A SMALL lesser visited village in the Cotswolds has been named one of the best places in the UK.
Upper Slaughter is often overlooked, being near the famous Bourton-on-the-Water.
It is also less popular than the similarly named Lower Slaughter, it’s sister village nearby.
However, they were both named by a recent survey conducted by Which? looking at the UK’s best towns and villages.
Just making the top 20, they received a full five stars for being attractive.
While they ranked low for shopping and attractions – not having any of either – they still make for a great day trip option.
Upper Slaughter is said to be like going back in time, with no new buildings in nearly 120 years.
The last time any major renovation work was done was in 1906, to the main village square.
It is one of the Thankful Villages in the UK, which means they lost no men during World War I.
However, they also didn’t lose any men in World War II , so is also dubbed a Double Thankful Village (and one of just 14 in the UK).
Of course, this is likely to be due to the small population number, with fewer than 200 locals.
In the summer , you will also spot the locals playing in the The River Eye which runs through the village.
The village also sits on the Warden’s Way, a popular hiking route that runs for five miles.
It’s main attraction is St Peter’s Church which dates back to the 12th century, and has a war memorial in the form of a stained glass window.
There is also the Upper Slaughter Manor, dating back to 1086 after being mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086.
It fell into disrepair until being restored in the 19th century, and is now a private home.
It does open to the public a few times a year during the summer as part of the Historic Houses Association although sadly doesn’t have any upcoming dates.
The village has just one hotel, the Lords of the Manor, which was once part of a larger estate that included the Upper Slaughter Manor.
The lesser-visited Cotswolds spots according to a local
The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey grew up in the Cotswolds – here are her favourite, overlooked spots.
The village of Burford is dubbed the Gateway to the Cotswolds, so you’d be forgiven for thinking it might be a bit boring.
There is the Burford Sweet Shop where I’d often fill a brown paper bag with, as well as another Hunter’s cafe selling the best and biggest brownies you’ll ever see.
And at the bottom was where we would take our crusts from sandwiches we couldn’t finish from lunch, throwing them over the river bridge to the eager ducks.
My hometown was Witney, which I have often written about before.
It’s not as quaint as it’s surrounding villages – the market town is much more functional than pretty with the majority of shops being chain restaurants and high street brands.
It’s still got an element of the Cotswolds beauty, having just over 1,400 locals.
Dating back to 1649, it was turned into a hotel in the 1960s.
Inside are 25 rooms as well as a Good Food Guide listed restaurant.
The gardens also open to the public a few times a year, with the next opening date on September 17.
Otherwise if you fancy a trip to the pub, you’ll have to head to Lower Slaughter, to find The Slaughters Country Inn.
To get to Upper Slaughter, the nearest train station is Kingham which is around 20 minutes away by car.
Hourly trains run to and from London Paddington, taking around 1hr20.
Here is another Cotswolds village that is rarely visited, despite being just as beautiful.
And there is one town dubbed the ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’.
