After seeing me ruin it, I will not return to the cute Cotswold village (Image: Steffan Rhys)
It is known as “Venice of the Cotswolds” because of its beautiful waterways that span the beautiful stone bridge. And on hot and sunny days there are few charming and picturesque places.
Even in beautiful places like the Cotswolds, the village of Bolton on the Water stands out. The Windrush River runs through the heart, lined up on either side of the river with trees offering different colors, shaded and rainbow colors, regularly intersected by several clean stone bridges. The ducks and swans float slowly over the slow waters that are overlooked at Cotswold Stone Cottages in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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The Windrush River runs through Bolton – in the summer, soccer games are played underwater! (Image: Getty)
In short, apologise for the cliche, and it didn't look directly from the postcards or fairy tale pages.
I visited on a sunny Saturday in June, took a leisurely stroll along the water and walked back and forth across the bridge.
I stopped by shops, restaurants, pubs and tea rooms made from Cotswold stones, and watched visitors who became famous for incorporating the area into their own atmosphere, where people enjoyed coffee, cakes, tea and ice cream.
I tried not to leave him outside for too long, but I had to resist the temptation to tell him I was enjoying tea in his front yard overlooking his house, looking down at how much I love his house.
Bourton-on-the Water looks like a real life postcard (Image: Getty)
One of the most outstanding features of Bourton-on-the Water, although in fact one of the most notable things I have seen anywhere, is the Model Village, the ninth largest replica of the village in 1930.
It is a stunning piece created from local stones by highly skilled artisans. I loved walking around it and marveling at the care and skills that took it into building every building. Adults cost £4.75 and children cost £3.75, which is worth it.
You can find it behind the historic hotel and restaurant, one of the village's largest and most impressive buildings, the beautiful Old New Inn.
Bourton-on-the-Water's model village is an incredible display of work and skills (Image: Steffan Rhys)
There are several other options for food and drinks along the water. There are boxed bushes and serve everything from homemade trout and homemade sausage rolls to luxurious prophyterols and gelato with a flavor like Sicilian pistachios.
There is a Rosetree restaurant set up in a listed cottage with a riverfront garden serving traditional pub meals such as old spots in Gloucestershire sausages and mash and of course fish and chips.
Or there's Smith and Burton, a burger restaurant run by two siblings.
“So, what's wrong?” I hear you ask. “This place is amazing.”
Everything about Bourton-on-the Water is beautiful, including the home (Image: Steffan Rhys)
It is clear that the people of Bolton on the Water take great pride in their homes and villages (Image: Steffan Rhys)
Well, Bolton on the Water is so beautiful, so beautiful that it became a victim of its own, as it is typically British.
The place is packed with tourists from all over the world, and the people who live there are dealing with the problems that overtourism brings, like the stunning village of Beverly, a few miles away. You can read what you thought here.
During my visit, the first hint that this is not your average British village came right after I entered the car.
In a parking lot placed on the school stadium, a short walk from the centre of the village, the steward paid and headed towards our space.
The Bourton-on-the-Water bridge is full of people taking photos of the river and its surroundings (Image: Steffan Rhys)
Tourists flock to Bolton on the Water to enjoy its beauty, but this can cause problems for villagers (Image: Steffan Rhys)
Villagers say that overtourism is causing “big problems” for them.
They are currently waiting for plans to tackle coach traffic to be implemented.
In particular, according to the BBC report, “coach driver disagreement behavior” and “all confusion” were flagged as specific issues, but there is a motion to the council to accept that tourism was rejected by elected officials.
However, local reports say that it doesn't prevent you from pledging to tackle an “overtourism nightmare.”
Council leader Joe Harris asked if Bolton agreed to dealing with overtourism.
“It is important to balance the needs of local businesses that benefit from tourism with the quality of life of the residents.”
Even beautiful areas like the Cotswolds stand out from the village of Bolton on the Water (Image: Getty)
Nearby villagers also say they have major problems with overtourism (Image: Getty)
Many people will assume that such a large number of visitors will provide great economic benefits.
However, people living in nearby Beverly say that visitors are “for selfies” and don't believe they are.
It was very clear to see the scale of tourism during my visit.
The stone bridge was closer to photography locations and props than the sidewalk, but I saw nothing similar to what recent visitors claimed to be an embarrassing scene where tourists “eat out of the pot.”
I'm happy to be able to see Bolton on the Water in person. It is as beautiful as a photograph in real life.
We hope that tourism can find ways to balance the quality of life and benefits of the people who live there.
