Skip to main content

Britain By Car - A Motoring History

Gloucestershire

Linking the English Midlands to the West Country, Gloucestershire is in many ways the archetypal English rural county, with gentle rolling countryside and picture-postcard villages.

The county can be divided into three distinct areas: the Cotswold Hills, the Severn Vale and the Forest of Dean.  The Cotswold Hills stretch from one end of the county to the other, reaching a height of over 1,000 feet on Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham.  Grey Cotswold stone has been used for buildings throughout the country.

By contrast, the Severn Vale, on either side of the River Severn, is low-lying and much flatter, but it is here where the county’s three major towns and cities are located: Cheltenham, Tewksbury and Gloucester.

To the west of the county, and close to the border of Wales, lies the Forest of Dean, one of the few surviving English ancient woodlands.

With thanks to the following for the images of Gloucestershire:
Stanton © Paul Harrop
Church Street, Tewkesbury © Ben Brooksbank
The Promenade, Cheltenham © Pauline E
Country road © Philip Halling

Gloucestershire locations