A self-guided weekend through classic Cotswolds.
This is a self-guided short break linking Bourton-on-the-Water with Winchcombe. It is a delightful two-day walk, with three nights accommodation, in one of the loveliest parts of the Cotswolds. Leave any day you like.
From Bourton, pass through Lower Slaughter and then Upper Slaughter (the name not remotely in keeping with these pretty, tranquil villages) and so to the hidden villages of Naunton and Guiting Power. Up to the lip of the escarpment and then the panoramic descent to Winchcombe, passing close to Sudeley Castle. On day two follow the River Windrush into Bourton-on-the-Water. Or you can have the first night in Winchcombe, and do the route the other way round. In both cases follow the Windrush Way and the Warden’s Way.
Price:
£275 per person based on 2 people sharing. Upgrades to alternative accommodation possible for supplementary payment.
Included:
3 nights B&B with private bathrooms, luggage transportation each walking day, route notes and maps, local back-up.
Not Included:
Lunches, dinners, drinks, insurance, anything not mentioned in programme.
Departure Dates:
Any day April-October subject to accommodation availability
Note:
This classic walk can include extra nights and extra walks if required – Please Ask
Day 1:
Arrive in Bourton-on-the-Water.Your route notes and maps will await you at your accommodation. Noted for its succession of stone bridges across the pretty River Windrush, there is plenty to see and do here, including the Cotswold Model Village. Overnight in Bourton.
Day 2:
Walk Bourton to Winchcombe.A classic route takes you first through Lower Slaughter, with its working mill, and to Upper Slaughter, where the River Eye is forded. Come to Naunton and Guiting Power (both with pubs where you can take your lunch), before passing the house where George III paused on his journey from Cheltenham, as you descend into Winchcombe. Overnight Winchcombe. 21 kms/13 miles
Day 3:
Walk Winchcombe to Bourton-on-the-Water.Return to Sudeley Castle and then up to the Cotswold escarpment and onto the old Salt Way, for centuries part of the distribution network from the salt pans in Droitwich. Continue to Hawling and Aylworth, then pass the sites of vanished medieval villages before rejoining the Windrush back to Bourton. Overnight Bourton. 21 kms/13 miles
Day 4:
Departure after breakfast. This walk can also start and finish in Winchcombe.
