Back in November (One Hour Outside month) I walked the WAS Way (“Walk Around Stroud”), a 10-mile waymarked route around the parish borders of Stroud in Gloucestershire. The circular hike crosses all five of the famous Five Valleys – Frome (Golden/Chalford), Nailsworth, Ruscombe, Painwick and Slad.
Mainly on footpaths and country lanes, I found there to be a little bit of everything along the route – river valleys, canal tow paths, high commons grazed by cattle and sheep, textile mills and related industry, steep slopes with big views, pretty woodland, and little communities made of Cotswold Stone.
It’s a good walk, well put together, and one I’d recommend to others looking for a countryside walk with an urban flavour. Here’s something about my day hiking it.
The WAS Way – A Walk Around Stroud
The Walk Around Stroud – the WAS Way – is a delightful 10-mile walking route that follows the parish boundaries of Stroud, showcasing the town’s rich natural beauty, industrial heritage, and stunning landscapes. Created by Debbie Hewitt and first walked during the 2007 Stroud Walking Festival, as I mentioned above, the route crosses all five of the Stroud Valleys: Frome (Golden/Chalford), Nailsworth, Ruscombe, Painswick, and Slad.
The walk takes approximately five hours to complete and involves around 1,500 feet of ascent, with WAS Way symbols helping to guide you along the route. It’s designed to be walked in either direction, and being circular, can be started from any of its 16 marked points. The route includes a mix of public footpaths and roads, with some sections being steep and muddy, while others, like the canal towpath to the south, are flatter and more accessible.
There’s a handy guide on the Stroud Town Council website you can print out and take with you. For mapping, you’ll find the route here in OS Maps (start here if you don’t already have a subscription).
Walking the WAS Way
I chose to start (and therefore finish) my circular walk of the WAS Way at Wallbridge, which aligns perfectly with the leaflet which recommends this as an ideal point to begin the hike. I parked my car at Cheapside Car Park (right by the station – but not in the station car park), which is really close to the route, and also meant I was close to town for when I wanted lunch at the end.
And then I, of course, decided to do the route in the opposite direction to the leaflet… I went anti clockwise rather than clockwise.
The weather was changeable, with the cloud base being high, but ready to dump without warning. It was one of those days when I knew my waterproof coat would be on and off and on and off again; it was too warm to wear it when it wasn’t raining, but when the drizzle started, I needed that outer layer to prevent me from soaking through and getting cold.
I should also say that the waymarking is not bad at all for a non-national-trail. It’s great in the countryside sections, but you’ll want a map for the built-up areas, especially around Puckshole, Park End and Highfield. The leaflet is well written and so if you do it in a clockwise direction, then that’ll work fine.
My WAS Way Highlights
I shan’t go into lots of detail about the route itself, because there is a well written guide you can download that does that. And sadly, my one chance at creating hiking routes for publication fell through, so I’m feeling a bit bitter about that if I’m honest! As always when I hike, though, there are a few sections that warrant a little commentary, because they stick out in my mind as being particularly interesting.
The first highlight was the first mile-or-so of walking, along the banks of the River Frome, up to the Thames and Severn Canal, and to Capel’s Mill Viaduct. This section was teeming with remnants of Stroud’s industrial past – Stroud was a cloth town, and had a number of woollen mills powered by the small rivers which flow through the five valleys. Some may say this old industrial backdrop isn’t the prettiest, but I liked it.
Next up, because I’m sharing my memories in order hiked, was Conyge Wood. This was a very welcome short stretch of woodland bridging the gap between some (very muddy indeed) farmland and the Old Cemetery. I would have loved more woodland on this hike, but the section I did get was genuinely lovely. I hiked the WAS Way at the end of autumn when the ground was covered in fallen leaves, and I definitely kicked my way along the path with a big smile on my face. Lovely.
Valley Views
From there it was straight up the steep sided slope into Stroud Old Cemetery. I don’t know, there’s just something about walking through a cemetery, and this one is so very perfectly placed on the side of the hill. It includes many historic memorials and a Victorian Chapel of Rest, and is a Local Nature Reserve, home to rare lichens, beetles, badgers and glow worms. There was peace and quiet, and lovely views from this spot on the outskirts of town, and I’m glad the route has been designed to go through the middle of it.
Given this is a circular walk taking in a number of narrow valleys, at times you can stand on the top of one hill, and clearly see your next summit ahead. This was the case at Hammonds Farm, when I had a beautiful view across Painswick Valley, and was clearly able to see the tower of St Paul’s Church over in Whiteshill. And once I’d descended into the valley, crossed the A46, and ascended through Stokenhill Farm to the church, I could plainly see where I’d been a few minutes earlier. I liked that, and it reminded me it always pays to turn around and look back.
Back to the Start
The final two highlights of the WAS Way come within a mile of the finish. First up, Lake at the Lawn, which proved an unexpected and almost rugged-looking bit of nature right in the urban centre of Cainscross. Once part of a Victorian estate called The Lawn, and within the grounds of a textile mill before that, the garden was left unmanaged for more than 40 years, but has now been turned into a little public greenspace and wildlife habitat thanks to the work of a group of locals. Well done to those people.
And finally, the stretch of tow path along the now disused Stroudwater Navigation and its renovated lochs made for a lovely end to my ten miles along the WAS Way. This also felt like a little wildlife haven, and it is clearly loved by locals as there were many walking along there on a Saturday lunchtime. I might normally prefer hiking as far out in the countryside as I can get, away from others, but it is genuinely nice to see people enjoying their local patch of the outdoors at the weekend.
The Not-So Best Bits
As is my tradition, I want to mention some things that were less than positive. Of course, bear in mind I hiked the WAS Way once, in early November, on a drizzly day…
I found there to be quite a lot of road and pavement walking on the WAS Way. This is hard on the feet, and in my opinion, always less enjoyable than getting out on footpaths and bridleways. This particular hike is about circumnavigating a town – an urban environment – and so some road walking is inevitable. But it did feel like a very large percentage was on tarmac. Having said that, the views from some of those roads were pretty good, and so it can be forgiven.
On the other side of the coin, a lot of the proper footpath sections of the WAS Way were rather squelchy. It definitely could have been worse, but certain sections will be muddy and slippery, especially after or in a downpour. It sounds like I’m really unhappy with the terrain on this hike, but that’s not the case at all – it’s just worth noting you shouldn’t attempt this one in just any pair of shoes thinking this is all hard standing, as you need something that’s got good grip. And maybe a set of walking poles.
I actually think the amount of ascent and descent on the WAS Way is no bother to anyone with reasonable fitness, but do know that some parts of the walk are quite steep, especially around the edges of the valleys. The longest and steepest bit (in the anti clockwise direction) was up through Thrupp, all on country lane. And the descent after Wasa-Wasa – between two springs – was also one of the steepest (and muddiest) parts of the trail.
You Should Walk the WAS Way
Overall, I found the WAS Way provided a rewarding mix of natural beauty and historical interest, and it was well worth a day hike. Stroud is not somewhere I know well, and so this is a great way to explore the picturesque countryside around the town.
On the day, I found I was a little quicker than the leaflet suggested, completing the 10.4 miles in a tiny but under four hours – but I was on a mission to be back in the town centre in time to eat a warm lunch in a local café so had a self-inflicted deadline to adhere to. I didn’t rush, though, I guess those road walking sections allowed me to keep the pace up.
I am very happy to recommend this as a day hike worth adding to your list. Here’s that guide again should you want to download it – and here’s the OS Maps route I followed.
