Stroud
Stroud is at the heart of the Five Valleys in the Cotswolds. It is in Gloucestershire, England. There's many fine, beautiful and interesting things to see but it's not "pretty" in the way that similar sized towns in the Cotswolds or Gloucestershire are. It's a fairly "alternative" place with organic/biodynamic food and a long history of campaigning to save local facilities and landmarks.
Understand
The area around the town is known as the Five Valleys consisting of the valleys of Chalford, Nailsworth, Ruscombe, Slad and Painswick. There are a number of small towns and villages in the area, such as Minchinhampton and Stonehouse.
Get in
By train
Trains from London Paddington run hourly via Reading, Didcot and Swindon to Stroud (90 min), continuing to Gloucester and Cheltenham. Change at Cheltenham for trains from Birmingham and the north.
By bus
Stagecoach Bus 66 runs hourly from Cheltenham to Stroud, taking just under an hour, and continuing to Stonehouse.
By car
From the M5 take exit 13 and follow A419 through Stonehouse. From Bath follow A46. There are several surface-level carparks in the town run by the local council. Use the MiPermit App (or cash) to pay their modest fees. The multi-storey accessed via the London Road is similarly cheap and even free after 3PM. The Five Valleys Car Park is also multi-storey and accessed from near the A46. It's privately run and its enforcement practices are often the subject of comment in local social media.
Get around
The town is small, and much of the shopping district has been pleasantly pedestrianised. (mind the steep hills!)
There are buses every half-hour from Stroud to Stonehouse on weekdays, or it's about an hour's walk.
See
The town and nearby has been an industrial area for hundreds of years so there are many fine old stone mills, weavers cottages, a canal. Little of this has been given serious "heritage" treatment but it doesn't spoil the often beautiful setting in wooded valleys.
- 1 Uley Long Barrow (Hetty Pegler's Tump), Crawley Hill, Dursley, GL11 5AR, ☏ +44 370 333 1181. Neolithic burial mound. Free.
- 2 Owlpen Manor, Uley, Dursley, GL11 5BZ, ☏ +44 1453 860261. Tudor manor house.
- 3 St George's Church, Church St, Nailsworth, GL6 0BP, ☏ +44 1453 836536.
- 4 Market House, 1-2 Market Square, Minchinhampton, ☏ +44 1453 883369. 17th-century.
- 5 Doverow Hill, Stonehouse.
- 6 Stonehouse Manor, Stonehouse.
- 7 Woodchester House, Woodchester Park, B4066, Nympsfield, Stonehouse, GL10 3TS, ☏ +44 1453 861541. An unfinished Victorian manor house that is apparently haunted.
Do
- Lansdown Hall & Gallery (formerly The Space), Lansdown, Stroud GL5 1BB, ☏ +44 1453 767576, info@lansdownhall.org. Theatre and music happen here. Also a gallery.
- Subscription Rooms has a large attractive upstairs and puts on concerts, dances and exhibitions.
- Out and About: although Stroud itself has few attractions, fans of walking and hiking, or if you just want to take the dog for a walk should visit the local information office for popular walking routes, or just take foot and find your own! The Valleys around Stroud offer spectacular views, and if you don't mind a longer walk, a White Chalk Horse can be found.
- Mountain biking: Stroud has extensive public bridleways that you can legitimately ride on
- Sports and activities: If you more of a golfer, be sure to check out Rodborough and Minchinhampton common, a large expansive grass land with a full golfing course set out for free. Nearby Minchinhampton Golf club can also accommodate you with an internationally recognised 18 holes and driving range.
- Football: Forest Green Rovers were relegated in 2023 and now play soccer in League Two, the fourth tier. They play at New Lawn Stadium (capacity 5000) in Nailsworth 3 miles south of Stroud.
- Next to the Stroud College of Art and Design is the Leisure Centre, with several Tennis/Squash and badminton courts as well as a swimming pool and various 'different' activities from Trampolining to Akido.
- 1 The Cotswold Playhouse, Parliament St, GL5 1LW (in Parliament Street, Stroud, about 400 yards up the hill from the Police Station). Theatre owned by the Cotswold Players.
- Stroud's unique ‘Mayor on a Bench’, sessions, where local residents can voice their concerns to the Town Council, are held most Wednesdays in Kendrick Street from 11:30AM-12:30PM.
Events
The free local monthly arts and culture magazine "Good On Paper" lists many events and can be picked up in many pubs and shops in the town.
- Nailsworth Festival: . A music festival with activities, exhibitions and workshops, and a wide array of different activities for adults and children in late May. (date needs fixing)
- Country Market, every fourth Saturday morning in Mortimer Garden, Nailsworth.
- Nailsworth Food Festival, mid September.
- Goodwill evening, Nailsworth, last Friday in November.
- Five Valleys Walk: . 21 miles around Stroud in aid of Meningitis Trust on the last Sunday in September. (date needs fixing)
Buy
Loads of shops along the pedestrian high street. Many non-chain shops too!
- 1 Stroud Farmers Market (Fresh N Local), Cornhill Market Place, GL5 2HH (north side of town, halfway up road), ☏ +44 1453 758060. Sa 9AM-2PM. Dozens of stalls selling cheese, meats, plates, honey, jam, spices, vegetables, cooked food, etc. Very busy and interesting. Often has a 'performing chef!'
- 2 Shambles Market, The Shambles, High St, GL5 1AP. Half-way up the steep High Street near the church every Friday and Saturday. Stalls selling organic fruit and vegetables, cheese, fish, bric-a-brac, etc.
