Woodchester Park is a beautiful, secluded valley near Stroud in the Cotswolds. The valley contains the remains of an 18th and 19th century landscape park, a mansion and a chain of five lakes fringed by woodland and pasture. Much of the valley is wooded with paths criss-crossing the valley sides, offering unexpected and spectacular views of the valley and mansion.
Most of Woodchester Park is owned by the National Trust, who bought it in 1994, to protect and preserve its unique landscape. The Mansion and its immediate surroundings are owned by Stroud District Council and leased to the Woodchester Mansion Trust.
Woodchester Park is open for visitors to enjoy attractive woodland and lakeside walks every day of the year, but access to the Mansion is only possible on specified Open Days between April and October. For information about the Mansion please contact Woodchester Mansion Trust on 01453 861541 or visit their website at www.woodchestermansion.co.uk.
For more information on the valley and trails owned by the National Trust, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/woodchester-park/. A map of the trails around the lakes is available here.
Woodchester Park and Boundary Court farm feature a lot within the Stroud landscape Project. The project aims to create a connection between Woodchester Park and the Stroud Commons that makes it easier for animals, insects and plants to move around, by creating wildlife corridors that connect similar habitats together.
The project’s newsletters often feature work that is being undertaken at the Woodchester sites. The website and project also explains what the National Trust are aiming to achieve more broadly across the project area and on NT owned sites. More information can be found here.