May 14 – Thursday was our second day in Broadway and we decided to see some of the neighboring villages. Using AllTrails, we found a 6-ish mile loop starting in Bourton-on-the-Water and then passing through Upper and Lower Slaughters (slaughters means “marsh”).
Bourton calls itself “the Venice of the Cotswolds” as the lovely Windrush river flows gently throught the center of town. It is criss-crossed with many foot bridges and is a very popular tourist destination. We found a long term parking lot and strapped on our rucksacks and headed out along the river.
As soon as we left the hubbub of the village, the sounds of birdsong overtook us. Using my Merlin App, I identified Eurasian Jackdaws, Common Wood Pigeons, Mallards, Eurasian Collared Doves, Dunnocks and European Greenfinches. Since arriving in England, I’ve added 12 new bird species to my life list in Merlin.
Our trail veered away from the river and started through fields and pastures. The public rights of way through fields are amazing and the fun trick of trying to figure out the gate latch mechanism at each. We must have encountered at least different ones on this day alone.
We dropped down a hill and entered into the tiny hamlet of Upper Slaughter. The River Eye meanders through the village of a couple dozen homes – half on each side. One road crosses a bridge, while another dips into the shallow river causing drivers and horses to ford the river. We found a park bench along the river and enjoyed some baked goods that we had purchased in Bourton.
Venturing on to Lower Slaughter, we find a nice hotel with a large outdoor dining area. We stopped for a pint and a short rest. After our refreshment, we continued back towards Bourton-on-the-Water. I missed a turn and we needed up passing an equestrian center that Pam visited two years ago. All of a sudden, she said “there’s Hans!” And sure enough, the Irish draft horse she had ridden in 2024 was in the pasture next to where we walked. It was a fortuitous detour.
<insert horse photo>
We finished our loop back in Bourton and celebrated with an ice cream cone. Then it was back to Broadway to freshen up and then a nice dinner at The Swan, an inn down the road from our inn.
We polished off the night with a brief stroll through downtown and back on a public footpath behind the downtown streets. We have loved discovering all the public footpaths in the area.
Leave a Reply