Cotswold Walking Holiday

Our Top 3 places on our own Cotswold Finest hiking route

Here are our 3 favourite places to explore on our own Cotswold Walking Holiday. They are not places that receive millions of visitors each year. Rather they are places that you can best experience on foot. Each place is on our own Cotswold finest hiking route.

1 The Slaughters

The Slaughters comprise of both Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter both set on the banks of the River Eye and joined by the very same river. Both are beautiful examples of Cotswold villages unspoilt by any modernisation, with no building work taking place at all since 1906.

The name comes from old English ‘Slohtre‘, which has nothing to do with killing things and means, simply, ‘Muddy place’.

Lower Slaughter is home to the pretty church of St Mary and has two hotels and a mill which has been converted into a gift shop and tea shops. 

The less-visited Upper Slaughter lies, as its name suggests, minutes upstream from Lower Slaughter. The cottages around the square were reconstructed by the famous architect Sir Edward Lutyens in 1906. Upper Slaughter Manor, once a medieval house, is now home to a rather grand country house hotel.

2 Naunton

Naunton is a delightful small village spread out along the floor of the deep Windrush Valley. The church has a handsome Perpendicular tower with pinnacles and gargoyles and the interior has a beautiful carved early 15th-century stone pulpit and font. There is a little bridge over the River Windrush near the Old Rectory, and a traditional Cotswold Inn, named ‘The Blackhorse’. Look out for the charming 17th-century dovecote overlooking the stream.

3 Stanton

Stanton is a small village both on our own route and also on the popular Cotswold Way. It takes its name from ‘stan’ (stone) from which it is built – similarly to the neighbouring village of Stanway.

The village is another fine example of traditional Cotswold stone buildings and contains a number of 16th and 17th century houses as well as a restored, medieval cross and a church in which some Norman work is still evident.

Walk through the village up the hill and you will reach The Mount Inn (there is no tea shop or post office) which stands on a mount at the end of the village, it is a lovely pub and great rest stop with spectacular views across the Vale of Evesham towards the Malvern Hills and Welsh mountains beyond.

Do you have any questions or would you like to book a Cotswold Walking Holiday? You can get in touch with us at our email address [email protected] . Happy hiking!