The curse of being the world’s most beautiful village
Picturesque village’s new accolade a ‘double-edged sword’
- Bibury, a picturesque Cotswolds village, has been named the world’s most beautiful village by Forbes magazine.
- The magazine said the village “unfurls like a watercolour dream – where honey-slicked cottages line Arlington Row; their mossy roofs whispering tales of 14th-century weavers”.
- Craig Chapman, chair of Bibury Parish Council, said its popularity is a "double-edged sword" due to the unmanageable influx of tourists.
- The village attracts up to 20,000 visitors on weekends, significantly outnumbering its 600-700 residents.
- The overtourism causes severe traffic congestion, illegally parked vehicles, and issues with tourists trespassing.