catch fish or have a round of crazy golf on the premises — the perfect way to keep the young ones happy during the school holidays!
We walked past the Anglican St Mary’s Church, a grade-I listed building that was erected around 1,000 years ago. In the UK, a listed building is one that has significant importance to merit protection. The limestone building has a stone slate roof and gorgeous stained-glass windows.
Finally, we set eyes on Arlington Row — the iconic street whose image adorns the covers of scores of travel books on England. A quick search on Facebook or Instagram will reveal a huge number of Arlington Row selfies. Of course, there is a good chance of being photobombed if you visit in the height of summer during daytime. Visit at daybreak before the tourists arrive in droves, armed with cameras and tripods.
Built in the 14th century as a wool store, Arlington Row was converted into cottages for weavers in the 17th century. Number 1 cottage overlooks a water meadow where wool was hung to dry on racks after it had been washed. Now, the National Trust owns the cottages on this street and leases them out to tenants. Charming as it may be, it must be quite unnerving to live in one of these divine cottages and have starstruck tourists gape at your home all day.
While we were walking down Arlington Row, we heard an interesting snippet of conversation courtesy a tourist guide. Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, was so enamoured with Arlington Row that he expressed his desire to buy the cottages so that he could take them apart brick by brick and ship them back to USA. Fortunately, this was prevented.
America’s infatuation with Arlington Row did not stop at Ford. Hollywood also loved it enough to feature it in a fantasy film, ‘Stardust’ (2007). We read in a travel guide that the street is not lit at night as the cottages are in a conservation area.
The walking had made us ravenous. We eschewed the expensive-looking Swan Hotel and made a beeline for The Catherine Wheel pub. The pub building, constructed in the 15th century, had a fine choice of traditional dishes and wines. We settled on smoked haddock fishcakes and the delectable apple crumble.
The journey home was spent dwelling on our time so well spent in Bibury. I clutched a tacky fridge magnet featuring Arlington Row — kitschy it might be, but it would always remind me of our escape to the countryside and ‘the most beautiful village in England’.
Traveltips
How to Reach: The closest railway station is at Kemble. Take a train from London, disembark at Kemble, and take a taxi to Bibury. The taxi fare should be around £25.
Stay: The Swan Hotel, located on the banks of Coln river, will set you back by a couple of hundred quid per night on average in room rent.
Eat: The cafe at Bibury Trout Farm serves trout as well as homemade cakes and artisan coffee.
— The writer is based in England
