Harford Hill and Upper Slaughter

By Car: The starting point is on the north side of the B4068, between Andoversford and Stow on the Wold, where a loop of the former road forms a large lay-by. If coming from the east the lay-by is 400 metres past the first cross-roads after passing through Lower Swell. If coming from the west it is at the top of the hill immediately after crossing the Windrush at Harford Bridge.

By Bus: Public transport links to the Cotswold villages are minimal, however it would be possible to walk part of the route by taking the once a week 819 bus from Bourton on the Water (late morning on a Friday) and getting off at Harford Bridge. Walk west for 500 metres along the verge of the B4068 to find a field gate on the right giving access to a side valley. Go through the gate and join the route at waypoint 2. From Upper Slaughter you would need to follow the well waymarked Wardens Way south to Bourton on the Water. Bourton has regular bus services from Moreton in Marsh and Cheltenham.

[1] From the eastern end of the lay-by walk east along the B4068. After 300 metres go through a bridle gate on the right hand side of the road (at the time of writing there is no waymark here) and walk down the slope along a driveway. Pass a private house on your right, immediately after go right through a gate onto a rough track at right angles to your previous route. The track leads you down into a dry valley.

[2] Cross the bottom of the valley to the edge of the woodland. Take the track that runs steeply uphill through the middle of the trees. Go through a gate at the top of the slope and walk ahead through a grassy field with a hedge on your left. A gate at the far end of the field takes you onto a track leading to a minor road.

At this point you are close to the deserted village of Harford (A), just out of sight in the valley. It is thought that this settlement declined as the village of Naunton grew further up the Windrush. Turn left and walk along the road for 1.5 kilometres. The road runs along the top of a slope overlooking the Windrush valley. Fine views open out to your right.

[3] The minor road terminates at a T junction. Go straight ahead onto a track beside houses. Continue ahead through three gates to reach a broad grassy strip. There are three gates at the far end of this strip. (Ignore a fourth in the wall half way along on the left.) Go through the left hand gate of the three and turn left, following the field edge downhill. From this point you have another wide view. Your eye will probably be drawn to the church spire of Lower Slaughter and, beyond it, the mast on Icomb Hill.

Go down a small holloway and emerge onto a minor road at the outskirts of Upper Slaughter. Cross over and continue straight ahead along the road leading into the village. If time permits you may wish to see more of this village, perhaps visiting the 12th century church (B) and the ford over the River Eye (C). To follow the direct route turn left and walk round the square, past the churchyard gates, to reach the lane leading north. At the top of a slope leading down to the River Eye turn left onto a bridleway signposted as the Wardens Way. For much of the remainder of the walk you will be following the Wardens Way. This long distance path, devised by the Cotswold Voluntary Wardens Service, runs from Bourton on the Water to Winchcombe.

The bridleway is easy to follow through a wooded strip and then over grassy fields. Go though a gate by a cottage and turn left onto an unsurfaced driveway. Follow this driveway for 600 metres to reach the B4068 again. Along this section you come close to the River Eye in what appears to be its natural state.

Eyford (D) is another deserted village site. There were 21 inhabitants at the time of the Domesday Book, but the village was depopulated by 1327, according to the Victoria County History. Parkland surrounding a country house now occupies the area. It is claimed that John Milton wrote part of his poem Paradise Lost while visiting an earlier house here.

[4] Turn left along the B4068. For the next 400 metres there is no option but to walk along the road, still following the Wardens Way. Take particular care as there are no verges on this section. It may be best to keep to the left hand side until you have passed a right hand bend.

Turn right onto a track with a Wardens Way signpost. This is the left hand of the two tracks leaving the road at this point. Pass to the right of a row of cottages and go through a gate onto a grassy track in an attractive valley. Follow the track uphill, close to the left hand wall. Continue through three fields, gradually gaining height. At a gateway by a barn, the track takes a sharp turn to the left. Follow the edge of the next field until you emerge on a minor road.

[5] Turn left and walk 600 metres down the road to its junction with the B4068. Here you turn right and walk 400 metres back to the start. There is a wide grassy verge on most of this section.

The place name Slaughter is thought to derive from an Old English word meaning mire or stream. The modern word slough has the same root. There is some evidence that Upper Slaughter was the older of the two Slaughter villages. There was a castle here in the 12th century, although little can be seen of it today. Among the architectural gems of the village are the cottages around the square. These were remodelled in 1906 by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

St Peter's church dates mainly from the 12th century, although there are traces of earlier construction. The church was largely reconstructed in 1877, preserving the original appearance and much of the fabric.

Refreshments: The Lords of the Manor hotel in Upper Slaughter is a rather grand country house hotel. If you extend the walk by following the well waymarked Wardens Way through the fields to Lower Slaughter, a distance of just over 1 km, there is a riverside tea room in the Old Mill.