💷 Free entry
Woodchester Park
National Trust woodland valley near Nailsworth with a family play trail, a haunting unfinished Victorian mansion and a valley cafe.
✦ We visited
The unfinished mansion at the valley head is a brilliant conversation point for children old enough to find it eerie. The woodland play trail is the real reason to come with younger ones, and the cafe at the gate is a good reward at the end.
Woodchester Park is a long wooded valley tucked into the Cotswold escarpment between Nailsworth and Stroud, managed by the National Trust. At its far end sits one of England's more intriguing buildings, a Victorian Gothic mansion begun in the 1850s and abandoned unfinished, which remains locked and untouched. It is a genuinely atmospheric thing to come across at the end of a woodland walk, and the story of why it was left tends to capture children's imaginations.
For families the main draw is the purpose-built play trail, a circular woodland route with wobble beams, stepping logs, rope swings, balance bridges, a see-saw, wooden hopscotch, a flying fox and a playhouse. The trail is set into the trees rather than built as a formal playground, which gives it an exploratory feel. Back at the cafe at Tinkley Gate there are outdoor games, a large grassy area and an orchard with hammocks through the summer months.
Entry to the park is free, with only the car parking charged. It suits all ages, with toddlers managing the gentler parts of the play trail and older children getting more from the full circular route and the woodland. Bring wellies and plan to stay for a relaxed half day.
Good for: outdoors, sensory, history. Ages: 0–2, 3–4, 5–7, 8–11, 12+.
Good to know
Is Woodchester Park free to visit?
Yes, the park and play trail are free to enter. Parking at Tinkley Gate is £3 for non-members and free for National Trust members, payable by card, cash or the JustPark app.
What is the unfinished mansion at Woodchester Park?
It is a Victorian Gothic country house begun in the 1850s that was never completed and has stood locked and empty ever since, visible from the valley floor at the end of the woodland walk.
Is there a play trail at Woodchester Park?
Yes, the National Trust has built a purpose-designed woodland play trail with rope swings, wobble beams, balance bridges, a flying fox and a playhouse, all set into the trees on a circular route.
