We spent a really nice day here in April. The lakes are beautiful as is the woodland. Lots of birds singing and quite peaceful. We had a very nice outside lunch at the Mansion and the service was very good. The path down to the wood is quite steep, which isn't a problem on the way down, but on the way up we stopped on the strategically positioned bench to get our breath back. Well worth a visit, a beautiful woodland and place to walk - the scale of the map is a bit misleading and distances were further than we thought.

I've been here many times over the years mainly Paranormal Investigations. Main carpark about a mile walk from the mansion and free if you are a member of the National Trust. There is a mini bus down if get there the right time from the carpark. We have historic houses passes so no fee to get in but pay at front desk. Place is on several levels,never finished legend says the builders were spooked and left their tools. Lots of historic information around and bat observatory with live camera to see where they are. Cafe on site which is really good quality and toilets at the back of the mansion outside. You can walk the grounds all the way to the lake and there's a little boat house there. Very much worth a visit

Wow… must see extraordinary unfinished mansion…. For the best, Make sure you go during the open season, when you can go inside this huge amazing gothic revival house. Well worth doing the free 90min guided tour … but don’t worry, you can self guide too. It’s a huge place, which was part built 1850-70 and then deserted for 100 years. You can visit the part-completed upper floors & see unfinished construction methods, great stonework. If you miss the open days, go see the outside anyway. It’s a lovely walk. A real hidden gem. A few things : Car park is National Trust. House is a local trust charity. Park & outside house free all year round. House open Fri-Sun spring to late October - see website. Loos & small coffee shop only open when house open.

A beautiful wooded valley with grassland and lakes down the middle of the valley. At the top end of the lakes is the site of a large Victorian mansion that construction stopped once the stonework was done so its great to see how these buildings are made with no plaster or wood flooring to cover the stone work up. It's quite a long walk and hilly although there is a bus to the mansion if needed. No phone reception, unless your at the top of the valley sides. Great place to see bluebells at the right time of the year

A fascinating place. It's isolated in a lovely valley away from roads so you can either walk to it or a minibus takes you there in about eight minutes along a track. Three architects were involved in its building, including AW Pugin at the planning stage. It was never finished or occupied so while it looks complete from the outside the inside shows the structure and the building methods used brilliantly. There are some really beautiful rooms including one which was completed for the visit of a 19th century archbishop of Westminster. I particularly liked the bathroom with a very chilly looking stone bath fed by gargoyle taps and an astonishing early shower. It's run by a wonderful trust who have made fantastic strides in restoring it but deserve and need support to do more. I strongly recommend it to any lover of 19th century neo-gothic architecture. It's a gem.

Absolutely stunning Gothic-style house, beautiful surroundings and with a fascinating history. The architecture and craftsmanship of the building have to been seen to be appreciated. A 1-hour tour is included in the ticket price, and is well worth doing if you wish to understand a little more about the house and its history. Our guide, Fiona, really knew her stuff and and was able explain things in an understandable manner. You are also free to wander round the house as you wish. The toilet facilities are a little limited. The car park is separately owned by the National Trust and the track to it from the road is in a shocking state. It's about a 15min downhill walk from the car park to the house, and somewhat longer on the return (uphill!). A shuttle bus operates in both directions for those who wish to use it. The ticket price of £11 (with a £1 discount for concessions), with all that is included, is good value for money.

A magical place, hidden in an enchanted valley with lakes and paths that will bring you to this bizarre architectural destination. The guide and the people at the reception are so passionate, welcoming, kind...we did the guided tour and it was the chance to discover the history and details of this mansion. We had lunch at the cafeteria and it tasted great! Lovely pic nic area. Parking is easy to reach and then if needed there is a shuttle service every hour. We enjoyed the walk (around 10/15 minutes) to get there! It is an hidden gem of the Cotswolds :) Thank you for the lovely experience!

This Museum offers a mixed experience. While it’s free and set in a beautiful park, some exhibits feel unremarkable, with common household items on display. The walled garden is a highlight, and staff are friendly. However, the museum could benefit from more engaging displays to match Stroud’s rich history. Overall, it’s a pleasant but not outstanding visit.

This was an interesting little museum that packs a lot in and has a nice walled garden and gift shop as well. However it was the staff that made it a 5 star experience. They were so lovely - making us tea when the machine broke and looking after my papers (that I'd bought) so I could go out Inthe garden while it wet. I gave them a donation and recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a little about the area.

The museum in the park is an excellent choice for a visit to Stroud.. great for kids..especially if the weather isn't great as you can spend some time in there. There is no charge for entry...but donations are welcome. A self serve cafe for hot and cold drinks. And ice cream's a limited choice of snacks .mainly crisps and cereal bars. Seating area in the courtyard so you could take a picnic...plus you also have the park. There is also a secret garden access through the museum. I visited today and was allowed to take my tea to sit outside. It had not long been opened last time I visited I think and it even more beautiful. With several areas to sit. Lots of beautiful plants and some available to purchase. Fabulous suntrap.

