If you’re after a proper dog friendly Bourton-on-the-Water day out, this is the one everyone’s heard of, and for good reason. Known as the Venice of the Cotswolds, the village is built around a shallow stretch of the River Windrush, crossed by a string of low stone footbridges, with grass verges running right along the water instead of a kerb. It’s about 35 minutes from Tewkesbury, and it’s one of those places that photographs beautifully but also happens to work brilliantly as a dog walk, as long as you know what you’re walking into.
We get a lot of customers asking about Bourton over the summer, usually families staying in the area who fancy an easy village visit that doesn’t turn into a battle with a lead and an ice cream in the same hand. It’s busier than some of our other local recommendations, so it suits a confident dog more than a nervous one, but the walking on the doorstep more than makes up for the crowds in the centre.
Why Dog Friendly Bourton-on-the-Water Is Worth the Trip
The village itself is small and easy to cover in half an hour, but the real appeal for a dog is what leads off it. Two long distance paths, the Warden’s Way and the Windrush Way, both start from the war memorial on the High Street, and they open up some genuinely lovely countryside the moment you step off the main drag: open fields, riverside paths and a few quiet woodland stretches that feel a world away from the gift shops and tea rooms five minutes back.
A dog friendly Bourton-on-the-Water visit doesn’t have to mean fighting through crowds all day. Plenty of visitors do the village loop, have a coffee, and head straight off along the Warden’s Way towards Lower Slaughter instead, which is a much calmer way to spend the afternoon.
Getting There, Parking and Dog Rules
Bourton sits at postcode GL54 2LU, and from Tewkesbury it’s a straightforward run of around 35 to 40 minutes via the A46 and A429, through some genuinely pretty stretches of the Cotswolds on the way.
For parking, the two main pay and display car parks are on Rissington Road (GL54 2BN) and Station Road (GL54 2EN), both a short walk from the river and the High Street. Both get busy on weekends and school holidays, so arriving earlier in the day gives you the best chance of a space, and it’s worth bringing a card or phone for payment as most Cotswold car parks have moved away from coins.
In the village centre itself, dogs are welcome everywhere outdoors, but it’s a lead-on job around the river and footbridges. The water’s shallow and popular with paddling children in summer, the bridges have low parapets, and the pavements get properly packed on a sunny day, so it’s not the place for a dog that pulls or likes to investigate every passing push chair. Once you’re out on the Warden’s Way or Windrush Way, the paths cross working farmland in several stretches, so leads go back on around livestock, same rule as most Cotswold walking country. There are poo bins dotted around the village, though you won’t find many once you’re out on the open footpaths, so it’s worth carrying bags for the whole walk.
Something to Do While You’re There
If your dog’s after more than a village stroll, the full Warden’s Way and Windrush Way circuit run by the Cotswolds National Landscape team covers just over ten miles and loops out through Lower and Upper Slaughter before heading back, with a handful of stiles along the way so it suits a fitter dog rather than an older one. You can find the full self guided route and map on the Cotswolds National Landscape website (https://www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk/exploring/self-guided-route/bourton-on-the-water-follow-trickling-rivers-walks-with-stiles/), which is worth a look before you set off so you know roughly what you’re taking on.
For something shorter, the stretch from the war memorial out to Lower Slaughter is about a mile and a half each way, mostly flat open fields with a church and some proper postcard views thrown in, and it’s an easy out and back for a dog who’d rather not do ten miles on a day trip. Either way, it’s a nice contrast to the village itself, swapping bridges and gift shops for grass and sky within about ten minutes of walking.
Once you’re back in the village, several of the pubs and cafés around the High Street welcome dogs in their outdoor seating, so there’s usually somewhere to sit down with a drink before the drive home.
Before You Head Home: Topping Up at BTB Dog Supplies
However you spend your day in Bourton, whether that’s the full village loop and a paddle watching the ducks, or a longer walk out towards the Slaughters, it’s an easy detour to build a stop at BTB Dog Supplies into your route home. We’re at Unit A, Newton Farm, Tewkesbury, GL20 7BE, right by Junction 9 of the M5 and directly opposite the Cotswold Designer Outlet, so it barely adds any time if you’re heading back that way.
A busy day out like Bourton tends to go through a fair bit of food and more than a few treats, especially if there’s been any begging near those café tables, so it’s a handy last stop to top up before you’re back on the motorway. We’re a dog only shop, so everything on the shelves is there because it’s genuinely good for dogs, and the team’s always happy to chat through what might suit yours, whether you feed raw, kibble or a mix of both. You can only feed the best you can, and a five minute stop off the motorway is a painless way to make sure that’s sorted before the week ahead.
We’re open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm, closed Sundays and bank holiday Mondays, so it’s worth timing your journey if Bourton’s on the day’s itinerary. Either way, it’s a dog friendly Bourton-on-the-Water trip well worth making, and one we’d happily point you towards again.
