Skip the coach parties at Windsor and point the car towards Warwickshire instead. Bidford-on-Avon, a village of roughly 7,000 people about an hour's drive from both Birmingham and Gloucester, sits on the River Avon with a 15th-century stone bridge, a lively boating scene and one of the more entertaining legends in English literary history.
That legend goes something like this: a young William Shakespeare and his friends took on local drinkers at the Falcon Inn in a drinking match, lost badly, and spent the night unconscious under a crabapple tree. Waking with a sore head, the bard is said to have coined a rhyme about the surrounding villages, dubbing this one "Drunken Bidford." Historians doubt the story, but the Falcon Inn was genuinely trading in the 16th century and still stands — now a private home, marked by a stained-glass window honouring its most famous alleged customer. As for the tree, souvenir-hunting Victorian tourists whittled it away piece by piece. A fragment survives at Shakespeare's Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, under ten miles away.
The best way to see Bidford, though, is from the water. Bidford Boat Services hires out two narrowboats — shallow canal craft that sleep up to ten and come equipped with a kitchen and bathroom. No skipper's licence required, but you do steer it yourself and work the river's lock system. First-timers needn't panic: the owner talks you through it, escorts your party through the first lock, and will even point you towards good pubs and food stops along the way. The navigable Avon runs 47 miles from Stratford down to Tewkesbury, but on a day hire you'll realistically make it to neighbouring villages and back before dusk.
If helming a boat sounds like too much effort, spread a blanket in Big Meadow, a 26-acre park in the village centre, and watch other people's narrowboats slide past.
What makes Bidford worth more than an afternoon is its community spirit — a village that has fought off closures of its own library and fire station, runs monthly markets, clothing swaps and an annual rubber duck race, and fields its own choir, band and weekly walking group. Visitors are welcome, with a gentle ask that you respect local rules and mind your pub etiquette.
For an overnight stay, the Old Beams Bed and Breakfast is a 3-star 17th-century cottage near the village centre, breakfast included. Those wanting more polish can book the Shakespeare Suite at the 4-star Broom Hall Inn in nearby Broom, where the restaurant serves an English breakfast and a proper Sunday roast. With Stratford-upon-Avon so close, it's easy to pair the legend with the real thing.
