Sankey Marine

If you've got your own boat, there are moorings available, but most visitors hire a day boat and spend a few hours exploring at their own pace. The river is really the main attraction—you can head upstream into quieter stretches or paddle downstream towards Evesham, where you'll spot the Abbey ruins and riverside parks from the water. It's quite different from the usual Cotswolds walking routes and gives you an entirely fresh perspective on the landscape.

Evesham itself is worth spending time in. It's a historic market town with strong connections to fruit farming, sitting at the northern edge of the Cotswolds rather than deep within it, but there's plenty to discover on foot. The Abbey ruins are particularly worth seeing, and the riverside parks are pleasant for a stroll once you've come off the water.

The combination works well if you're looking for a break from village-hopping. After days of walking between stone cottages and across rolling fields, getting onto the Avon offers a completely different way of experiencing the region. It's a refreshing change of pace that many visitors overlook, and the perspective you get from the water is something you simply can't experience on foot.