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South Cotswolds · Gloucestershire

Nailsworth

The foodie market town of the Five Valleys

About Nailsworth

Nailsworth sits in a deep wooded valley between Stroud and Tetbury, a former cloth-mill town that has reinvented itself as the Cotswolds' independent food capital. The town has more independent shops, cafés and restaurants per resident than anywhere else in the region.

It is also where the road called The W reaches a 1-in-2.4 gradient — the steepest publicly maintained road in England, often used as a hill-climb test.

The Cotswold Guide Top Tips

  • Park on Old Market and walk; the town centre is a five-minute, mostly flat circuit.
  • Don't drive up The W to see it — walk up from the Britannia pub and back via the wider Avening Road.

Where to eat & drink

  • Wild Garlic

    Michelin-starred since 2017; small dining room in a converted mill cottage.

  • Hobbs House Bakery

    Their original site; 30 sourdoughs and the best Cotswold pastries.

  • Williams Food Hall

    Cotswold cheeses, charcuterie and a small café for lunch.

  • Tipputs Inn

    Proper old pub on the Bath Road; Sunday roasts book out a week ahead.

Getting there

  • By car

    4 miles south of Stroud on the A46. Free parking on Old Market and behind the Town Hall.

  • By bus

    the 63 from Stroud runs every 20 minutes.

Best time to visit

Year-round; the Saturday food market on Old Market is excellent. The annual Festival of Food takes over the town in early September.

Find accommodation near Nailsworth

Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages within easy reach of Nailsworth — browse availability for your dates on Booking.com.

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