The next stop in our jetlag-countering Cotswold tour was Bibury. (You can read about our first stop in Burford HERE.) As an American, you might be tempted to say Bi-berry, but syllables are dropped by the English (or added by the Americans) as in straw-bry and rasp-bry. It’s Bi-bry. Now that we have the pronunciation sorted, I will tell you that Bibury is known as “the most photographed place in the Cotswolds.” I’m not sure how you can measure that statistic precisely, but I used to live in the self-proclaimed Apple Capital of the world, so we all know that towns often claim such titles. (I did photograph it, so I suppose I bolstered that claim.)
When we pulled up to park on the main street, Julia was pleasantly surprised by the thin crowds. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bi-bry this sparse.” A sunny and sparse day is just what you wish for when visiting English tourist destinations, and that’s just what we had.
Bibury is located along the River Coin, so there are bridges and a prettyish kind of a little wilderness with walking trails opposite the houses and shops on the main street. (See what I did there?)
We walked up the main street and across one of the bridges to walk along the trails over to Arlington Row, a row of historic cottages owned by the National Trust. These row homes were built in 1380 as a monastic wool store and later converted into a row of weavers’ cottages in the 17th century.
Based on the other Cotswold villages we toured, this is a hallmark of Bibury. The row of impossibly small cottages looks more like a movie set, but they are working homes. I believe some are available as vacation rentals. I would think you need to check your height before renting, though, to make sure you can stand upright. I’m just shy of 5’6 and I felt like I would barely clear the doorframes.
They resemble the size of a garden shed, converted into a two-story house. I would imagine this is where set builders and designers gathered inspiration for Hobbiton. It had that feel.
Of course, I’m still enamored with architectural details like stone shingles, leaded glass windows, and the cutest gutters imaginable. I told Julia that we primarily have ugly aluminum gutters in the US, which we try to camouflage. If you have adorable green cutters with decorative funnels, brackets, and medallions, you don’t mind that they are front and center.
The River Coin runs lazily along the village and houses fish, ducks, and a lone swan when we were there.
After we walked around Bibury, Julia drove us to Barnsley to grab refreshments at Barnsley House, a stately 17th-century home that had recently been converted into a hotel and restaurant owned by The Pig. Her nephew had done some carpentry work during the renovation, so she was somewhat familiar with the house and project. The home was once owned by Rosemary Verey, a renowned landscape architect, and as such, the grounds and gardens are stunning. If we stopped in for a cup of tea or coffee, we would be able to take a tour of the grounds.
Don’t you just love the luggage carts?
The handle for this door was less than two feet above the ground! We wondered why it was so low. Any ideas?
The gardens were amazing and well worth stopping by for a drink. There were formal knots, hedges, topiary, follies (small decorative outbuildings), ponds, a flower garden, a pottager garden, a kitchen garden… It was lovely!
It’s a luxury hotel, so it’s a pricey place to stay, but if you’re in the area and want to tour gardens, stopping in for tea or making reservations for a meal is a nice way to see The Pig on a budget.
After taking in the garden, we were back on the move…
Next up – Cirencester, Seasalt Cornwall, & Bourton-on-the-Water.
17 Responses
Thank you sooo much for taking us on the tour with you! I know that it probably adds a lot of work but I can almost feel like I’m there on stroll with scary “Lady Catherine ” from Pride and Prejudice, or seeing some of the charming places that I simply must visit someday. Thank you!
Oh my gosh I soooooo want to see this in person. I drooled on EVERY single pic you shared. And yes, love the “prettyish kind of wilderness” quote. I’d know that anywhere. Well played, Marian.
MMS!
This Cornish girl (ancesterol) is thrilled with your Cotswold tour. Your enchantment with language, architectural features, gardens, and stone bring back the thrill of experiencing the same sites many years ago.
Grateful for your pictorial tour,
Diney on Mercer Island
Thank you for the lovely tour. Your photography is so yummy 😊
I, too, love those stone cottages! I think the door handle on that little outbuilding is so low due to the narrow rail that surrounds the glass panes. The paneled section at the bottom of the door provides more stability (and width) for operating the knob and lockset.
Was the street lower at one time? Great photos!
Enjoyed your tours; looking forward to more! BTW – It’s Rosemary VEREY
Thanks! I fixed that!
We are in the area right now, so your recommendations are helpful. We are from Texas.
Enjoy! Stop in at Daylesford. That was an amazing organic farm shop. We had tea there and the scones, clotted cream, and jam were the best I’ve ever had.
Every picture is so dreamy. I’m sure they will become some nice artwork this winter. It does look like a movie set.
My silly guess about the door handle is for those times when your arms are chock full of all of the goods and you need to use your foot to open the door for entry …kind of makes sense to me!
Such a fabulous tour you are letting each of us enjoy from our kitchen tables, much appreciated!
Charlotte
Vintage Inspired Cottage
You know, I wondered about that! It would be practical!
The National Trust owns Numbers 1 and 9 Arlington Row and they are available to rent.(https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/cotswolds-gloucestershire/1-arlington-row). We stayed in Number 9 this year and it was lovely – even for a tall person (my husband is 6’2″). Check out both the National Trust and Landmark Trust (https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/) for amazing historic properties you can rent. Both are non profit organizations. The homes can be a bit quirky but that just adds to their charm.
I love travelling with you. You go to all the lovely places and share them with us. Happy you are finding all the good things.
Rosemary Verey was one of the best garden designers ever, and entirely self taught. She wrote excellent books on her own gardens and was generous and down to earth. Do look into her life at Barnsley house and all that she accomplished there. I discovered her early on in my own garden design life, and gleaned a lot of advice from her photos and pages. I’m kind of sad that they made her house and grounds touristy, but I suppose that is the only way to keep them thriving and open to the public. So glad you got to stop by!! Some of her garden areas and vistas are legendary!
The garden and house didn’t feel touristy. I think they did a nice job converting it to a hotel while retaining the private feel of the home and grounds. Just my opinion, though! 🙂