A free picnic viewpoint and nature reserve on the Cotswold escarpment near Nympsfield and Uley, with Severn Vale views, Nympsfield Long Barrow beside the grass, and the Cotswold Way crossing Stage 10.
Coaley Peak sits high on the Cotswold escarpment about four miles south-west of Stroud, overlooking the village of Coaley toward the Severn Vale and the Forest of Dean. Once arable farmland, the hilltop is now a picnic site and nature reserve of grassland and wildflowers, with benches facing the long western view. Beside the picnic grass stands Nympsfield Long Barrow, a Neolithic chambered tomb cared for by English Heritage - free to visit in daylight hours.
The Cotswold Way crosses the site on Stage 10 between King's Stanley and Dursley, so through-walkers reach the viewpoint without a diversion. From the car park you can turn toward Uley and Hetty Pegler's Tump, or into Pen Wood and Coaley Wood (Woodland Trust beech woodland). Unimproved limestone grassland below the reserve is National Trust land; sheep help graze the Wildlife Trust meadow.
Entry is free and the reserve is open-access throughout the year, with plenty of free parking (postcode guide GL10 3TP / OS SO794012). Terrain near the car park is mostly flat and even; kissing gates lead into adjoining fields. Dogs are permitted - keep them under control around livestock and nesting birds. Practical notes are on the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Coaley Peak page and the English Heritage Nympsfield Long Barrow page.
