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Woodchester Park
Beautiful secluded wooded valley
Tinkley Lane, near Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, GL10 3UH
Important notice
Tinkley Gate cafe will be closed on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th of December for staff Christmas party and training. Access to the car park, toilets and countryside are open as usual.
Opening times for 4 December 2023
Asset Opening time Buckholt car park Dawn - Dusk Tinkley Gate car park 09:00 - 16:00 Tinkley Gate café Closed MTWTFSS2728293012345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031OpenPartially openClosedCafe
The café is available at the Tinkley Gate entrance to the park. The café at Woodchester Mansion (not NT) is open on mansion open days.
Dogs
Keep dogs on a lead at all times.
Car park
Pay and display parking, £3. The pay and display machine accepts coins only. Tinkley Gate car park accessible from Tinkley Lane. Buckholt car park accessible from Nympsfield road, 300 yards from junction with B4066. Last admission to car park one hour before closing.
Toilet
Toilet facilities are available at the café at the Tinkley Gate entrance to the park. Toilets available at Woodchester Mansion (not NT) on mansion open days.
Uneven and undulating ground - steep in places. Poor mobile signal. Designated Blue Badge parking. Assistance dogs welcome.
Accessible toilet
Accessible toilet available at the Tinkley Gate entrance to the park.
Ramped access/slopes
Paths can be steep and uneven so walking shoes or boots are recommended. Pathways are rough with varying gradients including steep in places.
Level access to food outlet
Level surface and tarmac path up to the café. There is a small lip on the doorway to get into the café.
By road
For Tinkley Gate entrance - from Stroud direction, follow the A46 into Nailsworth. At the roundabout, take the third exit onto Nympsfield Road. Continue up the hill, and follow Tinkley Lane for half a mile. The entrance to Tinkley Gate is on your right. From Bath direction, follow the A46 into Nailsworth. At the roundabout, take the first exit onto Nympsfield Road. Continue up the hill, and follow Tinkley Lane for half a mile. The entrance to Tinkley Gate is on your right. For Buckholt car park - off B4066 Stroud to Dursley road
Parking: Pay and Display £3 all day (NT members park for free), no change given from ticket machine.
Sat Nav: For Tinkley Gate carpark use GL10 3UH. For Buckholt carpark, follow the brown signs from the B4066. The postcode does not take you to the car park.
On foot
Cotswold Way within ¾ mile
By train
Stroud train station 5 miles. For further information about travelling to this site by public transport please visit the Cotswold AONB 'Explore the Cotswolds' website
By bus
The number 65 bus operates between Stroud and Gloucester, with a stop at Tinkley Corner. Please visit the website for more details.
By bicycle
Tinkley Lane, near Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, GL10 3UH
Planning your visit
Article
Dogs at Woodchester Park
Discover how to have a dog-friendly visit to Woodchester Park, including where dogs must be kept on short leads and what facilities are available. Woodchester Park is a two pawprint rated place.
Highlights
Tinkley Gate café
Pizzas, focaccias, ice-creams and more in a countryside setting with far-reaching views and plenty of space to play.
Parkland
Tranquil wooded valley with remains of an 18th and 19th-century landscape park and a chain of five lakes.
Woodchester Mansion (not National Trust)
Unfinished, Victorian Gothic mansion where building was halted when the owner, William Leigh, ran out of money. Open seasonally, check the Woodchester Mansion Trust website for dates.
Natural play trail
Stepping logs and balance beams in a woodland setting.
Boathouse
19th-century boathouse believed to have been designed by John Adey Repton, son of landscape designer, Humphry Repton.
Woodchester Mansion café (not National Trust)
Tea-room with indoor and outdoor seating offering hot and cold drinks, cakes and ice cream. Open seasonally when mansion is open. Please check Woodchester Mansion Trust website for details.
Things to see and do
Article
Things to see and do at Woodchester Park
Situated in the heart of the Cotswolds, this rich estate boasts walking trails, limestone grasslands and lakes, and more wildlife than you could ever imagine.
Article
Family-friendly things to do at Woodchester Park
There's plenty for the whole family to enjoy at Woodchester Park. Find out what activities are available to make the most of your next visit - and discover all the facilities available for families.
Eating
Tinkley Gate café
The café serves a menu specifically developed for the visitors at Woodchester Park and includes wood-fired pizzas, salads, cakes, focaccias and ice cream.
Top trails
Trail
Woodchester Park boathouse walk
Follow a trail through the secluded valley of Woodchester Park, home to the remains of a landscape park, a Victorian mansion and five lakes fringed by woodland and pasture.
Places to stay
Woody's Cottage
A traditional Cotswold stone cottage with an external summer room overlooking the Sheepscombe valley.
The Little Fleece
A Grade II listed former bookshop in pretty Painswick with limestone fireplaces and rooftop views.
Newark Lower Lodge
Parkland views of the Newark Park estate and a traditional interior with two log burners.
About Woodchester Park
The tranquil wooded valley contains a 'lost landscape' with remains of an 18th- and 19th-century landscape park with a chain of five lakes. Park Mill Pond is the last of these lakes and features a man-made island that is now a heronry. Large carp can also be seen in the waters.
Secreted away in the surrounding woodland, you'll find an old Boat House, built in the early 19th century. It was restored in 1998 and bats now roost in the roof space, emerging at dusk to hunt over the lake. The wood also hides a disused quarry, which was in use until the early 1900s and provided stone for the Woodchester Estate.
The restoration of this varied landscape is an ongoing project. Waymarked trails (steep in places) lead through picturesque scenery, passing an unfinished Victorian mansion (not National Trust).
History
Article
History of Woodchester Park
Discover why an unfinished Gothic mansion stands on what was once the epitome of a country gentleman’s playground and the treasures that lay hidden in the garden for years.
Our work
Article
Our work at Woodchester Park
On the surface all may appear calm and tranquil, but behind the scenes we’ve been beavering away to return the park to its 19th century glory.
Volunteer with us
Search for live volunteering opportunities, or register your interest with Woodchester Park.
Project
Project
Stroud landscape project
Across Gloucestershire, we’re working as part of the Stroud landscape project, aiming to reverse the decline of rare wildlife species including the Greater Horseshoe bat.