We are taking you on a visit to four of the beautiful villages of the Cotswolds in England. Come along for a wonderful day trip to:
00:14 Bibury,
04:03 Malmesbury,
06:39 Tetbury, and
09:28 Lacock
A short drive in the countryside soon brings us to Bibury. The main attraction here is this splendid row of stone cottages that dates back to the 14th century, in a picturesque setting next to the River Coln, and the open meadow in front.
Bibury is a small village in a rural setting, with the oval outline showing the location of that row of stone cottages called Arlington Row.
We'll be showing you many views of that beautiful sight and also taking you to the famous trout farm in the heart of Bibury, with its water features and lush landscaping.
The small Coln River is a tributary of the Thames and makes an idyllic setting for the stone houses and the pretty flower gardens of the village, with several bridges for cars and pedestrians connecting the two sides of town.
Arlington Row is one of England's most iconic and photographed sites, so famous, the picture has been on the UK passport for a decade. Originally built in the 14th century as a monastic wool storehouse, it was converted in the 17th century into a row of cottages for weavers, who supplied cloth for the two mills in the area, which made this village very prosperous from the wool trade.
This complex of old stone buildings is occupied by tenants who rent their homes from the National Trust.
One of these homes, at number nine, is a holiday cottage that you can rent. However, you do have to rent it for a minimum of three nights. It's got two bedrooms on two floors and can house up to three guests, with a private garden at the rear.
That will lead you to one of England's oldest working trout farms, originally founded in 1902.
It has 15 acres of beautiful farmland and springs, with a trout hatchery that produces over 6 million trout every year.
As usual, the best times to come are shoulder season, either April and May, or September and October, when the weather is quite nice, and the crowds are minimal.
Bibury is the first of our four Cotswold villages that we're visiting on a daytrip from the city of Bath. We're traveling in a small van with our driver-guide provided by Mad Max tours.
Continuing along now through the pretty countryside of Wiltshire, heading for the Cotswold town of Malmesbury. The charming High Street is bursting with an array of independent retailers and eateries, and the town has occasional festivals for music, history and the arts.
The 15th-century Market Cross is one of the country's best preserved, right next to the arch of Birdcage Walk that leads us into the Abbey grounds. This church is always the main focus of any visit to this charming little town.
The church is so old that the first King of all England was buried here in the year 941, honored with this monumental statue, but in the 14th century, the remains of King Athelstan were moved from here to an unknown location. The Abbey is still an active parish church.
Next door is the Old Bell, oldest hotel in England, founded in the early 13th century as lodgings for visiting monks. It's a four-star hotel with a high-quality restaurant.
Next, we are heading to the second largest town in the Cotswolds, Tetbury, situated in the area of outstanding natural beauty, surrounded by landscapes of gently rolling hills.
Right away next to the car park we see the historic cobbled lane called Chipping Steps, lined with picturesque stone cottages.
The historic Market House is at the crossroads at the center of town. It was built in 1655 and it's the most famous building in Tetbury, listed as a historic protected property.
Called Long Street, this is where most of the retail action takes place. It is very easy to explore – just walk all the way down one side and then cross over and walk back up the other side. Although it's called Long Street, it's just 300 meters from one end to the other.
The center of Tetbury is especially renowned for its antique shops and independent boutiques. This High Street has been named one of the UK's top 10 favorite streets for shopping by Homes and Antiques Magazine.
We're moving along now to the final stop on our Cotswold daytrip, the little town of Lacock, which dates from the 13th century and is full of traditional half-timbered and stone houses. It's the quintessential English village.
One of the first landmarks we shall come across is this 14th-century Tithe Barn, which is a grade 1 listed historic property.
Lacock was granted market status and developed a thriving wool industry during the Middle Ages. But production of wool ended in the 19th century, depriving the village of its main source of income, which fortunately for us has kept new developments to a minimum, resulting in this historic gem.
You can find more videos about other Cotswold villages in our collection, and also a series of films about the main city of Bath.
