Beautiful Bibury

Having spent a whole week at home, either on my PC, sewing machine or keeping my three girls in check(!), I really felt the need to get out into the world for a few hours yesterday. Hubby and I decided to take a ride out to Bibury, which is a charming old Cotswold village surrounded by picturesque countryside. Bibury was once described by William Morris as "the most beautiful village in England".

The Swan Hotel stands beside the River Coln which runs through the middle of the village.

Its smoothly flowing water provides the perfect home to trout, as well as swans and ducks.

But it's Arlington Row that most visitors come to see. Built in 1380 from Cotswold stone, the row was converted into tiny weavers cottages in the C17th and is now owned by the National Trust.

Even the tiled roofs are made from slithers of the local stone. I loved the mounds of moss growing within the nooks and crannies.

It was a delight to see sheep still grazing in the fields around the cottages, as it was wool which provided employment to the people of the village in the past.

We were so lucky with the weather; it turned out to be pleasantly warm and the sunshine highlighted the mellow old stones in a feel-good glow.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend,

Niki x