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Woodchester Park
Gloucestershire & the CotswoldsBeautiful secluded wooded valley
Tinkley Gate, Tinkley Lane, near Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, GL10 3UH
M T W T F S S Open
Closed
Opening times for 16 September 2026
Asset Opening time Buckholt car park Dawn - Dusk Tinkley Gate car park 09:00 - 17:00 Tinkley Gate café 10:00 - 16:30 The last entry to Tinkley Gate car park is one hour before the car park closes.
- Café
The café is available at the Tinkley Gate entrance to the park. The café at Woodchester Mansion is open seasonally, for more details please check the Mansion Trust website. For more information on the Tinkley Gate café menu and serving times, view our article 'Eating and Shopping at Tinkley Gate'
- Car park
Parking is £4 for non-members (card, cash or JustPark). Members park free after registering their membership card at the machine or in JustPark. Tinkley Gate: Tinkley Lane. Buckholt: Nympsfield Road. Tickets work at both car parks. Last admission: 1 hour before closing. JustPark: Tinkley Gate 998935; Buckholt 80713.
Car park - more information- Dogs allowed
Keep dogs on a lead at all times.
- 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.
- 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.
- Powered mobility vehicle available
We have an all-terrain mobility scooter (tramper) available on-site to borrow during your visit. Book in advance - please call 01453 860037 for more information - visit the second hand book store once you arrive to collect. Users of the Tramper must be accompanied by another adult during the period of use.
- 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.
Tinkley Gate entrance - what3words: ///popped.most.performed
- By road
- For Tinkley Gate entrance - between Nailsworth and Nympsfield, near the wind turbine. what3words: ///popped.most.performed For Buckholt car park - near Nympsfield, just off the B4066 (Stroud to Dursley road.) what3words: ///lawns.tools.promotesParking: This car park uses the JustPark app and payment machines for member check-in and non-member payments. If you choose to use the JustPark app, please download it before your visit and create an account if you do not already have one. You’ll be asked to add payment details; NT members will not be charged for parking. The JustPark codes for these locations are Tinkley Gate 998935 and Buckholt 80713. Pay and Display £4 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
- The Cotswolds Way goes around the outside of the park, and meets Dursley’s Lantern Way. Find more walks on the Good Journey Map here.
- By train
- Stroud train station is 5 miles away. Trains run to Stroud from: Cheltenham Spa (30 mins), Gloucester (15 mins), Swindon (25 mins) and also London Paddington. Plan your journey using the Good Journey website.
- By bus
- The number 65 bus operates between Stroud and Gloucester, with a stop at Tinkley Corner. Most buses in England are offering £2 Single Fares until 31st December 2024. The Good Journey planner will show you if your route is included.
- Cycling
- Cycle route National Route 43, the Stroud Valleys Trail goes from Stroud to Nailsworth. Plan your cycle route here. We are Good Journey accredited at Tinkley Gate, so let it be known if you arrive on your bike, and you'll receive a free hot drink on us.
- Car-free
- We hold the Good Journey Mark for welcoming car-free visitors. Travel a greener way and enjoy a free hot drink on us when you arrive by bike or public transport. Let a member of our welcome or café staff know. Plan your car-free visit at Good Journey.
Tinkley Gate, Tinkley Lane, near Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, GL10 3UH
Planning your visit
Events at Woodchester Park
During the year, we host several activities for everyone, from outdoor theatre to lawn games, bird walks and nature trails. Find out more on our events page.
Take part in the Summer of Play
Join us for a summer adventure at Tinkley Gate. Discover our family-friendly events with fun activities for you to do along the way.
Visiting Woodchester Mansion
Woodchester Mansion is run by a different charity. Find out about their opening hours, prices, and events on their website.
Article
Visiting Woodchester Park with Your Dog
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.
Article
Eating and Shopping at Tinkley Gate
With delicious handmade food, a second hand bookstore, events throughout the year and lawn games at our Tinkley Gate Woodchester site, there's plenty to keep the family entertained for the whole day.
