Bourton-on-the-Water is a village in the Cotswolds Area of Gloucestershire, England. The houses and shops in the village are constructed of the yellow Oolitic limestone that is found in the surrounding hills. Cotswold stone is easily split into blocks and is quite weather-resistant.
The Cotswold hills cover an area that is about 40 miles across and 120 miles long. It is an extremely popular tourist destination.
A peek over just about any hedge or stone wall will give you a glimpse of why at least 117 buildings within Bourton-on-the-Water have been listed as Grade II or higher. This designation means the building has ‘special architectural or historic interest’. The building’s owners have to apply for consent to do most types of work that affect their home.
A peek inside this wobbly hedge! I sure wouldn’t want to be the one who keeps it trimmed.
In old age, and having been sprained by the weight of snow over the decades, the hedges now wobble along, imperfect, but full of vegetable dignity…
– Description of Walmer Castle Hedges, Heritage Magazine Issue 48 –
A peek at the house behind the Ivy. English Ivy is the most prevalent self-clinging climber found on walls in England, though some ornamental ivy types are also used.
In 2010, English Heritage released the results of a study to determine whether Ivy was beneficial or detrimental when it grew up the sides of buildings. Their research suggested that as long as ivy was not rooting into the wall, there were numerous positive benefits.
This week’s WordPress.com Photo Challenge is Peek.
Amusives 
My daugter has told me to tell you that the title of your blog is inspiring and she can certainly relate to it. I really like the wobbly hedge
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I’m glad your daughter likes the name. I relate to it too!
I like the hedge too.
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Such an enchanting place to take a peek at. It must be amazing to see in person. Your photos are lovely.
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Thanks E.C. I wish I had had a better camera when we lived in England. I have a lot of not great photos from that time in my life.
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I was certain your blog title was Bourbon-on-the-Water, and although I prefer my bourbon neat, I was eager to read about a community called Bourbon, whether on water or not.
It appears, however, that I’m losing some of my attention to detail.
… but Bourton-on-the-Water looks like a lovely place, and maybe all those wobbly bushes just need a good stiff drink 😉
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Maybe the hedge was being maintained by someone who nips on a bit too much bourbon!
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🤣
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Your photos are wonderful! It makes me want to peek around the corners of the hedge!
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Peeking over, under, around, and through hedges is a major pastime when you live in or visit England!
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What a wonderful mystic place! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
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I sense the same kind of mystical places in your state of Virginia!
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I love that area of England. We used to live in the Cotswolds and everywhere you looked there was the beautiful warm coloured stone and lots of quaint houses.
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I know there must be a good reason for you not to live in the Cotswolds now – it must have been hard to leave.
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It was a move because of work, and it certainly was hard to do.
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