The English village so beautiful that its website reminds visitors that ‘it’s not a theme park’

There is a village in England so picturesque that its official website is forced to remind visitors that it’s not a theme park – and does not ‘open and close’.

The village in question is Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds – and these images show why some might be forgiven for thinking they’d arrived at a fantasyland theme park.

It’s the quintessential English hamlet, a real-life Neverland with olde-worlde honey-coloured stone buildings and a serene river – the Windrush – flowing underneath quaint arched bridges.

Rough Guides describes it as ‘one of the most romantic places in the UK’, while the Bourton-on-the-Water website, Bourtoninfo.com, tells visitors: ‘Bourton is not a theme park, it does not open and close, nor is there an entry fee. It is a vibrant village, home to some 4,000 residents, buzzing with many community groups, local events and fantastic small businesses.’

It adds: ‘Known as the Venice of the Cotswolds, this one village offers a wealth of attractions and shops, restaurants, cafes and tea rooms. Or simply the space for you to enjoy some pleasurable time engrossed by the movement of the sparkling waters of the River Windrush, spanned by its five arched bridges.’

Bourton-on-the-Water (above) is so picturesque its official website is forced to remind visitors that it’s not a theme park

Bourtoninfo.com says: ‘Bourton is not a theme park, it does not open and close, nor is there an entry fee’

Tripadvisor users are almost universally in agreement with this assessment of the village, which is a two-hour drive from London and 15 miles east of Cheltenham.

Tripadvisor user ‘Postponer15‘ gave the village a five-out-of-five ‘excellent’ rating and wrote: ‘Lovely place to visit, especially on a summer’s day.

‘Take a blanket or rug and sit on the grass beside the river with some refreshments or ice cream from a nearby cafe or ice cream stand – there’s plenty of them.

Rough Guides describes Bourton-on-the-Water as ‘one of the most romantic places in the UK’

‘Known as the Venice of the Cotswolds, this one village offers a wealth of attractions and shops,’ says Bourtoninfo.com

Bourton-on-the-Water is in the heart of the Fosse Way, an ancient route linking Exeter with Lincoln via Cirencester

Bourton-on-the-Water is a two-hour drive from London and 15 miles east of Cheltenham

‘The water is shallow and lots of people will play in the river when it’s warm. The little bridges make for beautiful photos – I can see why it’s nicknamed “Little Venice”.’

Bourton-on-the-Water is in the heart of the Fosse Way, an ancient route linking Exeter with Lincoln via Cirencester.

Bourtoninfo.com reveals the Romans considered the crossing place on the River Windrush ‘to be of strategic importance’.

The five bridges that cross the river today, meanwhile, date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, with two built in the 20th century – in 1911 and 1953.

Tripadvisor user ‘Postponer15’ gave Bourton-on-the-Water a five-out-of-five ‘excellent’ rating and wrote: ‘Lovely place to visit’