Bourton-on-the-Water is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England that lies on a wide flat vale within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village has a population of 3,297 inhabitants (2009 est), making it a rather large village as its population actually exceeds those of nearby Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford, both of which are considered small market towns.Bourton-on-the-Water parish is bounded by the Fosse Way along the northwest, while the eastern boundary is defined by a series of streams, namely: Slaughter brook, the River Dikler, and the River Windrush; the southern boundary is associated with a watercourse that runs between Bourton Hill and Broadwater Bottom