Cotswolds Mystery with Cotswolds Guided Tours
We are committed to taking you on a Cotswolds journey through this magical region, bringing you local history, quirky facts & a Cotswolds mystery or two along the way. We are a local family run business, running 6 hour north Cotswolds tours visiting the beautiful villages, famous locations & hidden gems throughout the day. No company is able to show you every village in the region, so just in case you want to learn a little more about the region then we hope you will find these posts interesting, to give you a flavour of what the area has to offer.
Cotswolds Guided Tour of Bibury
Now this has to be one of the most famous villages in the Cotswolds, famed for its pretty row of cottages Arlington Row. The village has a river running through its centre, along with the Bibury Trout Farm, the wonderful Swan Hotel & Rack Isle in its centre. Bibury is located 6 miles north east of the Roman City of Cirencester, it has perhaps never fully recovered from William Morris’s visit & description as ‘the most beautiful village in the Cotswolds’. We would advise if you plan to visit here to go on a weekday, early in the morning or later on in the evening to avoid the crowds. In 2018 our Famous Cotswolds Tour did include Bibury but based on guests feedback it is no longer a village that we visit. Our ethos as a local Cotswolds tour company is to ensure there is a balance for both residents & visitors. Bibury has been so well advertised that during our stops in 2018 there would be up to 8 coaches (60-80 seater) from London based tours dropping off hundreds of guests in a small period of time. As you can imagine this is not ideal, so moving forward in to 2019 we no longer visit Bibury on our north Cotswolds tours. However if you are able to visit, out of the busiest times then the village is beautiful.
Cotswolds Mystery of Bibury.
There is a local legend connected to Bibury & the old water mill. As the story goes a wealthy man moved to Bibury to run the mill. He had three grown up sons, but had recently been widowed. Once he had settled in to the Mill, he looked round for a new wife. He set his sights on a young woman called Mary, Mary was not keen on the marriage but her parents thought they would make a good match. Mary would marry a wealthy man & have a position in the village. So the marriage took place & Mary moved into the Mill. The Mill owner would regularly have to go away on business trips & it wasn’t long before Mary & the oldest son of the mill owner fell in love. One winter evening the Mill owner returned home, earlier than expected to find his young wife & oldest son in a rather awkward situation. Outraged he through his son in to the mill pond, where it is said that he drowned & he locked Mary out to teach her a lesson. The following morning he went in search for Mary, only to find that she was frozen to death at the side of the mill pond. It is said that Mary still haunts Bibury on cold wintery mornings.
If you love to hear the history of the region & a Cotswolds mystery or two along then way then book a 6 hour north Cotswolds Tour with us at Cotswolds Guided Tours.