Early autumn walks before the crowds

By the second week of September the light has changed. It comes in lower and warmer, and on a clear morning it lies right along the Coln valley and turns the stone a deeper gold than it ever manages in high summer. The mornings are the best of it, and the best of the mornings is the bit before the first coach arrives.

So this is a walk for early. Out of the door by half eight, ideally, with a jumper you will probably take off by ten.

Start at the footbridge below Arlington Row and go upstream along the river towards the trout farm. It is flat, easy, and at this hour the lane and the path are quiet. The day-trippers tend to arrive from mid-morning, so you have a clear couple of hours to have Arlington Row almost to yourself, which is how it should be seen. The river is running clear, the meadows on the far bank still hold the dew, and the swans are usually out before anyone else is.

Carry on past the trout farm and the valley opens up a little. You can make a loop of it or simply turn back the way you came, which I often do, because the light is different on the return and you notice things you walked straight past on the way out. Reckon on an hour and a half if you take it gently and stop to look, which you will.

Why early is worth the alarm clock

I know that being up and out by half eight on holiday is a hard sell. But September is precisely the month where it pays off, and here is why. The village holds two completely different characters in a single day. From mid-morning Bibury is one of the most visited spots in the Cotswolds, and on a fine September weekend the lane by Arlington Row can be busy with people and cameras. Get there two hours earlier and it is a working village waking up, with the river to yourself and the row of cottages exactly as they have looked for centuries, no one in front of the view.

The early light does half the work too. Low autumn sun comes straight along the valley rather than down from overhead, so it rakes across the stone and the turning leaves and picks out every texture. An hour later, with the sun higher, the same scene looks flat. Photographers know this and turn up at dawn for it. You do not need to be that keen, but half eight gets you most of the magic without the dedication.

A few honest notes

There is no real mud yet in early September, but the grass holds the dew well into the morning, so something on your feet that you do not mind getting damp is sensible. The path by the river is firm enough in trainers at this time of year. Come October that changes, but for now you are fine.

Take a flask if you like a hot drink, because the cafes in the village do not all open early and you may well be back before they do. There is a particular pleasure in a coffee on a cold bright morning by the river with the place to yourself, and it is worth carrying it rather than waiting for the village to wake up. A hat helps too. September mornings in the valley can have a real edge to them before the sun gets going, and the cold lifts off the water.

And the swans, lovely as they are, are not pets. Give them room, particularly if you have a dog with you and particularly near the bridge where they like to gather. They are bigger and bolder than people expect.

The point of going now, before the crowds and before the proper autumn sets in, is that you get the turning light without the cold and without the company. Be back by eleven and the rest of the day is yours, with the satisfying feeling of having had the best part of it before most people were even out. The cottages are a short walk from the bridge, so it is an easy thing to do before breakfast and be home in time to enjoy a slow one.