England: Gloucestershire

Town, Postcode, Attraction

Gloucestershire is a, mostly rural, county in the South West region of England which shares its borders with the counties of Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, as well as with the country of Wales. As a UK vacation destination the county is best known for the Forest of Dean but parts of the Cotswold Hills and the valley of the River Severn are also found within the boundaries of Gloucestershire.

While many of Gloucestershire's visitor attractions are related to the countryside (and old buildings) the county has had it's industrial moments and there is an interesting amount of industrial heritage to explore. Industy has existed in the Forest of Dean for thousands of years where iron and coal have been extracted and where, at Puzzle Wood, it is still possible to see some areas known as "scowles" (opencast iron workings). It is even possible to visit some ancient iron mines at Clearwell Caves and you can find out more about the industry at the excellent Hopewell Colliery Museum (near Cannop).

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More About Gloucestershire
Golf Courses In Gloucestershire
Places To Visit In Gloucestershire
Historic Buildings In Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire Hotels & Accommodation

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More About Gloucestershire

As you would expect in a place which does not have an incredibly large industrial base, there is only one canal in Gloucestershire, the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal (pictured above left) but it is well worth a visit. Together with the River Severn, which joins the canal at Sharpness, the county it is possible to take boating vacations. At one time the network was connected to the River Thames but, unfortunately that network of interconnecting canals fell into disuse at the beginning of the 20th Century but, hopefully, they will eventually be restored so that a more extensive tour can be made.

Gloucestershire has a wealth of visitor attractions including lots of golf course (listed directly below), places of natural beauty, historical houses and other buildings plus a huge list of the usual types of modern attractions too, perfect for any vacation!

Gloucestershire Golf Courses
Brickhampton Court, Bristol Golf & CC, Bristol & Clifton, Broadway, Canons Court, Chipping Sodbury, Cirencester, Cleeve Hill, Cotswold Edge, Cotswold Hills, Dymock Grange, Filton, Forest Hills, Henbury, The Kendleshire, Knowle, Lilley Brook, Long Ashton, Lydney, Minchinhampton, Naunton Downs, Newent, Painswick, Players Golf Club, Rodway Hill, Manor Course & Sherdons Golf Centre, Shirehampton Park, Shortwood Lodge, South Cerney Golf Course & Driving Range, Stinchcombe Hill, Thornbury, Tracy Park, Ullenwood Manor Golfing Society, Westonbirt, Woodlands G&CC and Woodspring G&CC.

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Places To Visit In Gloucestershire, England
Settlements In The County Of Gloucestershire Bristol The largest, and livliest, city in the West Country of England. Gloucester is the county town of Gloucestershire and other towns to visit in the county include; Cheltenham, Cirencester, Stroud and Tewkesbury.
Museums & Art Galleries The Corinium Museum at Cirencester, Hopewell Colliery Museum and the National Waterways Museum.
Heritage Railways Avon Valley Railway, The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWR) and the Dean Forest Railway. North Gloucestershire Narrow Gauge Railway and Perrygrove Railway. Berkeley Light Railway (miniature).
Parks & Gardens, Places Of Natural Beauty The cathedral of Gloucester, Abbey House Gardens in Market Cross, Broadway Tower Country Park, Hidcote Manor Garden, Keynes Country Park, Kiftsgate Court Gardens, Mill Dene Garden, Montpellier Gardens, Old Court Nurseries & Picton Garden, Robinswood Hill Country Park, Rococo Gardens in Painswick, Veddw House Garden and Willow Garden Arboretum Prinknash Bird & Deer Park.
Other Places In & Around Gloucestershire To Visit Grimsbury Farm Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, Slimbridge. Clearwell Caves. Gloucester & Sharpness Canal.
Historic Religious Buildings The cathedral of Gloucester, Abbey House, Flaxley Abbey, Hailes Abbey, Odda's Chapel and Tewkesbury Abbey.
Historic Houses & Stately Homes Ablington Manor, Acton Court, Badminton House, Barnsley Park, Bibury Court, Blaise Castle, Blaise Hamlet, Boxwell Court, Chavenage House, Cirencester House, Clifton Hill House, Daneway, Dodington Park, Dyrham Park, Elmore Court, Frampton Court, Gatcombe Park, Georgian House, Goldney Hall, Hardwicke Court, Highgrove House, Horton Court, Kings Weston House Lasborough Park, Lodge Park and Sherborne Estate, Nether Lypiatt Manor, Owlpen Manor, Red Lodge, Royal Fort House, Sezincote Snowshill Manor, Stanway House, Stonehouse Court, Stowell Park, Swangrove, Toddington Manor, Tortworth Court, Westonbirt House, Whittington Court, Woodchester Mansion and Wormington Grange.
Castles Berkeley Castle (Privately owned but open to the public during the summer), Beverstone Castle, Bledisloe Tump, Brimpsfield Castle, Bury Manor Castle (Privately Owned), Castle Hale, Castle Tump, Cirencester Castle, English Bicknor Castle, Gloucester Castle, Hailes Castle, Haresfield Mount, Holme Castle, Little Camp Hill, Littledean Camp, Miserden Castle, Newington Bagpath Motte, Newnham on Severn Castle House, Ruardean Castle, South Cerney Castle Stow Green, St Briavel's Castle, Sudeley Castle (Privately Owned), Taynton Castle, Thornbury Castle (hotel) and Weston Park.
Other Interesting Buildings To Visit In Surrey Edward Jenner's House, Icomb Place and the Tyndale Monument. The Old Mill in Lower Slaughter.