Eat
There are various fast food outlets in Stroud (including Subway, McDonald's and Burger Star) despite opposition from locals. Other cafés:
- Woodruff's. Organic café at the top of the high street, offering home-made food and lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Lunchtime meal £8-12.
- Mill's café. Down a (nice) alleyway towards the top of the high street. Two different meals each day, generous and delicious. Wide selection of home-made cakes. Lunchtime meal £6-10.
- Spuds. In the Merrywalk's precinct. Cheap baked potatoes and baguettes to go, though you can sit if you wish. Relatively cheap (roughly £3 per potato or baguette)
- Mother nature. Middle of the high street, down an alleyway. Fresh made-to-order sandwiches, baps, baguettes and paninis to go.
- Hobbs House Bakery, 4 George Street, Nailsworth.
- Mark @ Street, Market Street,Nailsworth.
- William's Foodhall, Fountain Street, Nailsworth. Great oysters.
- Sophie's Restaurant, 20 High Street, Minchinhampton, ☏ +44 1453 885188. Tu-F 9AM-2PM coffee and lunch, Sa 9:30AM-12:30PM coffee and patisserie. Selected Saturday evenings, restaurant in the centre of town.
- The Kitchen, 7 High Street, Minchinhampton (40 yards down hill from the Crown Inn, town centre), ☏ +44 1453 882655.
- The Old Lodge, Minchinhampton (West of Minchinhampton, middle of the common), ☏ +44 1453 832047. pub with good beer, reports suggest good food
- The Black Horse, Littleworth, Amberly (located just on the edge of the common), ☏ +44 1453 872556. Very popular pub with fantastic panoramic views over the Nailsworth Valley. Excellent range of beers and ciders, with a great menu and good service.
Drink
There are various cafés and coffee shops in Stroud, including Mother nature, Woodruff's and Mill's mentioned above, which serve freshly-baked cakes and tarts. There is a Costa Coffee at the top of the high street.
The main club in town is the Warehouse, only open on Saturday nights and costing £6 to get in (£3 before 11:30PM). A newer, less popular club, Junction 13, is at the top of town. It's open Friday and Saturday nights and costs £4 to get in (before 11PM it's free). These clubs aren't great, though, and Stroud can get quite nasty at night. Nearby Cheltenham is much better for evening entertainment.
- 1 Golden Fleece, Nelson St, GL5 2HN, ☏ +44 1453 764850. Pub with nice atmosphere, locals' preference (check out the quote of the day on the black board outside). Part of a group of pubs including Tipputs and Britannia (in nearby Nailsworth). Serves fantastic, restaurant-style meals and particularly nice garlic bread.
- 2 The Black Horse Inn, Littleworth, Amberley, GL5 5AL. Pub and restaurant.
- 3 The George Inn, Higher Newmarket Rd, Nailsworth, GL6 0RF, ☏ +44 1453 833228.
Sleep
- Bear of Rodborough Hotel, Rodborough Common, GL5 5DE (Head Eastwards out of town centre follow signs for Minchinhampton), ☏ +44 1453 878522, info@bearofrodborough.info. Need a car to get to it. £120 for a double.
- 1 [formerly dead link] Amberley Inn, Culver Hill, GL5 5AF, ☏ +44 1453 872565. This is a restaurant, pub and hotel, reputed to be haunted. Double £69.
- 2 Egypt Mill hotel and restaurant, Stroud Road, Nailsworth, ☏ +44 1453 833449. Nice meal
- 3 Crown Inn, High Street, Minchinhampton (opposite the market house), ☏ +44 1453 882357. Serves meals all day. Local pub. Accommodation also available.
- 4 Ragged Cot, Cirencester Road, Hyde (just to the east of Minchinhampton, along main road, over the cattle grid, at the cross roads, a 15-minute walk from top of Butt Street: some of road's not nice to walk along: advise driving), ☏ +44 1453 884643. Much nicer food than Crown Inn, but less 'local' atmosphere. Very good restaurant, but pricey. Reputed to be haunted. It's a pub, restaurant and hotel.
- 5 Stonehouse Court Hotel, Bristol Road, Stonehouse, ☏ +44 843 3575557.
- 6 The Painswick, Kemps Lane, Painswick GL6 6YB, ☏ +44 1452 813688. Upscale hotel with 16 rooms in an 18th-century Palladian mansion. B&B double £200.
- 7 Woodchester Valley Vineyard, Convent Lane, Woodchester GL5 5HR, ☏ +44 7808 650883. Cosy B&B in converted barns on a vineyard. No children under 12. B&B double £160.
- 8 Burleigh Court Hotel, Walls Quarry, Burleigh GL5 2PF, ☏ +44 1453 883804. Plush hotel in a converted mansion, dog-friendly. B&B double £160.
Connect
As of June 2021, Stroud has 4G from all UK carriers, but with many dead spots in the Cotswold valleys. 5G has not yet reached this area.
Go next
- Gloucester the county town is a pleasant old cathedral city.
- Cheltenham a few miles further northeast has a splendid Regency centre.
- Cirencester was the Roman capital of the Cotswolds.
| Routes through Stroud |
| Bristol ← Thornbury ← | SW  NE |
→ Gloucester/Cheltenham → Birmingham |
| Bath ← Chipping Sodbury ← | SW  NE |
→ becomes  until Teddington Hands Roundabout → Evesham |