Walking to Lower and Upper Slaughter, and a shorter walk at Greystones

Ask anyone who has stayed in Bourton more than a day what they did and the answer is usually the walk to the Slaughters. Lower Slaughter is about 1.5 miles, or 2.5 kilometres, north of the village by the field path, and Upper Slaughter about a kilometre further up the valley of the little River Eye. Both are much quieter than Bourton, and getting there on foot is half the point.

The route

Bourton sits at a junction of waymarked paths: the village visitor site counts nine waymarked walking routes through the village, including the Monarch's Way and the Heart of England Way. The Mousetrap Inn's own walking notes give the simplest way to Lower Slaughter: about 1.5 miles one way, following part of the Warden's Way, the 13-mile path to Winchcombe, starting at the war memorial in the village centre and passing St Lawrence's Church before heading out across open fields and quiet lanes. The line on this guide's map follows that route along the paths mapped in OpenStreetMap. From the church it runs west to the edge of the village, climbs the embankment of the old Banbury and Cheltenham railway, which closed to passengers in 1962, and crosses the A429 Fosse Way. That is a fast main road, so cross with care. On the far side the path goes north over the fields, follows a minor road for a stretch and drops into Lower Slaughter beside the River Eye, where the stream runs along the street under small stone footbridges past the Old Mill.

From Lower Slaughter it is about another kilometre up the valley to Upper Slaughter. The Mousetrap describes a 5.4-mile circular walk that takes in both villages and joins part of the Windrush Way, following the river west out of Bourton and looping back over farmland. There is no bus between the Slaughters and Bourton, so plan to walk both ways. With time to stop in both villages, give it two to three hours.

What to wear and when

The field paths are muddy after rain, sometimes very muddy, so wear boots outside a dry summer spell. The Mousetrap Inn, on Lansdowne at the north-western end of Bourton, recommends both walks for dogs and says it has water bowls and dog-friendly rooms waiting. Keep dogs on leads near livestock and close the gates behind you. In late autumn and winter the light goes early, so set off by lunchtime.

A shorter walk: Greystones

If you do not have three hours, walk the other way. Greystones Farm, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust's reserve on the eastern edge of the village, is five minutes from the green and free. The Trust waymarks a Wildlife Walk and a Time-Travel Trail across the farm, past Salmonsbury Camp, the Iron Age enclosure, and a replica roundhouse, and the Oxfordshire Way long-distance path runs through it. The paths are level or grassy, there are no stiles, and the path from the farmyard to the roundhouse is fine for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The wildflower meadows are a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the Trust says May to September is the best time to visit; early marsh, southern marsh and common spotted orchids flower there in May and early June. The meadows walk is closed in the wetter months to protect the ground and the snipe that feed there. There is no parking at the farm: use the Station Road car park and walk.

Dogs are welcome on the public paths but must be on short leads, two metres or less, from 1 March to 31 July, and the Trust asks for leads throughout to protect wildlife.

Back in Bourton

Finish at the Mousetrap, if you have booked, or at the Kingsbridge by the river, which welcomes dogs throughout the pub. Bakery on the Water closes at 5pm in summer and 4pm in winter, so a late return means missing the last of the day's bread.