Well, according to William Morris (above) it is – or was, when he was around in the last half of the 19th century. At that time, of course, Bibury was deep in rural England, and the road through it would have been just a muddy trail.
Today, Bibury is best known for the ridiculously handsome Arlington Row, a line of weavers' cottages that overlook the River Coln. Ahem... "Coln?", I hear you say, "That's not the Thames!". True, how very true, but Bibury and its river earn their place in Exploring the Thames because the Coln is a tributary that joins the Thames at Lechlade, only a few miles away. So that's all right then!
The river is fast-flowing and shallow, so you can lean over and see trout swimming along (there's a big trout farm at one end of the village that breeds some 10 million fish every year). Wildlife includes ducks, coots, moorhens and swans, so it's a fascinating place. In fact when I was there, a rare black swan also put in an appearance!
My Cheltenham friend Lizzie turned up for an ETT walk above the river, and we sat in the sunshine at The Swan Hotel afterwards, for a tasty (but not too hugely gross-out) tea of hot crumpets and scones.
If you're into fine country retreats, then another hotel is worth knowing about. The 18-bedroom Bibury Court Hotel is a dignified pile that dates from Tudor times. The landscaping in the grounds includes a small waterfall and sweeping lawns.
I'll be posting some pix and a short vid in a day or so – please do come back to have a look.
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