Why Slaughters?
A very obvious question and almost everyone including myself asked this; why such a gruesome name for something so beautiful.
Very simply the “Slaughters” comes from the English word ‘slohtre‘ which means muddy place. Well today these villages are far from being muddy, they are rather so well manicured with luxury hotels and an entire beeline of Instagram influencers.
There are two villages Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter. The latter is least visited. Most visit the former and thats what i visited too.
How to reach Lower Slaughter?
The village is really tiny. There is no train station here. I took a bus from Stow on Wolds to Bourton on water. And from there i walked to Lower Slaughter. This was my car free holiday.
But best would be to travel by car or walk from Bourton on water. Walk along the river Eye or on the main road. There is a sign for ‘Slaughters’. Take that turn and walk on one side, there is no pedestrian walk way. Its a like a dusty village road. It was so quiet, all i heard was my footsteps.
What to see and do in Lower Slaughter?
The Manor House : A beautiful and luxury hotel in Lower Slaughter, The Manor House is in such an idyllic setting, you will want to stay here forever. If you are not staying here, try to get a booking for its afternoon tea by the River Eye. And even if not this, then click lots of pictures and admire this really lovely period building.
The Old Mill Museum : Dated since 1086 AD with a reference in the Doomsday book, the mill having undergone several restorations stands here with its little museum and a cafe. Visit this on your trip to the Slaughters. I couldn’t as it was closed but got this cool pic of an old ice cream pail which i really liked.
And there is still a small post box here.
St Mary Church : Every village has a church and so does Lower Slaughter. St Mary’s Church which dates back to 1867 is the village parish and also stands out tall among the honey colore cottages. I didnt really try entering, but clicked few pics. It did serve as a focal point for all the walks around the village.
Walk around : The best thing you can do is just walk around. I walked around the entire village twice, as once was not enough. Its really small and you will click lots of pictures, so another round of walk, you can actually enjoy and soak in the beauty and tranquility of this village.
Further from here?
You can walk to Upper Slaughter, its about a 20-30 min walk. You can walk to Bourton on water which is also a 20 min walk. If you are traveling by car you can drive to Moreton in Marsh or chipping campden or even Stow on Wolds. Check the itinerary for North Cotswolds here
