For an unforgettable staycation, one location outshines the rest. This picturesque chocolate box village has been voted one of the most beautiful in the nation.

Despite the throngs of visitors it attracts, this delightful village offers plenty to tourists, including honey-hued cottages and a river that meanders through its heart, spanned by enchanting stone bridges.  Bourton-on-the-Water has been crowned the UK’s most beautiful village by Independent Cottages, with the River Windrush, which flows right through the town, contributing significantly to its charm and earning it the moniker ‘The Venice of the Cotswolds’.

The village’s history stretches back to 4000 BC, and it boasts over 380 listed buildings – ideal for a day of exploration and appreciation of the village’s rich past.

The river, with an average depth of just 10 inches, gently babbles through the centre of the village, adding a dash of charm to the ambiance.

Bourton-on-the-Water is tucked away within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so if you somehow tire of the stunning village, the surrounding countryside is also a sight to behold.

A mere 300 metres from Bourton-on-the-Water’s main car park lies Greystones Nature Reserve.

Managed by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Greystones is home to wildflower meadows, Iron Age fortifications, a replica Iron Age roundhouse, and a functioning organic farm.

Ideal for a day of adventure and wildlife spotting, you might catch sight of foxes, deer and native birds.

Birdland Park and Gardens offers even more opportunities to see wildlife, with the beautiful reserve spanning nine acres of woodland and gardens.

The park boasts over 130 species of birds, including the UK’s only breeding group of King Penguins.