Discover Bourton-on-the-Water
A shallow river under low stone bridges, a model of the village in the pub garden, and football played in the Windrush
A village built along a river ten inches deep
Bourton-on-the-Water is a Cotswold village of around 4,000 people, by the village visitor site's count, in the valley of the River Windrush just east of the Fosse Way. The river was channelled through the middle of the village by the early sixteenth century to drive three mills, and it still runs beside the High Street, shallow and clear, between grass banks and under five low stone bridges built between 1654 and 1953.
The visitor site makes a point of saying Bourton is not a theme park: it does not open or close and there is no entry fee. It is a working village with a school, a football club and a parish church on a Saxon foundation. On holidays and sunny weekends, the same site says, it can be as bustling as any seaside resort.
Where To Eat
From fine dining to casual favourites
The Old New Inn
The 1712 inn with the Model Village in its garden; country inn food and Sunday roasts.
The Mousetrap Inn
Independent free house on Lansdowne; book ahead, especially at weekends.
Smiths of Bourton
Burgers and cocktails on Victoria Street; walk in at lunch, book for the evening.
What's On
Upcoming events and things happening in Bourton-on-the-Water
Beaujolais Nouveau night at the Old New Inn
Food and the new Beaujolais at the Old New Inn, Thursday 19 November 2026.
Penguin feeding at Birdland
RecurringDaily penguin feeds at Birdland at 11am and 3pm, included in admission.
Football in the River
RecurringBourton Rovers play a match in the Windrush every August Bank Holiday Monday; expected on 30 August in 2027, not yet confirmed by the club.
Bourton-on-the-Water Right Now
Bourton is low in the Windrush valley and fairly sheltered, but the field paths to the Slaughters get muddy after rain. On a wet day the Motoring Museum is under cover, and the Model Village stays open in the rain, though its paths can be slippery.