Bibury
For us American tourists who find ourselves drawn by the allure of quaint European villages, there is perhaps no destination more enticing than the Cotswolds region of England. Just 100 miles west of London, this region contains dozens of medieval villages, each more charming than the last. One of the most quintessential Cotswold villages is Bibury. With a population of only 627 (2011), Bibury is certainly not one of the larger Cotswold villages, but it is one of the most popular due to the quaint pastoral atmosphere and the iconic view of Arlington Row. You’ll be hard pressed to find any ranking of most beautiful villages in England (or Europe for that matter) that does not include Bibury.
Getting There
Bibury is located about 7 miles northeast of Cirenester (“The Capital of the Cotswolds”) in the County of Gloucestershire. If you plan on spending extensive time in the English countryside, we would recommend renting a car and making a road trip out of it. It can be difficult and expensive to try to travel from village to village by train/bus/taxi because many of the small towns and villages don’t have rail access. Bibury is about a 2.5 hour drive from London, a 45 minute drive from Oxford, a 1.5 hour drive from Birmingham, and a 1.5 hour drive from Bath.
The nearest train station is located in the town of Kemble which is about 14 miles from Bibury. You can take a taxi from Kemble to Bibury which would cost around £25. It is possible to take a bus from London to Cirenster and then take a bus from Cirenester to Bibury…like we mentioned, it’s best to just rent a car and drive (driving on the left isn’t that bad).
The Village
There really isn’t much to Bibury in terms of specific attractions and activities. As we mentioned, it is extremely small. Everything you would want to see and do is located within a one mile walk, so the best way to experience the village is to park your car and explore on foot.
The main attraction without a doubt is Arlington Row. The row of cottages next to the River Coln were originally built in 1380 as a monastic wool store. The buildings were later converted into cottages to house local weavers in the 1600’s. The backdrop is featured in numerous movies including Bridget Jones’ Diary and is featured on the inside page of the UK Passport. While it may look like a remote scene in photos, the reality is that you’ll be sharing it with groups of fellow tourists who came for the same iconic photo you did. We visited in winter so the crowds weren’t terrible, but even still there were at least two tour buses stopping in town that day. We had to be patient to be able to get photos of Arlington Row without people in the frame.
Other than snapping the classic shot of Arlington Row, the Bibury Trout Farm is worth a visit as well as the Saxon Church and the Church of St. Mary. There are only a few restaurants in town including the Catherine Wheel Pub, the Swan Brasserie, and the William Morris Tea Room. As for accommodation, you will be limited to a few small inns and B&B’s and possibly a few Airbnb options (list of accommodations here).
Bibury is not necessarily somewhere you would spend an extended amount of time, mainly because there isn’t much to do per se; it is more of a place that you simply wander and admire. That being said, it is one of the most beautiful villages you’ll ever see, and it is well worth a visit even if you are only passing through for an hour or two.
As beautiful as Bibury is, we would rank it number 2 in terms of picturesque Cotswold Villages. The gold medal would have to go to Castle Combe, located about an hour to the south.