Woodchester Park is a secluded wooded valley near Nailsworth in the Cotswolds, holding the remains of an 18th- and 19th-century landscape park and a chain of five lakes that the National Trust is gradually restoring. The early 19th-century boathouse, attributed to John Adey Repton, was restored in 1998 and now has bats roosting in its roof, and Park Mill Pond has an island heronry. Down the valley stands Woodchester Mansion, the Victorian Gothic house left unfinished when its owner William Leigh ran out of money; it is run by the separate Woodchester Mansion Trust with its own opening dates. Orange and purple trails start from the Buckholt and Tinkley Gate car parks; Tinkley Gate has the cafe, toilets, a second-hand bookstore and a natural play trail. Reviewers praise the well-marked trails, the cafe food and the butterflies, dragonflies and carp along the way. Tips from visitors: the paths are steep in places, and an all-terrain Tramper can be booked ahead. Dogs stay on leads throughout.
