For Adkins, the area’s huge surge in popularity is still taking some getting used to.
“You used to know everyone in the village. Now with so many new people visiting, the community feel can be lost,” she says.
However, she recognises the irony of her role in this shift as a content creator with more than 500,000 YouTube subscribers.
While she is known for her Cotswolds coverage, she can also see the impact this increased popularity is having.
She says: “This is my life – it’s all I’ve ever known. I love that people appreciate it but it does come with consequences.”
The rise of ‘the Notswolds’
In Shipston-on-Stour, residents can still enjoy the picturesque market town life that other villages may be losing to tourism.
Independent shops line the town centre, the pace is slower, the crowds thinner and for many, that is part of the appeal.
“The community calls it ‘the Notswolds’,” says Christine Timms, who runs Niche Wardrobe, a pre-loved fashion boutique in the town.
The 63-year-old moved her business there after retiring early from retail in Birmingham, only to find she was not ready to stop working.
A regular visitor to Shipston, she was drawn by its strong sense of community.
“It’s charming, friendly and not over-commercialised,” she says. “It’s a real hidden gem.”
When she opened her store in 2024, the local business community immediately welcomed her.
“The florist brought me flowers, the deli brought me lunch and I had a cake from the cake shop – it was just beautiful,” she says.
Letting go of the postcode
A four-bedroom home in Shipston-on-Stour is currently listed at £545,000 through Hayman-Joyce.
A comparable, if slightly larger, property in Bourton-on-the-Water is on the market for £1.2m.
