Coln St Aldwyns

Coln St Aldwyns is a quiet estate village on the River Coln in the east Cotswolds, midway between Cirencester and Fairford. Like many villages in this corner of the AONB it has a well-maintained estate character, reflecting careful stewardship over many generations. The River Coln runs through water meadows at the foot of the village, and the combination of river, bridge, church and manor gives the place a composed beauty typical of the best of the Coln valley.

The Church of St John the Baptist stands on a low rise above the river with Norman origins and subsequent medieval additions. The New Inn, the village pub, is an attractive Cotswold stone building and has a strong reputation in the south Cotswolds for food and accommodation. The surrounding farmland is typical of the east Cotswolds — large arable fields divided by stone walls, with small copses on the valley sides.

The Coln valley is one of the least visited parts of the Cotswolds despite containing some of the most attractive villages in the region. A walk along the river from Coln St Aldwyns south towards Fairford, or north towards Bibury, passes through a succession of quiet meadows and wooded stretches. Bibury is three miles upstream and makes an obvious destination for a half-day river walk.