Regularly pop in with the boys & my partner after Swimming at Stratford Park, a little around & using the Skate / Bike park. We love being able to look through alot of history & the boys love to take part in the different activities which takes them around the whole museum so each time they do something different. The gardens at the back are magical for all, there's something for everyone We will be back & although free, donations are welcome from the public Well done all those at the Museum

A truly exceptional small museum. Curation is onnovative and engaging, and the garden is a real treat. The cafe and shop are of a high standard. The museum hosts workshops, talks and events too, all of which are innovative and thought provoking.

Great little museum with some interesting exhibits and nice gardens

Despite visiting Stratford Park regularly, we had never visited the Museum before yesterday. We had been missing out for sure! We were amazed that it was a) free (donations more than welcome), and b) had so many activities for the kids specifically to do. I.e. various trails around the park and the museum itself. Our personal favourite part was the walled garden. There was also an insect exhibition on when we visited.

Lovely place for a dog walk - paths were steep but there was a recently added accessible route which was nice to see. We did the 'blue walk' which involved some hills but was not too challenging and had a cold drink at the cafe after. Noticed an earlier review said there are no dog poo bins - this is incorrect information as we used one while there. Dogs are allowed in one side of the cafe or there is outdoor seating, some of which is undercover. I was also able to fill our dogs water bowl at an outdoor tap labelled as safe drinking water.

Beautiful walk, can be challenging on certain parts. But there are a couple of different walks to choose from. Accessible route available as well. Lovely helpful staff, dog friendly. Requires dogs on leads when livestock around as normal. Cafe was nice, delicious National Trust cakes as well and they have a pizza oven there as well, however we didn't try this on our visit.

Had a lovely walk today. We took the blue path which took us roughly 90 mins. Steep in places and walking back up took some effort but worth it. Beautiful views, well maintained and thoroughly enjoyed it. Stopped for a quick lunch stop beforehand at Tinkley gate cafe. Delicious freshly baked pizza, cheese scone, cream tea and victoria sponge cake. Good range of cold drinks and lovely pot of tea. Excellent service, Highly recommend 🌟🌟

Such an awesome place. Great for families to chill by the cafe and play sports or wander down to the valley for the lakes The views are amazing when the sun is out Highly recommended and you only have to pay for parking or free for NT members Note: path to the lakes is steep. Not ideal for old folk! Its approx 1 mile from cafe to boathouse

This is a lovely place. I didnt know anything about this place before I arrived, but I left loving it! Many of the paths appear to be new and they are building lots of paths and walls to make it even nicer. The views and scenery are fantastic. There are a few hills, especially on the way back!! The cafe is new and is really nice and the staff are all really friendly. I definitely recommend coming here and if I am in this area again, I will return.

Lovely walk around the lake and grounds, Free to enter. The mansion is not NT owned so a fee is required to visit inside. Staff are friendly and welcoming and very child friendly. Worth a trip but not great for the mobility restricted.

Lovely place we went in the park from tilly playground and cafe beautiful, super walks and trails you could lose yourself in this beautiful place

The pool used to be always very busy and Everyone Active needed to introduce booking limiting the number of swimming slots per hour. The booking was a pain in the bum and pool was still busy. When the council took the pool over, an amazing thing happened! They introduced 4th lane which hugely increased capacity and also removed the need of booking. Each lane had a predefined speed range. It was the best! Sometimes you could come across some selfish, ignorant fart who didn't care about being in everybody's way in the wrong lane but they were manageable. It's beyond any comprehension why they removed the 4th lane now. It's not only a drop in capacity by ~30%, but also removal of a good, explicitly defined structure and guidelines for the lane selection. I am very disappointed 😞

