DAY 6 – SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2026
Today was the first official day of our walking adventure through the Cotswolds. We were up early to get organized, eat breakfast, and have our luggage packed and ready for pickup by 8:30 AM. Since we’re combining time in London with a multi-day walking trip, fitting everything into one suitcase each was a challenge. Anything that didn’t fit would have to be carried on our backs for the day, so we packed very carefully.
After another hearty breakfast at the hotel, we grabbed our backpacks and headed out. The tour we booked is “self-guided,” meaning there’s no group and no tour guide. Instead, the tour company provides a smartphone app with the daily itinerary, route descriptions, historical highlights, and an interactive GPS map that shows exactly where you are on the trail. Thankfully, it also alerts you if you wander off course (yes, we did test this feature on our first day).
We started our walk from Moreton-in-Marsh and spent the day crossing fields, farmland, wooded trails, and quiet country lanes. Along the way we passed countless sheep, a few cows and horses, two deer, and more birds than we could possibly identify. What we really should have counted, though, was the number of gates we opened and closed throughout the day. There were a lot.
Most of today’s route followed part of The Monarch’s Way, a 625-mile footpath that traces the escape route of King Charles II after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Fortunately for us, we could take our time to take in the scenic countryside.
One of the things that surprised us most was the variety of landscapes we traveled through.
England has long-standing public footpath laws that allow walking routes to cross private land, so throughout the day we found ourselves hiking through open meadows, narrow hedge-lined paths, farmland, churchyards, wooded areas, driveways, and even directly through active cow pastures. There were a couple of moments where the cows seemed just as curious about us as we were cautious of them.
We passed through two tiny villages that seemed to consist of a handful of stone cottages and a church before eventually arriving at Stow-on-the-Wold about three hours into the walk. This was by far the busiest place we had seen all day. The town center was packed with visitors enjoying the gorgeous sunny Saturday weather, and the streets were lined with small shops, pubs, tea rooms, and restaurants.
We picked up sandwiches from a small shop and enjoyed lunch outside on a bench while doing some excellent people watching and appreciating the chance to rest our legs for a bit. After lunch we wandered through a few shops and stopped by The Porch House, which claims to be the oldest inn in England, dating back to the 10th century. It only seemed appropriate to honor that history with a beer for Greg and a cider for Karen.
After our break it was time to get moving again. We continued following The Monarch’s Way for the next couple of hours as we made our way toward Lower Slaughter, where we’ll be staying for the next two nights.
As we entered Lower Slaughter we passed the village’s famous old mill along the River Eye, one of the most photographed spots in the Cotswolds and easy to see why. We also wandered through a small arts and crafts show taking place at the village hall before finally arriving at our hotel, relieved to see that our luggage had successfully beaten us there.
After checking in, we explored the hotel grounds, which included a food truck that seemed like the perfect place for a snack after a long day of walking. Unfortunately, we quickly learned that everyone else had the exact same idea. The food truck had already sold out and closed early. Apparently a warm, sunny Saturday in England is treated as a major public event.
A quick Google search revealed that we were only about a 15-minute walk from the Hawkstone Arms, a large covered tent pub next to the Hawkstone Brewery. Both are owned by Jeremy Clarkson, whose farm shop we had visited earlier in the week. It seemed wrong not to go, so we headed over for another well-earned beer for Greg and a delicious rhubarb cider for Karen.
We made it back to the hotel with just enough time to shower and change before dinner across the street. Lower Slaughter is beautiful, but tiny. There are essentially two inns with restaurants, and that’s your dining scene. We enjoyed a very nice, somewhat fancy dinner at The Slaughters Manor House before returning to our hotel for a glass of wine and a smartphone card game (Play Nine) to end the evening.
Before bed, we wisely took time to stretch out sore muscles, while Karen opted for the even wiser strategy of a hot bath. After nearly 12 miles of walking, sleep came pretty easily.
Hammond Adventures 