I don’t know if I am getting old or if this blog has made me more amenable to see the best of everything I visit but once more, I had a great outing today in the Cotswolds. My younger self would probably have found the idea of visiting a model village in a rural town bo-ring but I thought the model village in Bourton-on-the -Water was so very frightfully delightful…oh wait, I’m not just becoming older there, I’m becoming British!

Bourton-on-the-Water is one of the most visited villages in the Cotswolds and it is easy to see why. The scintillating waters of the Windrush flowing along the town adorn the magnificent cottages on its banks like a sumptuous gown adorns an already very pretty girl. The town is of course worth a visit for its sake only but until today, I didn’t know there is in fact a little village built within the bigger one.

The Model Village, as it is called, is a one-ninth scale replica of Bourton as it was in 1930. If, like me, you think model towns and villages are often approximately executed and only ever look like the model villages they are, this is the one that will change your mind. The houses are all carved in real Cotswolds stone with minute attention to detail and the gardens, with their bonsai trees, would make any gardener proud.

I had never seen a model village like this and I doubt it will ever happen again. This masterpiece took 5 years to craftsmen to complete and is now a Grade II listed building. It is possibly the oldest model village in Britain and even without having seen more modern versions, I’m quite sure it is the finest. It is certainly beats Mini-Europe in Brussels hands down. This highly unusual model work or art is in fact the only one I have seen where nothing looks fake whilst everything is. Very impressing indeed.

If you are coming to Bourton and have 30min to spare, do go the the Model Village. It is a 5 minute walk from the centre, the entry price is modest and it is fun to compare the miniature with the real version of the buildings.

I’m quite sure my teenage self would have missed the beauty of this heart-warming piece compared to that of Paul the 6^th former so I’m grateful I now can appreciate the big beauties of life, as well as the little ones.

Since it appears this blog has made me old and wise, I’d like venture a little adage of my own: Not everything is the greatest thing you’ll ever see but there will be something great in everything you’ll see. You can quote me…