Bourton-on-the-Water to The Slaughters Circular Walk

8.6 k / 5.4 miles

HIGHLIGHTS: This lovely riverside circular walk takes in the beautiful villages of Bourton on the Water, Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter. This easy route through rivers and fields is mainly flat with one short uphill climb, taking in the beautiful countryside surrounding Bourton.

DOGS: Yes

ACCESIBILITY: No. It’s a flat path but uneven terrain and gates/ bridges on this walk. Bourton on the-Water itself is a accessible village and very pleasant for a stroll.

EAT/ DRINK: Many options in Bourton on the Water, including our favourite, The Bakery on the Water. There is a nice hotel in the Slaughters as well if you fancy treating yourself, as well as a few pubs to choose from.

PARKING: The start and end point is Bourton on the Water. Bourton has two large pay and display car parks. Station Road (GL54 2EN), or Rissington Road (GL54 2BN). We recommend Station Road Car Park for this walk. Bourton-on-the-water gets extremely busy, and parking can be problematic on busy weekends and school holidays. Be sure to arrive early to ensure a parking spot.

STEP BY STEP:

From the car park, make your way to the main village high street and to the war memorial on the green, next to the River Windrush that runs through the centre of the village. Cross the river, walking past the Bakery on the Water (Tip: Delicious coffee and cakes, and bacon rolls! We always begin here )

Continue along this road past the pub ( the Duke of Wellington) to Hill View Cottage, where you where you will see signposts for the Windrush Way immediately after the cottage.

Follow the signposts: they will take you down a narrow lane, which come out ou to a grassy area behind some cottages next to the river.

Follow the path along the river, crossing over the stone bridge in front of the old mill house and pond.

Turn left at the road, walking along the pavement for a short while before reaching the A429.

Continue to Follow signs for the Windrush Way. The path then crosses the busy A429 so take extra care.

Over the road, directly opposite, continue to follow the signs for the Windrush Way, following the river through the fields.

Follow the wide and well-defined path through feilds, then through a gate and a small wooded area.

When the path forks in two, take the RIGHT HAND FORK, marked the Gloucestershire Way (there is a shed with a safari mural on it in an adjacent field).

Follow this path through trees and fields until it meets the road. At the road, turn left, and walk along the road for 300 metres on the grass verge (no pavement).

Just before the farmhouse, turn right on to the small road, following the signs for Upper/Lower Slaughter.

After 400 meters, you will see the village of Upper Slaughter in front of you, but take take the track off to the left. (Alternatively, you can continue to follow the road down to the manor house and take a left at the junction, which will also lead you into the village. We did this as the ground through the field was quite boggy as we had recently had lots of rain).

If you have left the road to walk across the field, go through the gate at the end of the path, and through another gate immediately to your right and follow the path downhill following the signposts for Upper Slaughter/ Lower Swell. This will lead you right into the small village square.

Take a left at the square past the church to explore a scenic spot to rest over looking the shallow River.

After exploring Upper Slaughter, retrace your steps to the square. You can see the Lord of the Manor Hotel in the village square, which looks so beautiful. As well as formal dinner and lunches, it offers lighter bites and a bar menu in the garden terrace.

Follow the road past the hotel and take a right down a small lane (signposted The Wardens Way).

Cross the small bridge and into the fields. You are now heading towards Lower Slaughter.

The path will pass through a gate and follow the banks of the River Eye. At the end of the path and a few fields and gates, you will arrive at Lower Slaughter.

Turn right, walking past the stunning historic old mill, which is a museum ( currently being revamped at the time of our walk and was still closed for rennovations).

The path along the river will lead you out of Lower Slaughter through the pretty cotswold stone buildings along the bank of the river.

When you reach the main road, the path begins to curve right, past the impossibly perfect looking country pub the Slaughters Inn and opposite is the impressive Slaughter Manor House Hotel which also serves food, drinks and afternoon tea.

Past the slaughters Inn pub, see a signpost for Bourton-on-the-Water, pointing right. Follow this path with the river on your right. The river starts to bend to the left while the path continues straight on.

Stay on the path heading straight, all the way to Bourton on the Water, crossing over at the pedestrian crossing on the A429. You will enter Bourton on the Water via Station Road, which will lead you back to the car park. This last section of the walk along Station Road is along residential streets but is only for about 10 minutes.

Verdict: A great walk with very pretty scenery and three of the best villages for scenic beauty that the Cotswolds have to offer! There are some short sections along unpaved roads, but we did not find this too hard with our kids. The flat and easy terrain with minimal hills was perfect for our 5 year old.

There are plenty of opportunities for the kids to play in shallow water and paddle in the lovely rivers along this walk. A particularly nice spot is in Upper Slaughter ( take a left in the square, past the church), a good picnic spot with large ancient trees for shade, and shallow waters and low stone bridges flowing in front of stunning historic cottages.

There are also three hospitality options in the Slaughters, which look amazing! There is one in Upper Slaughter, The Lord of Manor Hotel, and two in Lower Slaughter, the Slaughters Country Inn, and the Slaughters Manor House Hotel. Each one has beautiful views and stunning gardens to sit and enjoy food and drinks. Sounds perfect for a warm summer’s day; we will be returning for that!