Photogenic Landscapes and Historic Sites in Gloucestershire



Stinchcombe Hill
Tewkesbury Abbey
Ketford Bank

Gloucestershire (including the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire) extends from north Bristol in the south to Tewkesbury in the north, and from the River Wye in the west, bordering Wales, to the Cotswolds in the east. Major geographic areas include the eastern half of the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean, the Vale of Berkeley alongside the River Severn, and, the largest, the Cotswolds themselves, over half of which is within this county.

There are no outstandingly scenic places and no truly wild, undeveloped areas, but plenty of pleasant landscapes, of rolling hills, riparian valleys, ancient woodlands, and estuarine environments along the River Severn. The river becomes a sea around the village of Severn Beach, near the southwest corner of Gloucestershire, though the riversides are coastal in appearance for up to ten miles upstream, however most is bordered by mud flats and grassland, with just a few more photogenic, rocky places such as the cliffs at Aust. Over 60 sites in Gloucestershire are protected as nature reserves, and about half of these contain scenic landscapes in addition to the interesting flora and fauna.


Notable ancient sites are somewhat fewer in number than for adjacent counties like Somerset and Monmouthshire. There are plenty of country houses, still used as residences, and three major medieval churches, at Cirencester, Gloucester and Tewkesbury, together with many smaller religious buildings. Perhaps the best of the small number of ruined places is Hailes Abbey near Winchcombe; nearly all of the other monastic buildings from this period have been incorporated into current buildings, or are no longer visible. Similarly, of the 30 or so castles in the county, all are either completely disappeared, evident only from low earthworks, or are intact and still occupied; Berkeley Castle is the most famous location.



Castles



Beverston Castle - also known as Tetbury Castle, this is a privately owned structure in the Cotswolds, built in the 13th century. Part is ruined, while other sections have been incorporated into a modern residence

Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle
The third oldest continuously occupied castle in England, after Windsor Castle and the Tower of London; home of the Berkeley family since the early 12th century

Rating: ★★★★
St Briavels Castle
St Briavels Castle
Constructed in the 12th century, near the Forest of Dean. Some buildings are intact, and used as a youth hostel, while the public can visit the ruined areas

Rating: ★★★★★
Sudeley Castle
Sudeley Castle
Privately-owned fortified mansion built in the 1440s, with extensive gardens and some ruined components; open to visitors

Rating: ★★★★★
Thornbury Castle - a manor house rather than a true castle, this was built in the early 16th century then later extensively altered. It is now a hotel

Cathedrals

, and other major churches

Church of St John Baptist
Church of St John Baptist, Cirencester
One of the largest parish churches in the country, some parts dating from the 12th century. Impressive perpendicular gothic architecture

Rating: ★★★★★
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Northleach
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Northleach
Cathedral-like parish church, mostly dating from the 14th century, noted for its collection of early brasses

Rating: ★★★★★
Deerhurst Priory
Deerhurst Priory
One of the oldest parish churches in the country, the central section dating from the start of the 9th century

Rating: ★★★★★
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Imposing, city centre Norman cathedral with many fine architectural features. Contains the tomb of Edward II

Rating: ★★★★★
Tewkesbury Abbey
Tewkesbury Abbey
Large Norman church, 'the cathedral of the Cotswolds', famous for its well-preserved Gothic architecture

Rating: ★★★★★

Coastlines



Aust
Aust to Littleton Pill
Partly cliff-lined, fossiliferous section of the Severn Estuary, either side of the original motorway bridge

Rating: ★★★★★
Beachley Point and Chapel Rock
Beachley Point and Chapel Rock
Low cliffs at the tip of the peninsula between the rivers Wye and Severn, and a tidal island centred on a ruined medieval chapel

Rating: ★★★★★
Littleton Pill to Oldbury Pill
Littleton Pill to Oldbury Pill
1.3 mile stretch of flat land beside the Severn Estuary, between two road access points, a good location for saltmarsh plants

Rating: ★★★★
Pilning to Aust
Pilning to Aust
Three miles of the Severn Estuary coastline, lined by saltmarsh, including the Pilning Wetlands, a series of artificially-created pools

Rating: ★★★★
Severn Beach to Avonmouth
Severn Beach to Avonmouth
Three miles of flat Severn Estuary coastline, mainly saltmarsh with some sand and shingle; good for wildflowers

Rating: ★★★★

Roman Sites



Great Witcombe Roman Villa
Great Witcombe Roman Villa
Excavated foundations of a substantial Roman villa, inhabited up to the 5th century, and rediscovered in 1818

