Stroud is a market town in Gloucestershire known for its industrial past, and set before the stunning backdrop of the Five Valleys. There are beautiful villages nearby, including Brimscombe, Chalford, Nailsworth and Painswick.
Transport
The M5/M4 motorway links bring Bristol and Cheltenham within commutable distance by car. Stroud’s train station provides regular services to Reading, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Swindon and London, making Stroud a great choice for commuters. The direct service to London Paddington takes only 30 minutes.
The town has six primary schools and two secondary state grammar schools, one for boys and one for girls, as well as Archway School, which is a mixed comprehensive secondary school. Nearby, there are several independent schools, such as Beaudesert Park School in Minchinhampton, Wycliffe College in Stonehouse, and the prestigious Cheltenham College and Cheltenham Ladies College are about 30 minutes away.
Local Amenities
Stroud has a reputation for having a great range of independent stores within the town. There are a lot of vintage stores – so many that there’s a vintage shop map to make sure that you don’t miss any out. There are also fantastic independent record shops, jewellery stores, gift and homeware shops.
The weekly farmers market started in Stroud in 1999 and it still takes place every Saturday. It’s won several awards, including the National Farmer’s Market of the Year in both 2007 and 2013, and it’s featured in the BBC programme, The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour of Britain.
The town is well served with lots of supermarkets to choose from including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose & Partners, Iceland and Aldi.
Stroud is well known for its café culture and the town has over 20 cafes and many of these are independents. Stroud is also where what’s said to be the country’s first organic café, Woodruffs, opened in 1998 and it’s still running today.
Stroud Brewery serves up its own beers every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and there are many traditional pubs to visit, including The Golden Fleece and The Bowbridge Lock. Choose from many great restaurants including No.23 Bar & Bistro, The Corner House, and Sorrento Restaurante & Pizzeria.
Healthwise, there are plenty of GP surgeries within Stroud, several pharmacies, lots of dentists, and Stroud General Hospital too.
Things to do
Stroud has hosted an annual fringe festival for many years and this now takes place on August bank holiday weekend. It covers art and literature, as well as a diverse range of unsigned bands. There are over 400 performers here over the weekend of the festival.
In the heart of the town is The Subscription Rooms providing a variety of entertainment. There’s also the Cotswold Playhouse, which is a small theatre that’s home to the amateur Cotswold Players.
The Cotswold Way runs through Stroud and this 102-mile walking route takes you through picturesque towns, ancient sites and beautiful woodlands. It’s a very popular route with walkers. People also enjoy walking along the Stroudwater Canal, which is currently being restored.
The surrounding Five Valleys are well-known to have many artists and writers living amongst them. Laurie Lee’s Cider with Rosie describes the area well, as the author grew up in one of the valley’s villages.