Article
Accessibility at Woodchester Park
Across Woodchester Park, including at our café and facilities at Tinkley Gate, we have several provisions in place to allow your visit with us to be stress free and more enjoyable. This article will tell you more about what's on offer here to help you plan in advance.
PDF
Map of Woodchester Park
See the waymarked trails, facilities, and points of interest in the Park before you visit
PDF
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. Please check the Woodchester Mansion Trust website for details.
Pre-loved Bookstore
We have a second-hand bookstore available at Tinkley Gate. In a cosy cabin area, pick a book and take some time to yourself, or why not help yourself to our free walking poles for visitors and backpacks to carry on your walk.
Tramper Hire Available
Working with the Countryside Mobility Scheme, we are very pleased to increase access to the countryside thanks to an all-terrain mobility scooter. View our accessibility tab for more information on how to book.
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.
Article
Accessibility at Woodchester Park
Across Woodchester Park, including at our café and facilities at Tinkley Gate, we have several provisions in place to allow your visit with us to be stress free and more enjoyable. This article will tell you more about what's on offer here to help you plan in advance.
Visiting Woodchester Mansion
Woodchester Mansion is run by a different charity. Find out about their opening hours, prices, and events on their website.
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.
Article
Eating and shopping at Tinkley Gate
With delicious handmade food, a second hand bookstore, events throughout the year and lawn games at our Tinkley Gate Woodchester site, there's plenty to keep the family entertained for the whole day.
Top trails
Trail
Buckholt to the Mansion and boathouse - orange trail
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.
Trail
Tinkley Gate to the lakes - purple trail
Explore the hidden valley at Woodchester Park from the purple route, a circular path that takes you from the family-friendly facilities at Tinkley Gate Café down to the lakes and boathouse.
Trail
Tinkley Gate to the Mansion - trail
This circular walking trail begins at Tinkley Gate and takes you down into the Park, with grand views of the designed parkland landscape, water-side walks and the 19th century boathouse before heading to Woodchester Mansion. The Mansion is managed by our partners, the Woodchester Mansion Trust. This walk is a rewarding day out, with plenty of opportunity for pause and rest. This route follows the purple and part of the orange route.
Places to stay
Woody's Cottage
A traditional Cotswold stone cottage with a garden room overlooking the Sheepscombe valley.
Newark Lower Lodge
Parkland views of the Newark Park estate and a traditional interior with two log burners.
Upcoming events
Event
Moth Morning
Would you like to learn more about moths and see some of these amazing creatures in the light of day? Take part in a free moth morning at Tinkley Gate as we uncover the traps from the night before.
Event
Heritage Open Days - Walk in the Ducie Landscape and Woodchester Mansion
This heritage open days we are partnering with Woodchester Mansion Trust to deliver free guided tours of both the Woodchester Park designed landscape, recalling 18th Century "lost" landscape and the 19th century Woodchester Mansion.
Event
Stranger Folk at Woodchester Park
Step into the interactive world of Stranger Folk this autumn at Tinkley Gate, Woodchester Park. Download the free app and work together to close a crack between the spirit world and ours.
Event
Tinkley Tots
Every Monday in term-time, join the Tinkley Tots! Free, nature themed activities, stories and crafts for children aged 2-4 years.
Event
Walk With Us at Woodchester Park
Looking to get active in nature, explore more of the landscape, or meet new people? Join a free, guided group-walk as part of the 'Walk With Us' series at Woodchester Park.
Event
Taster Dowsing Workshop
Join Andrew and Barbara at Tinkley Gate for a free dowsing taster as they delve deeper into the ancient practice of dowsing. Make up your own mind whether it is science or fiction!
Event
Live Music - Jazz with The Red Door Trio
Head to Tinkley Gate this autumn afternoon, accompanied by music from The Red Door Trio, playing jazz between 2.30pm and 4.30pm. A local piano based group, The Red Door Trio will play a range of classic and jazz and latin tunes. Free.
Event
Trust10 Trail Run at Woodchester Park
Join us to run a beautiful 10K trail run around the historic parkland at Woodchester Park
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
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.
Project