I'll never return to pretty village after one thing ruined it

I'll never return to pretty village after one thing ruined it (Image: Steffan Rhys)

Its beautiful waterways spanned by pretty stone bridges have earned it the nickname "Venice of the Cotswolds" — and whether it's a hot and sunny day or a chillier autumnal one, there can be few more charming and picturesque places to be.

Even in a place as beautiful as the Cotswolds, the village of Bourton-on-the-Water stands out. The River Windrush runs through it, lined on both sides by trees providing shade and a rainbow's worth of different colours, and crossed at regular intervals by several pretty stone bridges. Ducks and swans float lazily on the slow-flowing water, which is overlooked by 16th and 17th century Cotswold stone cottages. In short, it could not look more like it is straight from a po