Hi InMiami,
Here is a link to the Frommers description of the walk between Upper and Lower Slaughter. Note it indicates one can park in the Central Car Park in Upper Slaughter.

Jane

oops - here's the link
http://tinyurl.com/3ybso8

Sorry, InMiami... I'm not sure if I can pinpoint one for you. Hopefully someone more familiar with the western parts of the Cotswolds can help.

Good luck!

I personally would not try to combine Bath and the Cotswolds from the same base village. Pick a nice Cotswold village/town - stay 2 nights, then move on to Bath and stay 1 night. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time to-ing and fro-ing.

Cirencester ...

http://www.cotswolds.info/places/cirencester.shtml

...would make a fairly good base for you. It is a market town, and there are many small villages within a few miles that might be what you are looking for. Bibury comes to mind...

http://www.bibury.com/

and you'll find plenty of other places on this website...

http://www.cotswolds.info/gloucestershire/

Question; If I park in Upper Slaughter, hike to Lower Slaughter and then hike on to Bourton can we return to our car by taxi?

We will not have problem walking back but I don't want to arrive at our hotel too late in the evening.

Well, you can get a cab company number, phone them, wait for it to arrive from wherever it's based (if they're not otherwise engaged), then go back.

But I can't even begin to imagine all that palaver's going to be any quicker than just walking back. Even going the long way round, it's only three miles: retracing your steps is less than two. And buying a copy of OL45 will be a lot cheaper than paying someone in Europe's richest postcode to spend an hour or so driving out to Bourton to collect you

flanneruk, point well taken. We will just need to slow down and enjoy the stroll!