Day 5 of our guided Story of the Cotswolds trip heralded a glorious early autumn day.
Everyone was feeling well rested following our shorter trail yesterday. We hopped aboard the minibuses to ride to Lower Slaughter where we were beginning today’s hike. We had the village to ourselves as we walked along, admiring the little bridges over the River Eye and handsome Cotswold stone cottages. Great fun was had picking out which one we would love to live in!
Despite the gory sounding name, Lower Slaughter was not a place of a former battle but came from the ancient word ‘ Schlacter ‘ which means uneven ground with water pools.
Then we walked out on country lanes, lined with hedgerows adorned with red hawthorn berries, red rosehips and blue/purple coloured sloes. Skies were cloudy but bright.
As we headed into the woodland, we caught sight of an old stretch of Cotswolds stone wall covered in green moss. The landscape was undulating with gentle ups and downs. This was the beautiful Windrush valley.
Overhead, we caught sight of Buzards and Kites (birds of prey) soaring on the thermals. We paused in the valley to enjoy a mint humbug and a water break!
Soon our village lunchtime stop was in sight! The church sat beautifully in the distance. We dropped down into the village and passed the ancient dovecote. A Grade II listed building with approximately 1,200 nestholes! A dovecote was considered a visible expression of high economic status related to a luxurious diet.
After exploring the church we headed to the village pub for lunch. It was well used by the locals and had a great atmosphere serving traditional British pub food.
As we exited the pub a heavy cloudburst fell on us! Undeterred we donned our waterproofs and the downpour soon passed as quickly as it started.
Then, the sun came out. The winds (which sounded magnificent blowing through the trees) blew away the clouds and blue skies re-emerged. As we walked during the afternoon the low slung autumn sun shone golden onto the turning trees and countryside. A truly beautiful effect.
We hiked through a tunnel of trees with bright sunshine at its end. The guests in front of us were silhouetted in the sunlight. It was a special afternoon hike.
We arrived into the village of Upper Slaughter via the ford (a crossing over the River for cars) and some of us bravely waded through to wash our boots of mud. An egret (white bird) was in the river and flew up into the nearby tree.
Meeting our drivers we drove on to the next country inn on our trip, set in a beautiful Cotswolds wool town. Everyone got checked in ready for a hot shower or bath before dinner. A wonderful early autumn day in the Cotswolds.
Alison
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