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Stroud
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Five heavily populated valleys converge at
STROUD
, ten miles southwest of Cheltenham, creating an exhausting jumble of hills and a sense of high activity atypical of the Cotswolds. The bustle is not a new phenomenon. During the heyday of the wool trade the Frome River powered 150 mills, turning Stroud into the centre of the local cloth industry. Even now, Stroud is very much a working town, and one which doesn't need to peddle its heritage to the tourists in order to survive. While some of the old mills have been converted into flats, others contain factories, but only two continue to make cloth - no longer the so-called Stroudwater Scarlet used for military uniforms, but high-quality felt for tennis balls and snooker tables. In recent years, Stroud has become a thriving alternative centre, its town council Green since 1990. You'll see mountains of organic food and sustainable goods for sale in the centre, while the nearby valleys are home to a growing community of artists and New Agers. Sadly, however, in spite of its scenic setting, the town remains the dowdiest of the region.
For visitors, the main point of interest is the excellent Museum in the Park , housed in an eighteenth-century mansion in Stratford Park, half a mile from the centre of town on the Gloucester road (April-Sept Tues-Fri noon-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm; Oct-March Tues-Fri 1-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-4pm; ?2.50). Beautifully decorated and laid out, the collection demonstrates the history of the town through imaginatively themed rooms such as "Clean, Fit and Tidy" and "Industry and Invention", which are complemented by numerous questions and quotations. Industrial archeology is strewn the length of the Frome Valley - the so-called Golden Valley. Council offices occupy one of the valley's finest mills, Ebley Mill , a twenty-minute walk west of the centre along the old Stroudwater Canal - for the best view you should then walk south across the field to the village of Selsley .
Trains
on the London-Gloucester rail line stop at Stroud, which is also well served by
buses
from Cirencester. These and other bus services arrive at the station on Merrywalks. The
tourist office
is in the Subscription Rooms on Kendrick Street (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; tel 01453/760960,
). The most central place to
stay
is the
London Hotel
(tel 01453/759992 ?50-60), otherwise head for the non-smoking
Lay-Bye
at 7 Castlemead Rd (tel 01453/751514; ?40-50), fifteen minutes' walk south of the centre, or the
Downfield Hotel
at 134 Cainscross Rd (tel 01453/764496,
; ?50-60), in a Georgian building five minutes from the High Street. You'll find the nearest
youth hostel
at Slimbridge. For
food
in the daytime go straight to
Mills Cafe
in Withey's Yard off High Street, which sells scrumptious cakes, home-made soups and other wholesome concoctions. In the evenings, the choice narrows down to Indian or Chinese as Stroud's nightlife gives over to laddish pub culture. Its saving grace, however, is the
Retreat
wine bar in Church Street, which is smartish but not overpriced. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United Kingdom,
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