Things to Do in Upper and Lower Slaughter

3km (2 miles) N of Bourton-on-the-Water; 6.5km (4 miles) SW of Stow-on-the-Wold

Midway between Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold are two of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds: Upper and Lower Slaughter. Don't be put off by the name -- "Slaughter" is actually a corruption of de Sclotre, the name of the original Norman landowner. Houses here are constructed of honey-colored Cotswold stone, and a stream meanders right through the street, providing a home for free-wandering ducks, which beg scraps from kindly passersby. Upper Slaughter has a fine example of a 17th-century Cotswold manor house.

The Old Mill, in Lower Slaughter (tel. 01451/820052; www.oldmill-lowerslaughter.com), is a sturdy 19th-century stone structure built on the River Eye with the sole purpose of grinding out flour. The river still turns the massive water wheel that powers this Victorian flourmill today. Visitors can enjoy an ice-cream parlor and tearoom while visiting the mill. Entrance to the mill costs £1.25 for adults, 50p for children.