Our beautiful Cotswold village has become ‘Blackpool-on-the-Water’ thanks to tourists, say furious residents

HEBourton-on-the-Water, heralded as a quintessentially English village by JB Priestley and known as the “Venice of the Cotswolds”, is at breaking point.

Locals warn the historic Cotswold destination is being destroyed by an influx of day trippers and Instagrammers.

The area has always been popular with visitors but has grown even more in recent years thanks to great photos on social media and celebrity links to: Clarkson’s Farm – Jeremy Clarkson was once rumored to be buying a pub in Bourton.

“We’re a quintessential English village with a lot of heritage and people want to see that,” says Charlotte Joynes, chair of Bourton Residents’ Voice, which was set up to tackle growing concerns among villagers.

“We want to share, but the hordes of people arriving now mean we’ve been wiped out. It’s no longer the pretty village people think it is; it’s more ‘Blackpool on the Water’.”

Search Bourton-on-the-Water on Instagram and you’ll quickly find a list of reasons why you shouldn’t visit in the summer. The village becomes so crowded that it is difficult to even see the green of the village under the sea of ​​sun loungers and picnic blankets.

According to local residents, the nature of tourism has changed fundamentally since the Covid outbreak. While the village has previously welcomed international travelers from the US and Australia who come for the architecture and support the local economy by staying out and dining out, the current trend means an increasing number of day-trippers are arriving from nearby towns and cities.

“They come with their own picnics and all they get is ice cream,” Joynes says. “They use apps to find free parking and clog our streets. Bus parking is closed and has become a free-for-all with buses on residential streets.”

Village residents reported tourists using hedgerows as toilets, leaving rubbish next to bins and even taking pieces of the iconic Cotswold stone wall home as souvenirs.

Joynes, who has lived in the village for 34 years, estimates that between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors a day come to Bourton, which has a population of just 4,000. The village greens are often thronged with picnickers, and Joynes reports that one family even set up a table and chairs by the river and ate a meal of fish and chips.

“I work in one of the bars,” he adds. “We want visitors. Those who do not contribute anything to the economy are, as I call them, ‘picnic and paddlers’.

“We now have tourists in Bourton whining about tourists. It’s not our village anymore.”

Read The Independent’s guide The best places to visit in the Cotswolds

Holiday rental company Boltholeretreats writes: “Don’t get us wrong, Bourton-on-the-Water is one of our best locations in the Cotswolds, but we always like to have a back-up plan for those looking for a sunny, idyllic day that, in keeping with the rest of the country, quickly turns into a day tucked away by the riverside.”

Doctor_with_a_suitcase writes: “Bourton-on-the-Water today: a giant communal picnic where no one knows whose cushion they’re sitting on anymore.”

A recent survey of 202 residents found that more than 90 per cent believed current levels of tourism in the village were unsustainable and had a negative impact on their quality of life. A total of 94.6 percent of area residents said they thought the number of visitors was excessive.

Gloucestershire County Council recently launched a consultation on transport and parking in Bourton-on-the-Water. He says: “We know people are concerned about pedestrian safety and how vehicles, including buses, will move along the High Street. [are] It affects how people move around the village. “We want to hear your experiences to shape the right solutions to ensure everyone can continue to enjoy this historically important village.”

Bourton Residents’ Voice is calling for urgent intervention, describing the current consultation process as “an absolute farce” and saying consultees were unable to access a recent meeting with the borough council on the issue because the connection was down.

“We want sanctions,” Joynes says. “The buses that come are doing so illegally due to traffic rules. But we don’t have the police to stop them. We want people to visit, but we respect where they come from.

“We are a small village with a population of 4,000 and we cannot overcome these. We need to leave something to future generations.”