17 August 2026

Bourton-on-the-Water is a beautiful village in the rural Cotswolds. But it has been having problems. Too many visitors are coming to admire its beauty and embrace its charm. Busloads of them. And the small town of some 4,000 people have got fed up. They have been protesting.

It hasn’t been an aggressive protest like the Spanish with their water pistols firing at unsuspecting holiday-makers. No! They decided to have a picnic on the banks of the River Windrush, a shallow, clear water river running through the town. It is straddled by low-lying stone bridges.

In this protest the townsfolk were simply trying to reclaim their green and river from the tourists. From 10am until 4pm, the town is far too busy for the townsfolk to enjoy their own amenity. So they made what the Sunday Times described as ‘Britain’s first (awfully polite) overtourism protest’.

We visited Bourton-on-the-Water in 2024. Fortunately, no-one was protesting our arrival. We had spent the morning in Gloucester visiting the cathedral with its Thomas Denny stained glass windows celebrating the lives of Ivor Gurney and Gerald Finzi. We drove to Bourton-on-the-Water and arrived in the afternoon.

We walked down the river and crossed the iconic bridges. We visited the 1930s replica model of the village  with its distinctive Coltswold stone which some tourists apparently try to take home as  mementoes. We visited the potter and bought two small pieces which we regularly admire in our sun porch.

We have a good memory although the fish and chips was nothing to write home about! We live in a hot tourist spot too but we can navigate the crowds as necessary. In any case, none of them want to visit our street! I know why the tourists come here. Why we came too – and loved it so much, we decided to stay and make it our home.