How to get there: Head north along the Pacific Highway to Raymond Terrace and take the Stroud exit onto the Bucketts Way.
What to take: Hat, walking shoes and change for roadside stalls.
Who should go: City-dwellers looking for a rural escape.
What to see: View from Silo Hill, historic buildings and views from the country club.
What to do: Enjoy the scenic drive, take the heritage walk, play golf, go horse riding, shop for home-made, home-grown food and crafts, have a picnic at Silo Hill and peer down into the silos, take a Court House tour on Wednesdays, tour the museum in Quambi House on Sundays, or visit a winery.
Where to eat: Stroud Country Club, Stroud Central Hotel, Terra Cottage Gallery and Cafe.
Best kept secret: The Stroud brick and rolling pin throwing contest in July each year.
I'M driving along the Bucketts Way and on the seat next to me are a jar of lemon butter, a homemade date loaf, a patchwork mug mat, a bottle of wine and some honey bought by the side of the road.
It's the fruits of a day trip to Stroud.
The Upper Hunter village is known for its history but there are plenty of other reasons to visit the rural settlement.
Stroud is just under an hour's drive from Newcastle and the trip there is almost as enjoyable as the visit.
The Bucketts Way winds through some of the Hunter's most picturesque farming land.
Once there, Terra Cottage Gallery and Cafe is the ideal spot to stop for tea and scones.
The cafe is set outside a fish pond filled with lilypads and lotus flowers and includes a gazebo.
Afterwards active types can head over to the Stroud Country Club on the edge of town for a game of golf in the lush green surrounds.
Finish off with a beer and a reasonably priced pub lunch at the clubhouse, which is modest but boasts million-dollar views over the valley. Or you could visit Stroud Central Hotel in the main street.
A quick drive through Stroud's streets reveals a range of wares for sale. There are honey and eggs to be found on the side of the road and homemade food and handicrafts in the main street.
On the edge of town is Alderly Creek Wines, one of the handful of Upper Hunter boutique vineyards in the vicinity.
But much of the appeal of Stroud lies in its history.
Stroud dates back to 1826, when it was part of a land grant to the Australian Agricultural Company and was named after the town of the same name in England.
The town has created an eight-stop heritage walk that takes in Stroud House, built in 1828, Stroud Post Office, built in 1884, Stroud Gate and gothic revival-style St John's Anglican Church, built in 1833.
There's Quambi House, which is being restored by the local historical society and is open on Sundays between 10am and 3pm.
Stroud Court House is open on Wednesdays between 11am and 2pm and has plenty of tales to tell.
Not to be missed is Silo Hill, which is named after eight convict-built underground silos that you can peer into from the top.
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