Been a member for 2-3 years now and nothing's really changed even though recently it went from private to council, the staff are lovely can't fault them HOWEVER they literally have no clue on what to do with problems regarding the app you use to book classes, for weeks now I've had to pay for classes and go in to ask for refunds, £4.40 each time then I get random strokes and bans come out of nowhere which again charges me £3.50 to lift, the changing rooms stink regardless what is used or how often it is cleaned and sometimes it's really bad, I've noticed also since the council has taken over the water in the indoor pool is constantly dirty, you see rubbish, hair, cloudines, all sorts of little bits, the classes are good the management are nowhere to be seen and if you try and ring you will never get a answer! Even emailing them they take ages to get back to you and still don't resolve the problems! Going back to the changing rooms they are a state the lockers have been there for decades some don't work some don't have tags and some swallow your coons, currently there's a bodge job bucket holding up part of the ceiling with this tube of fluid coming from another part of the ceiling where clearly there's a leak and it doesn't look good neither does it look safe, the gym is limited in terms of machines in comparison to other gyms and the prices have gone up since the council have taken over. As for the classes the coaches are amazing, they are very interactive and knowledgeable, all the staff are friendly polite and helpful however it's like they've been trained to just say I'll pass it on to my manager! For me o have no choice but to use this gym, it's close to home I get a concession rate due to my disabilities and I need the pool due to those disabilities. 1 last thing and I think this is quite serious however at the time it was amusing, this evening I left the pool showered and got changed to find myself locked in a closed leisure center and as I tried to exit the alarms went off and I was extremely concerned that armed police were coming or something bad was going to happen, it wasn't good for my anxiety and I had to go on Facebook live to make sure I had witnesses to prove I was locked in and didn't break in, usually the staff are supposed to check if the place is empty and clearly my car was in thencar park and a few familiar members of staff who knew I was swimming are aware I take longer to get dressed and they usually wait and are supposed to wait until everyone has left and it is my belief they are also paid until 22:30pm it was 22:20pm when I went to exit after the lifeguard blows the whistle at 22:00pm leaving me 20 minutes to shower and get changed. I am considering going elsewhere even if it costs more and means I have to travel further as my problems with the app haven't been resolved, the changing rooms smell like a tip, and I've complained about the same thing over and over again getting absolutely nowhere with them. If you can go to another gym I honestly would advise you to steer clear.

Extortionate! Everything’s always closed for cleaning and maintenance every 5 minutes yet the change rooms and sauna always stink. With ample space in the gym there’s always a vital section, used by many for stretching and workouts, closed off for classes.. the machines are constantly broken. Why is it so expensive. The only change that’s been made since the takeover of the council is the colour of the walls and cafe. Oh and the sauna which the public had to organise to get sorted and repaired. The gym section seems neglected while all the attention and funding goes toward the cafe and kids park. Deep cleaning of a gym should be an everyday thing. Not a “let it get dirty to a point it needs to be closed for cleaning and maintenance” . Prevention is better than cure. Do better !

Massive downhill since the Council took over the running. I use the sports hall on an ad hoc basis to have a game of badminton with the grandkids. Pre Council booking was really simple and reasonably priced. Now prices have rocketed and booking online the price charged never agrees to the price list on their website. I query this every time and am told they are aware of these issues and it will soon be sorted, but it never is. Also it is now impossible to book 2 courts for the same time.

The gym does the job but some of the fixed weight machines need an upgrade. Also please provide some proper workout mats, not Yoga rolled up mats. Decor is a bit tired and dated.

This place is absolutely disgusting and filthy. The building hasn’t been updated since it was built, presumably in the 70s. The pool area is completely neglected. The water is visibly dirty The surrounding area is poorly maintained, the grass is dry and gets into the pool, and people walk barefoot from all over the dirty territory straight into the water. There is no regulation of the number of visitors they let in absolutely everyone who shows up, without any limits. So even if you book tickets, it’s pointless the place gets overcrowded to the point where the pool turns into a filthy mess, not a place for swimming. The experience is absolutely revolting. Don’t waste your time and money we sincerely hope you don’t repeat our mistake.

Great facilities, lots of great classes with brilliant instructors ❤️

Beautiful gardens & walks. We enjoyed coffee and cake in the old kitchen gardens.

Great place to visit, a little expensive on entry to the garden, although when we went there's a sculpture exhibition. It's not really suitable for those with mobility issues.

Beautiful gardens, but might be a good idea to mention the cafe is close before people get there. The village is incredibly picturesque with lots of walking routes.

Beautiful gardens, very quiet at the time of our visit, which was lovely, also sculpture exhibits around the gardens which added interest, not sure if this is normal but we really liked it.

Lovely gardens, nice and quiet and peaceful when we visited.

We loved our afternoon here. Friendly staff and the gardens are brilliantly planned. Cafe in a glass house. Walled garden. Fountains. It’s a great day out.

Thanks to Alex for his short guided tour, even though he was busy. Very informative. Gardens looked good, despite there being only one gardener. A pity that take away drinks and snacks/ sandwiches weren't available, as the actual cafe is too small.

I came on business and having a couple of hours to kill, I thought it would take a walk along this old canal. I come from Yorkshire and it absolutely could have up there, the buildings locks and bridges are all the same. I even saw a Heron looking to catch its tea! The canal is obviously being cleared of reeds ect and I am guessing that the lack of water in some is also as result of the lack of rain/water as well. Photos dont do justice to the beauty of this stretch of canal, with the weeping willow trees are just amazing. I noticed when I passed the large viaduct that originally had been a dwelling or offices/workshops of some kind that have been left to ruin which is a shame. I look forward to coming back and exploring more of this fabulous part of Stroud. I would like to also thank the people who have and are, working so hard to bring back and keep this remarkable peice of history alive.

I was hoping to deliver a cargo of sugar beet to Sharpness, but found that the canal was quite without water in places!

The ongoing restoration is progressing but it makes for a very pleasant walk.