Bourton-on-the-Hill
With a population of just over 300, Bourton-on-the-Hill is one of the best known villages in the North Cotswolds and winner of the prestigious Bledisloe Cup "Best Kept Village" 2008. Predominantly made up of 17th and 18th century cottages the village has at its centre a beautiful early medieval church.
Bourton-on-the-Hill
As the name suggests, the village sits on a hill, or more accurately an escarpment, leading to the beautiful and unspoilt Bourton Downs.
Essentially a linear development from the 17th and 18th centuries, it has as its heart the wonderful medieval church of St Lawrence, where stone pillars dating from 1157 can be found in the south side of the nave.
At the top of the village is the Horse and Groom, an award-winning gastropub (for which booking is essential) and near the bottom is Bourton House and Gardens. The village is surrounded by rolling countyside and a short walk away in one direction is Batsford Arbotetum and Falconry Centre, and in the other the colonially-inspired Sezincote House and Gardens.
The village is less than two miles from Moreton-in-Marsh, which boasts a mainline railway station as well as antique shops, gift shops, pubs, restaurants (both eat in and take-away), tea rooms and an upmarket Budgens (which makes home deliveries).