Nailsworth

Nailsworth is a small valley town in the southern Cotswolds, squeezed into the meeting point of three steep-sided valleys. Its character is quite distinct from the high-wolds villages — more industrial in history, more independent in spirit, with a creative scene that has made it one of the most interesting small towns in Gloucestershire. The poet W.H. Davies, who wrote the famous lines 'What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare', spent his later years here and is buried in the town.

The town grew around its cloth mills, which lined the valley streams from the seventeenth century onwards. Several of the mill buildings survive and have been converted to community use, including the Subscription Rooms — a handsome Victorian concert hall that continues to host live music, events and performances. The steep streets climbing the surrounding hillsides give Nailsworth an almost Alpine quality in places.

Nailsworth has built a strong reputation for independent food and drink, with a farmers' market, a well-regarded delicatessen, and several restaurants and cafes drawing visitors from across the Five Valleys. It sits at the southern edge of the Stroud Valleys and the surrounding countryside offers excellent walking on the high Cotswold commons and along the valley streams. Stroud is four miles north and Tetbury is five miles east.