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Circular Walk Around Bourton on the Water

3.1 miles (5 km)

Ordnance Survey Map Open Streetmap Enjoy a walk through this lovely village known as the 'Venice of the Cotswolds'. The High Street is particularly picturesque with the River Windrush running through it with several pretty little stone bridges crossing. This walk makes use of the North Cotswold Diamond Way and the Oxfordshire Way to take you through the countryside to the nearby fishing lakes. You could also extend your walk by following the Windrush Way west along the river.
The walk also passes Birdland which has a variety of exotic birds and a collection of penguins. There is a large pond full of salmon which can be fed by the public. The 1930s Model village and Model Railway Exhibition are also well worth seeing.
To extend your walking from the village try our Circular Walk from Bourton through Naunton and The Slaughters. It will take you to the village of Naunton along the river before heading to The Slaughters where there's lovely paths along the River Eye to enjoy.

Postcode

GL54 2BN - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations

Bourton on the Water OS Map Ordnance survey map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Bourton on the Water Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Walks near Bourton on the Water

Pubs/Cafes

The Mousetrap Inn is a good choice for some post walk refreshments. The pub does excellent food and also has its own art gallery with landscape paintings in oil by local artist Silvi Schaumloeffel. There's a cosy, attractive interior with a log fire while outside there's a garden area for warmer days. You can find the inn at Lansdowne with a postcode of GL54 2AR for your sat navs.

Dog Walking

The village and surrounding countryside are a good place for a dog walk. The Mousetrap Inn mentioned above is also dog friendly.

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Bourton is a real tourist honeypot so there's plenty of other activities you can try. If you're a car enthusiast then the Cotswold Motoring Museum is a must see. There's vintage cars, old caravans, fine looking motorcycles and classic old motoring signs to see here. It's housed in the Old Mill on Sherborne Street with a postcode of GL54 2BY for your sat navs.
If you'd like to continue your exercise in the outdoors then Birdland is a great option. There's nice footpaths to follow to woodland, river and gardens where you can look out for hundreds of birds including swans, King Penguins, pelicans, flamingos, hornbills, cranes, storks, cassowar and owls.
The Rissington Round is a nice circular walk which also passes the village. It visits the series of lakes at the nearby Cotswolds Carp Farm before heading to the picturesque villages of Little Rissington and Great Rissington.
The Windrush Way Circular Walk starts and finishes in the village. It uses several of the waymarked footpaths running through the area to visit a number of neighbouring villages.
The Donnington Way - Cotswolds Pub Walk passes through the village. The long circular walk visits 15 fine old Donnington Brewery pubs in the Cotswolds.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Cotswolds Walks page.

Photos

Bourton on the Water - geograph.org.uk - 1055569

The mill and old stone footbridge over the River Windrush.

Bourton on the Water - geograph.org.uk - 273558

Taken on one of the four footbridges across the river.

River Windrush at Bourton-on-the-Water - geograph.org.uk - 841015

Looking south-east to the most downstream of the bridges in the village.

War Memorial, Bourton-on-the-Water - geograph.org.uk - 996626

War Memorial, Bourton-on-the-Water

Lake at Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire - geograph.org.uk - 695456

Lake at Bourton on the Water. Bench and lake at Bourton on the Water near Cotswold Carp Farm

Converted Mill House at Bourton-on-the-Water - geograph.org.uk - 453734

Converted Mill House. This private house has the garden on an island to the left with the main dwelling on the right. Looks like the river Windrush flows underneath the lounge!

The Motor Museum, Bourton-on-the-Water. - geograph.org.uk - 138523

The Motor Museum. This popular Gloucestershire village on the shallow River Windrush attracts hordes of day trippers from the West Midlands conurbation on a fine day. The museum itself is built in typical Cotswold stone.

Restaurant alongside the river, Bourton on the Water - geograph.org.uk - 699181

Restaurant alongside the river, Bourton on the Water

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Bourton on the Water.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)

Memory Map Route

Bourton on the Water.mmo (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold >Download Linked File)