One of England's prettiest villages is about to put up barriers — literally. Bibury in Gloucestershire, crowned the world's most beautiful village by Forbes in 2025, has approved plans to fence parts of the River Coln's banks to keep visitors from trampling one of the country's rarest river habitats.
The numbers explain why. Around 600 people live in Bibury, yet on peak days as many as 20,000 visitors pass through its stone-cottage streets. Last summer, residents watched tourists sit on the bank with their feet in the water, wade right into the river, and even set up tables and chairs mid-stream. Parish council chair Craig Chapman called the fencing a "drastic measure" — but a necessary one to protect the swans, ducks, water voles and fish that live there.
The River Coln is a chalk stream, a habitat type found almost nowhere else on Earth outside southern England, famous for its clear water and trout. That makes it especially fragile. Long-time resident Victoria Summerley says things have worsened since the pandemic, with litter — drinks bottles and takeaway coffee cups — ending up in the water alongside the disturbance. If funding is finalised, the fences could go up by next summer.
It's not the first attempt to manage the crowds. In March 2025, Gloucestershire County Council launched a trial coach drop-off point to ease traffic chaos, though some drivers keep stopping wherever they like. The wider tourism industry is watching nervously: Jason Edwards of the Coach Tourism Association has warned that if Bibury starts feeling unwelcoming, operators may simply drop it from their routes — taking visitor spending with them.
For travellers, the message is straightforward. Bibury is worth seeing, but it's a living village, not a theme park. Stay on paths, keep out of the river, take your rubbish with you, and consider visiting outside peak summer and midday coach hours — the Arlington Row cottages are arguably more atmospheric in early morning light anyway. If the fences appear, they'll be there to make sure the swans, trout and water voles are still around when your next trip comes round.
