Gloucester

Cradled by the picturesque Cotswold Hills and ideally located in the heart of the country, the city of Gloucester has a vibrant, lively atmosphere that combines a rich historic past with all the excitement of a modern city.
Gloucester is the capital of Gloucestershire and located in the Severn Vale. It is a laid back place and a good starting point for exploring the Cotswolds. The town has quite a few interesting sights itself as well... A visit to the magnificent Norman Cathedral is a must, as is the House of the Tailor of Gloucester, the actual shop that Beatrix Potter
used as a model for the Tailor's home in her famous story "The Tailor of Gloucester". The nearby Folk and City museums, both individual and fascinating, will lead you through the complete Gloucester story; its extraordinary history, its people, their lives and livelihoods. Just a short walk from the City Centre, you will discover the Historic Gloucester Docks, home to three fascinating museums – National Waterways Museum, Regiments of Gloucestershire Museum, and the Robert Opie Collection. The Docks also boast a specialist shopping centre, waterfront cafes, bars and restaurants and boat trips on the Queen Boadicea II, a Dunkirk little ship offering river cruises. There are also guided
tours, a family picnic area, the amazing Antiques Centre, with four floors packed full of treasures, and ample car parking.

Gloucester is a city and district in south-west England, close to the Welsh border. It is the county town of Gloucestershire. In 2003 the city proper had a population of 110,207. However the built-up area extends beyond the city boundary. The 2001 census gave the population of the whole "Gloucester Urban Area" as 162,203, up 8% from the 1991 figure of 126,149.

It is located on the right (east) bank of the River Severn, at grid reference SO832186, 114 miles west-north-west of London. It is sheltered by the Cotswolds on the east, while the Forest of Dean and the Malvern Hills rise prominently to the west and north-west, respectively.

Gloucester is a port, linked via the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal to the Severn Estuary, allowing larger ships to reach the docks than would be possible on the tidal reaches of the river itself. The wharves, warehouses and the docks themselves fell into considerable disrepair until their renovation in the 1980s. They now form a public open space. Some warehouses now house the National Waterways Museum, others were converted into luxury residential apartments, shops and bars. The port still houses the most inland RNLI Lifeboat in the UK.