Things to do

So Much To See And Do!

Egypt Mill is centrally located within the market town of Nailsworth. As part of the Cotswolds, the area offers a wealth of diverse attractions and places to visit.

Geographically equidistant to Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham and Gloucester, with Cirencester and Stroud only a few miles down the road. Nailsworth offers visitors an ideal base for the area as a whole, however Nailsworth itself offers excellent shopping, eating and leisure, as well as amazing walking and cycling direct from the doorstep.

Explore the Town

Nailsworth is a thriving, beautiful, artistic town with a wide variety of shops and places of interest. Nestling in a wooded valley, Nailsworth stands at the union of two valleys. It is renowned for its award-winning restaurants, pubs, cafes and food outlets including Hobbs House Bakery owned by the famous “Fabulous Baker Brothers” and William’s Fishmarket & Foodhall.

Nailsworth also has its own Farmers Market every 4th Saturday of the month.
There are many small individual shops offering an amazing variety of goods, and as a fair-trade town there are items from across the globe. There are numerous Antique and Artisan shops, many selling items made within the premises. One of the focal points for artistic activities is Ruskin Mill, which is set in beautiful organic water gardens.
Nailsworth was once an important Cotswold Mill town, having the largest number of working water wheels per square mile in the country, with many of these open to the public. The Dunkirk Mill Centre, Gigg Mill and St Mary’s continue to have open days or you can relax in Egypt Mill Hotel and Restaurant, that retains its two working water wheels.
Food and wine purveyors in the area, include Raffles Fine Wine which has an excellent selection of wines, a Morrison’s Super market (1 minute walk) a Co-Op (3 minutes walk) and Tesco Express/Post Office (3 minutes walk).

List of Events

Winter 2018

Date of Event: December 2018 Christmas markets appear in towns and villages such as Cheltenham, Cirencester and Gloucester. Westonbirt lights up its trees for Enchanted Christmas.

Summer 2019

Date of Event: Summer 2019 Look out for magical Giffords Circus as it travels its way around the Cotswolds. Families will also enjoy the Times Science Festival and Wychwood Music Festival. Other key events include the Three Counties Show, Tewkesbury Medieval Festival and the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford.

Autumn 2019

Date of Event: Autumn 2019 Heritage days see some attractions, not normally open to the public, open their doors. The leaf colours of Westonbirt Arboretum and Batsford Arboretum amaze. The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival is the flagship festival of the autumn.

Westonbirt Arboretum

Date of Event: November – December An illuminated celebration of Westonbirt’s trees. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from November to December.

Cheltenham Festival 2019

Date of Event: 12th – 15th March 2019 The Cheltenham Festival is one of sport’s most enthralling extravaganzas

Badminton Horse Trials

Date of Event: 1st – 5th May 2019 The World’s Premier 3 Day Event

Nailsworth Festival

Date of Event: 18th-26th May 2019 A full programme of events, starting with free entertainment on Festival Saturday in Mortimer Gardens and a market and many other activities across the town on the day. During the following week they will offer music to suit many tastes, comedy, drama, talks and poetry. The Festival features both international performers and newly emerging artists.

Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling

Date of Event: 27th May 2019 Cheese rolling competition at Coopers Hill.

Stroud Beer Race

Date of Event: 3rd June 2019 Take part in a 7.2 mile road race around Mininchampton Common in the Stroud Beer Race, where the first 100 thirstiest runners to complete the race will get a free half pint.

Nibley Music Festival

Date of Event: 5th – 6th July 2019 The great annual family-friendly Nibley Music Festival, with brilliant bands; entertainment lined up for the little ones; and a cornucopia of food, drink and stalls selling everything from clothes to books, all to look forward to.

Royal International Air Tattoo

Date of Event: 19th – 21st July 2019 The Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford. A great day out for the whole family.

Gatcombe Horse Trials

Date of Event: 2nd-4th August 2019 Taking place in Gatcombe Park, this is a fun packed weekend featuring a host of events with riders from all around the world.

Stroud Fringe Festival

Date of Event: 24th August 2019 Boasting over 300 performers, street entertainment, kids area & great street food, the Stroud Fringe is a joyous festival where a town throws open its doors and a special community comes together to create a wonderful spectacle! Enjoy vibrant culture and musical performances; from poetry to punk, fine art to folk, comedy to chaos theory and everything in-between…

Frocester Beer Festival

Date of Event: 24th August 2019 The two-day event will include a heady mix of more than 100 cask-conditioned real ales from more than 50 breweries around the UK, a large selection of wines, ciders and perry, a host of live music, hot food and free camping.

Stroud Half Marathon

Date of Event: 27th October 2019

Winter 2019

Date of Event: December 2019 Christmas markets appear in towns and villages such as Cheltenham, Cirencester and Gloucester. Westonbirt lights up its trees for Enchanted Christmas.

Local Attractions

Local attractions in the area include:

Golf : Minchinhampton Old and New Courses – 3 number 18 hole courses Golf
Golf: Cotswold Edge – 18 hole golf course
Golf : Painswick – 18 hole golf course
Golf : Stinchcombe Hill – 18 hole golf course
Rush Skate Park – 65,000 sqft of serious indoor skateboard/scooter/bike park suitable for all levels including world champions !
Stroud Farmers market – Award winning market provides local organic products on Saturday mornings
Westonbirt Arboretum – 15,000 specimens that change with the seasons. Westonbirt is also a concert venue during the Summer.
Woodchester Mansion – 19th Century Victorian Gothic Grade I Masterpiece mysteriously abandoned mid-construction in 1873
Cotswold Water Park – 150 lakes set over 40 square miles, offering a wide range of activities.
Cattle Country – A range of activities for the young family.
Berkeley Castle – Norman Castle retaining many of its original features.
Gloucester Cathedral – Holds a mixed and varied events calendar, as well as a place of worship.
Slimbridge WWT – Wildlife close up for All.
Gloucester Rugby – Premiership rugby at its best, played at Kingsholm !
Forest Green Rovers FC – Vanarama National League team, played at the New Lawn
Cotswold Gliding Club – based at Ashton Down airfield, the club is one of the most progressive in the country with an excellent training fleet.

Walking & Cycling

There are hundreds of footpaths within the area, either climbing out of the valleys or following the valley floor. With amazing Cotswold stone cottages and houses, as well as National Trust land surrounding Nailsworth, there are no shortages of scenic routes.

Walking

For walks in the Stroud District Click Here

For walks in the Nailsworth area Click Here

Cycling

Nailsworth Cycle Trail, is just a small part of the Stroud Valleys Cycle route, and follows the Nailsworth Valley via the disused railway track, which runs alongside the course of the River Frome. The rugged hillsides and open countryside, result in a varied and vast area for mountain biking, or cycling around the many country lanes.

For an overview of all cycling routes in the area Click Here

For information on cycling trails in Nailsworth Click Here

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