Upper slaughter, Lower Slaughter and Bourton on The Water

On a Sunday forget it. No bus service.
On a weekday it is a 40 minute train ride Bristol to Cheltenham Spa, bus to Royal Wells bus station (a grand name for a row of shelters), then a 50 minute bus ride every 90 minutes on bus #801 bound for Moreton in Marsh.

Well shoot. Will see if I can change days. I really wanted to see all three. Thank you!

you could use taxis from Cheltenham Spa, and have them return for you

Thank you for the taxi suggestion. I had thought of that or uber. It is a considerable distance. I will have to choose another day trip I think. Thank you!

I booked a tour of the area for the same price and a lot less stress of a missed connection. Thanks for the help!

On my England tour a couple years ago we stayed in Stow-on-Wold. Some of the group walked to both Upper and Lower Slaughter I think. After the tour I stayed in Chipping Campden and took a van tour which went to Bourton on Water among other villages. Bourton on Water was so crowded, I didn't really enjoy as much as our other stops.

I think a van tour is a good solution when you want to see multiple villages in a single day and have no car at your disposal. You'll cover a lot of ground and see pretty scenery. The villages are quite small, so if you're a fast walker, you can see a lot of what's there even with the relatively short tour stops. It's a shame not to be able to do a town-to-town walk if that was on your agenda, but depending on infrequent public buses in rural areas can be frustrating. I was once marooned in Ripoll, Spain, when my bus back to Girona simply didn't show up. It was a Sunday. Lesson learned (I hope).

Acraven, I have a propensity for trouble like getting lost and with so few bus and train options, I just couldnt risk it. I did want to do the walk, but the tour is a good alternative and maybe less stressful. Thank you!

Laurie Beth you may be conflating two walks. To walk the walk you did, do you think you stayed in Stow on the Wold or somewhere nearby? Keswick is in the Lake District - another fine walking area with arguably better views even.

Most of the Cotswold villages are small and you can hit the 'high spots' in the short time the coach tours allow you.

If it is an infrequent bus service, I also have nightmares the bus won't turn up or will be running so late I'm worried I've missed it. I always have a list of local taxi firms for just such an 'emergency'...

One of the Rabbies tours I took out of Bath to tour the Cotswolds offered the option of letting passengers walk between the Slaughters and the van would pick them up at the other end.

It was a few years ago so check with them to see if they still do that

Thanks, Nigel. The MN cold must be freezing my brain. I corrected my post.