National Trust Cotswold Way - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Stratford Park is a 56-acre park located just outside the center of Stroud, with a great range of facilities to suit all kinds of recreation. The park has won the Green Flag Award on multiple occasions by Keep Britain Tidy and also a Special Innovation Award winner for Community involvement. It was home to a fantastic arboretum and a miniature railway and so many activities are there.

The Museum in the Park is set in the beautiful grounds of Stratford Park. Our collection tells the story of the Stroud Valleys and the wider district, giving you the chance to find out about the people who lived and worked here, from the earliest settlers through to the present day. With over 4,000 objects on display from dinosaur bones to even one of the world’s first lawnmowers, there's something to spark the interest of all of visitors. The collection spans social history, geology, archaeolog

Designed in the 1740s as a fanciful pleasure garden for the owner of Painswick House and his guests, today it’s a place to roam free, to get up close and personal with nature, or to feel the warmth of the sun on your face as you take in the spectacular views of the Cotswold countryside and magical follies.

The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal was once the broadest and deepest in the world. Even today, it stands out from other navigations because of its sheer scale and impressive engineering. With huge swing-bridges and pretty bridge-keepers’ houses to pass along the way, you’ll never be short of landmarks or beautiful viewpoints.

The Stroudwater Navigation in the Cotswolds is an 8 mile stretch of canal with 12 locks along the route. It is a canal managed by the Cotswold Canal Trust. These are a group of volunteers who are actively working on restoring the canal to its former glory.

The Thames & Severn Canal was built ten years after the Stroudwater Canal and extended its route to Lechlade. With many locks climbing through the picturesque Golden Valley to the famous Sapperton Tunnel it then winds its way to Lechlade on the Thames – a 36 mile cross-country route.