On 5th September 24 members and Bernard Gill, Glos Area Secretary, set forth on a lovely morning along a footpath leading to the High Street in Bourton-on-the Water, following the street out of the village and crossing the A429 opposite a gate signposted the Windrush Way.
With the River Windrush on their left they walked on through a couple of fields gently sloping into a wooded hollow, before turning right at sign for the Gloucestershire Way. They stopped briefly for a group photo, then ascended though a tree lined corridor out onto a harvested field edge. Joining a track they climbed North with beautiful views behind them to the road.
Continuing ahead along the roadside for a short distance they then turned right and headed down a quiet road to Upper Slaughter. Both Upper and Lower Slaughter tucker down in the Eye Valley and are two of the most charming villages in the area.
The group stopped for a coffee break in the small square in Upper Slaughter near the church before continuing down through the village to reach and cross over a pretty ford. Then they headed up hill out of the village branching off left along a walled path, the Wardens Way. Continuing over a tiny footbridge they bore right onto a path, snaking through a run of meadows alongside the River Eye.
Reaching Lower Slaughter they turned right at Mill Lane stopping at the Old Mill for an ice cream. Refreshed they followed the river through this picturesque village turning right by The Slaughter Country Inn and then left through a small gate. Following a narrow path alongside the River Eye, and after a wooded area they reached the A429. Crossing this busy road they turned left to walk a short distance to a metal gate, leading onto a pathway through fields to a minor road. They then turned right and walked a few yards reaching a gate, passing through fields to the Greystones Farm Nature Reserve and shortly after stopped for lunch by a bridge over the river with stepping stones, a nice bench and a large log to sit on.
After their lunch break they walked on reaching the Reserve’s Bronze Age Round House. From here they continued on passing Bourton-on-the-Water lakes until they joined Cemetery Lane and made their way back into the Village.
We join the Gloucestershire Way
From dark woodland to wide open spaces
Walking through Upper Slaughter
Walking through Lower Slaughter
The Iron Age Hut and Carvings
Heading back to Bourton on the Water