Does this beautiful row of houses in the heart of the Cotswolds look familiar? This is Arlington Row, with its original Grade 1 listed 14th century buildings nestled in the sleepy village of Bibury, Gloucestershire. Strolling along in front of the cottages, I felt like I had walked into an episode of Miss Marple. The whole village has a wonderfully peaceful vibe that makes you feel like you have stepped back in time.
Whilst this has been used as a filming location over the years, its starring role has been on the inside cover of every UK passport issued between 2010 and 2020. The little embossed picture in the bottom left corner of the cardboard cover does not do the properties justice, but it has encouraged a lot of tourism to this area over the last decade.
As you approach from the footpath, you immediately know that you are in the right place, but the view does not quite add up. If you then walk to the other end of the cottages, the image looks closer, but it is still not quite right. This is because the cheeky people at the passport office have flipped the photo! To snap the perfect passport pic, you need to take it from the right-hand side (when facing the front of the cottages) and then flip the photo 180 degrees.
A little opportunity to step into your passport!
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