Bourton-on-the-Water

• ●If you're driving into Bourton from the Fosse Way, drive along Station Road. Lansdowne (the road that satnav takes you along) gets clogged with traffic and doesn't have much parking.
• ●On busier days, there are extra car parks at The Cotswold School, on Station Road and Bourton Cricket Club, on Rissington Road. There's also extra parking opposite the petrol station.
• ●There is a popular footpath walk (the Wardens' Way) from Bourton to Lower Slaughter which also takes you past the Hawkstone Brewery.

1. 1

   Experience

   The Model Village

   A 1:9 scale stone replica of Bourton-on-the-Water, built in the 1930s and Grade II listed in its own right.

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2. 2

   Wildlife

   Birdland Park & Gardens

   Nine acres of riverside gardens with over 500 birds, including the only king and gentoo penguins in Britain.

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3. 3

   Museum

   Cotswold Motoring Museum

   Edwardian motorcars, vintage signs and the original Brum car loved by a generation of children.

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4. 4

   Family

   Dragonfly Maze

   A traditional yew hedge maze with a quest to find the golden dragonfly at its centre.

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• The Mousetrap Inn

  Cosy 18th-century pub, log fires and proper Cotswold beers.

• Bakery on the Water

  Sourdough, pasties and excellent coffee, with a tiny terrace overlooking the river.

• The Dial House

  Restaurant with rooms in a 1698 manor — the smartest dining in the village.

• Smiths of Bourton

  An award-winning, family-run boutique burger and cocktails joint.

• By car

  1h40 from London via the A40, 35 min from Cheltenham. Free parking is limited — use the pay-and-display on Rissington Road.

• By public transport

  train to Moreton-in-Marsh, then the 801 bus (20 minutes).

Late spring and early autumn are perfect — long days, mild light and fewer tour-bus crowds than July and August. Christmas brings Bourton's famous tree-in-the-river for extra illumination.

• Mon 31 Aug 2026

  Football in the River 2026

  Bourton Rovers play their annual six-a-side match in the shallow River Windrush running through the village centre — a quirky August Bank Holiday tradition dating back over a century.

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Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages within easy reach of Bourton-on-the-Water — browse availability for your dates on Booking.com.

Within 10 miles, ordered by distance.

1. 1

   Historic · 0.9 mi · Lower Slaughter

   The Old Mill

   A 19th-century corn mill on the River Eye, with its original red-brick chimney and waterwheel still turning. Currently open as a coffee bar.

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2. 2

   Church · 0.9 mi · Lower Slaughter

   St Mary's Church

   Mostly Victorian (1867) but with a 14th-century tower, set quietly among the cottages on the green.

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3. 3

   Church · 1.3 mi · Upper Slaughter

   St Peter's Church

   Mostly 12th-century Norman with later additions, set on the rise above the village.

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4. 4

   Church · 3.4 mi · Stow-on-the-Wold

   St Edward's Church, Stow

   The medieval parish church on Stow's market square — best known for the ancient north door framed between two yew trees, often said to have inspired Tolkien.

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5. 5

   Historic · 3.4 mi · Stow-on-the-Wold

   The Porch House

   First a hospice for travellers in AD 947, then an inn, now both — order a pint by the open fireplace and look up at the witches' marks in the beams.

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• ↦

  The Diamond Way

  A 60-mile circular walking route through the heart of the North Cotswolds — named for the diamond shape it traces on the map.

  Circular through the North Cotswolds — 60 miles, often started at Moreton-in-Marsh

• ↦

  The Heart of England Way

  A 100-mile waymarked route from Cannock Chase in Staffordshire to Bourton-on-the-Water — terminating at one of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds.

  Cannock Chase (Staffordshire) to Bourton-on-the-Water — 100 miles

• ↦

  The Wardens' Way

  A 14-mile walking route from Bourton-on-the-Water to Winchcombe, designed by the wardens of the Cotswolds National Landscape.

  Bourton-on-the-Water to Winchcombe — 14 miles

• ↦

  The Windrush Way

  A 14-mile walking route between Winchcombe and Bourton-on-the-Water — the southern half of a circuit paired with the Wardens' Way.

  Winchcombe to Bourton-on-the-Water — 14 miles

• ↦

  The Oxfordshire Way

  A 68-mile waymarked path from Bourton-on-the-Water to Henley-on-Thames — across the east Cotswolds, the Vale of the White Horse and the Chilterns.

  Bourton-on-the-Water to Henley-on-Thames — 68 miles

• ↦

  The Macmillan Way

  A 290-mile cross-country route from Lincolnshire to Dorset — the central Cotswold section, between Chipping Norton and Bath, is among the prettiest stretches.

  Boston (Lincs) to Abbotsbury (Dorset) — 290 miles, central section through the Cotswolds

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