Residents of Bibury, a Cotswolds village named the world's most beautiful by Forbes, are planning to erect fencing to stop tourists from entering the shallow River Coln that runs through the heart of the village. The move comes after a summer in which visitors were seen paddling in the water and even placing chairs in it, raising concerns about the impact on local wildlife.
Environmental Concerns Prompt Action
Parish councillors say they are worried about the environmental effects of tourists entering the river. According to pictures and council minutes, over the summer visitors not only paddled but also set up chairs in the water, risking harm to wildlife including swans, ducks, voles and fish.
As well as fencing off the river bank next to the village's central Swan Bridge, discussions are reportedly planned with the National Trust, which owns the Arlington Row cottages, about cordoning off another river bank near those homes.
Residents Speak Out
Parish council chairman Craig Chapman told The Independent that tourists entering the river had not been showing the village and its wildlife respect. "Over the summer with the hot weather, people would not just sit on the river bank but would go in the water and even bring chairs in to sit on to cool down. The main concern is the wildlife, but also the whole area with people using it like it is a recreational area. When they go into the water they can upset the habitat," he said.
The village of around 600 people has been grappling with the scale of tourism for years. Measures already implemented include more double yellow lines to tackle inconsiderate parking, a crackdown that saw wardens issue up to £45,000 worth of fines last year, and a record number of monthly tickets in May. A trialled coach drop-off area is to become permanent, and pay and display parking is planned, with a potential £7 charge for a two-hour stay.
Traffic and Visitor Behaviour
Villagers say these measures are not working, as coaches "park where they want" and cars are left "abandoned". Kris Watts, who moved to Bibury ten years ago, filmed an August Friday showing traffic and a coach not using the drop-off point, saying "This has got to stop". She described the coach as parked on the left-hand side, blocking the view, with passengers walking across the road bridge while coach bays on the other side were empty.
Watts believes Bibury's problems have been worsened by misleading social media posts showing the village as idyllic and free of traffic. "We moved here ten years ago and we knew it was a tourist village but since Covid it has just got worse and worse and worse," she said. "We had the coaches but not nearly as bad as what it is now. I think it's to do with influencers. People are posting reels showing you an idyllic traffic-free village and then when you get here it's absolutely rammed."
Mixed Blessing for Locals
Mr Chapman told the BBC in 2025 that the village's status as one of the world's most beautiful is a "double-edged sword", with the scale of tourism "problematic" and coming "at a cost for locals". He noted the village sits on a narrow B-road with a single bridge across the River Coln, wide enough for only one vehicle, leading to congestion, particularly from larger coaches.
Locals say tourists do not put money into the village. Victoria Summerley, a journalist and author who has lived there since 2012, said previously: "[The villagers] would say [the tourists] don't put any money into the village." Another resident, Lynn Edward, who has lived in Bibury for six years, told The Guardian last year: "We have such a beautiful place that we want to share, but the level of tourism and the hordes of people that come has just made it entirely unpleasant, and the infrastructure doesn't really cope with it. All they want to do is come and take a photograph. They don't stay in the village. They don't linger enough to really ingest the beauty and historic value of the place. It's literally, I think, to take a selfie."
