Bourton on the Water and Broadway from Heythrop Park | Cotswolds Weekend

Staying at Heythrop Park gave us the perfect excuse to explore a little further into the Cotswolds. With Ray, Cheryl, Steve and Faye all together for the weekend, we decided to make the most of it and visit two of the area’s most loved villages. One under grey skies with a soft drizzle in the air, the other glowing in unexpected Sunday sunshine.

Bourton on the Water in the Drizzle

There is something about Bourton On The Water that makes you forgive it for being busy.

Parking was our first challenge. It is such a popular place, and even on a drizzly day, the narrow streets and car parks were filling quickly. But Steve managed to squeeze the car into a tight space down a side road just off the High Street. A small triumph that immediately lifted the mood.

The River Windrush runs gently through the centre of the village, crossed by its low, elegant stone bridges. Often called the Venice of the Cotswolds, Bourton has a charm that does not rely on sunshine. The drizzle softened the honey coloured stone and gave everything a slightly muted glow. It still looked lovely.

We wandered in and out of most of the little shops along the High Street. Gift shops, sweet shops, and small independent stores are all tucked into those old stone buildings. It is the sort of place where you tell yourself you are just looking, then find something you did not know you wanted.

We couldn’t believe our luck when we found a window table at one of the cafés. On a busy day that felt like winning something. With coffee and cake in front of us, we watched the steady flow of tourists crossing the bridges, taking photographs, juggling umbrellas and dogs. People watching in Bourton is almost part of the experience.

Faye spotted a handbag she liked at a craft fair being held in the church hall and treated herself. It felt very local, with tables set out and stallholders chatting easily. Those little indoor fairs are always worth popping into.

Despite the weather, it was one of those easy family afternoons. No tight schedule. Just wandering, chatting and enjoying being together somewhere pretty.

A Sunny Sunday in Broadway

On Sunday, after the others had left, Ray and I headed out on our own to Broadway.

Typically, the sun chose that day to appear.

Broadway is often described as the jewel of the Cotswolds, and in the sunshine, it is easy to see why. The wide High Street, the grassy verges, and the long stretch of honey-coloured buildings all seemed to glow. It feels more open than Bourton, more spacious and quietly elegant.

We passed an Aston Martin parked outside James Martin Restaurant and could not help wondering whether James himself might be inside. It added a little touch of excitement to our wander. Broadway has long attracted artists and well-known visitors, and there is a subtle sense of affluence to it. You notice it in the galleries, the boutiques and in the steady parade of expensive cars easing carefully along the High Street.

As we wandered further along the High Street, something far less glamorous caught our attention, although sweet.. Tucked into the sheltered porch of one of the shopfronts, under the wooden overhang, were two baby pigeons nestled into what could only loosely be described as a nest. Twigs, debris and feathers balanced precariously above the pavement below.

It felt strangely intimate to stumble across them in such a busy, polished village. Just inches away from passing shoppers and glossy car bonnets, these tiny, slightly scruffy little creatures blinked back at the world, completely undisturbed.

Inside another shop, a small dog lay curled in a soft bed near the counter, toys scattered around him. He watched customers drift in and out with steady, soulful eyes, entirely at ease in his corner of the world.

Broadway may be known for its galleries, boutiques and celebrity sightings, but nature had quietly claimed its own small corner too.

We found a bench on the green and simply sat for a while, watching the world go by. Walkers with muddy boots, couples strolling hand in hand, polished cars gliding through the village. The sunshine made everything look sharper and brighter than the day before.

Looking back, it was the contrast that made it special. Saturday was wrapped in grey skies and family chatter. Sunday bright and golden, just the two of us sitting on a bench watching the world drift past.