Day 34 Broadway.

Today was one of the best walks we have ever done. A beautiful 3 hour walk taking us from a tiny old village called Coln st Aldwyns to one of the most beautiful villages in England, Bibury and then returning to Coln. The walk included farm tracks, forest walks, old villages, a beautiful river and the famous Arlington Row of weavers cottages. After leaving Broadway at 9 30 we drove 40 minutes through narrow roads and small villages with the occasional mannor house. We parked at Coln St Aldwyns and following our very specific down loaded instructions we mainly walked on public walkways, not roads, which were signposted. The scenery was spectacular and straight out of an English painting. We met very few people but did stop to chat to an English couple doing the same walk in reverse. Bibury was reasonably busy and it seemed a tourist bus had pulled in but it was reasonably spread out. We stopped at a cafe for a much needed cold drink and slice.
It was easy to see why Bibury was described as the most beautiful village in England. Located on the banks of River Coln, the village is truly picturesque. Bibury is best known for Arlington Row, one of the most iconic and most photographed Cotswold scenes. The buildings of Arlington Row were built in the 14th century as a wool store and were converted into weavers' cottages in the late 17th century. The buildings of Arlington Row are now owned by the National Trust, but they are not open to the public, as there are residents living in the cottages. The walk from Bibury to Coln St Aldwyns was exceptionally pretty, leading through beautiful natural scenery of woods and water meadows. We stopped in at the Inn at Coln for a much needed drink as again it was a very hot day, and we arrived back in Broadway at 3 30. After a much needed rest we dressed ourselves up a bit tonight ( that is some make up on! ) and headed off for a fine dining experience in a beautiful hotel in town which really was lovely. Our last day in the Cotswolds is tomorrow.Read more