Rating: ★★★★

Ruined Abbeys

, and other disused religious buildings

Greyfriars, Gloucester
Greyfriars, Gloucester
Walls, windows and arches from the church of a medieval friary, founded around 1231 and rebuilt in 1531

Rating: ★★★★★
Hailes Abbey
Hailes Abbey
Limited but atmospheric and picturesque ruins of a Cistercian monastery; arches of the cloisters, and foundations of other buildings

Rating: ★★★★
St James' Church
St James' Church
Ruins of a small church in the Wye Valley, the only remnant from the medieval village of Lancaut

Rating: ★★★★★
Kingswood Abbey Gatehouse
Kingswood Abbey Gatehouse
Intact gatehouse of a Cistercian monastery, the remainder having been completely demolished

Rating: ★★★★★
Odda's Chapel - small but nearly complete Saxon chapel, constructed in 1056

St Oswald's Priory
St Oswald's Priory
Fragmentary but evocative remains of an ancient priory, near the centre of Gloucester

Rating: ★★★★★

Landscapes



Badgeworth
Badgeworth Nature Reserve
Small pond home to aquatic plant species, including the very rare adder's-tongue spearwort, or Badgeworth buttercup

Rating: ★★★★
Ban-y-Gor Woods
Ban-y-Gor Woods Nature Reserve
Cool, shady, moist woodland below a steep slope on the east bank of the River Wye, crossed by a 0.7 mile path

Rating: ★★★★
Barrow Wake
Barrow Wake Nature Reserve
Steep-sided limestone hill along the edge of the Cotswolds, with fine westwards views and over 100 plant species

Rating: ★★★★
Beechenhurst Trail
Beechenhurst Trail
Nine mile loop through varied, mature woodland in the northwest section of the Forest of Dean, including Worgreens Lake and the Cannop Ponds

Rating: ★★★★★
Betty Daw's Wood
Betty Daw's Wood
Semi-natural woodland filled with thousands of daffodil flowers in the spring; part of the 'Golden Triangle' of wild daffodil colonies

Rating: ★★★★
Box Wood
Box Wood Nature Reserve
Ancient woodland, including beech trees, along both sides of a narrow valley centred on a small, spring-fed stream, the upper end of which forms waterfalls and cascades

Rating: ★★★★★
Cannop Bridge Marsh
Cannop Bridge Marsh Nature Reserve
Pools, streams and marshy woodland in the Forest of Dean, at the edge of the open water of North Cannop Pond

Rating: ★★★★
Charfield Meadow
Charfield Meadow Nature Reserve
Undisturbed grassland and woodland beside the Bristol-Birmingham railway line, supporting a wide range of plant species

Rating: ★★★★
Clarke's Pool Nature Reserve
Clarke's Pool Nature Reserve
Two fields of semi-natural pasture filled with abundant wildflowers in the spring and summer, including thousands of green-winged orchids

Rating: ★★★★
Cleeve Common
Cleeve Common
Large expanse of floral, calcareous grassland, including the highest point in the Cotswolds

Rating: ★★★★★
Coaley Peak Nature Reserve
Coaley Peak Nature Reserve
High point along the west edge of the Cotswolds, with views to the Severn valley. Also site of a prehistoric burial chamber

Rating: ★★★★★
Collin Park Wood Nature Reserve
Collin Park Wood Nature Reserve
Semi-natural, ancient woodland, on acidic, clayish ground beside the floodplain of the River Leadon

Rating: ★★★★
Coopers Hill Nature Reserve
Coopers Hill Nature Reserve
Sizeable area of ancient beech woodland at the edge of the Cotswolds, overlooking the Severn Vale

Rating: ★★★★★
Crickley Hill Nature Reserve
Crickley Hill Nature Reserve
Prominent limestone hill at the edge of the Cotswolds, overlooking Gloucester and the Severn valley; a noted wildflower location, plus old quarries and the remains of an Iron Age hillfort

Rating: ★★★★★
Daneway Banks
Daneway Banks Nature Reserve
Sloping calcareous grassland plus scrub and patches of trees, supporting a wide variety of plant species; in a quiet part of the Cotswolds

Rating: ★★★★★
Edgehills Bog
Edgehills Bog Nature Reserve
Remote nature reserve; pools and boggy land on a ridgetop on the east side of the Forest of Dean, home to a variety of heath-specific plants

Rating: ★★★★
Foxes Bridge Bog
Foxes Bridge Bog Nature Reserve
Acid bog on high ground in the middle of the Forest of Dean, enclosed by oak woodland

Rating: ★★★★
Frith Wood
Frith Wood Nature Reserve
Ancient beech woodland on two sides of a ridge in the Cotswold Hills near Stroud

Rating: ★★★★
Grandmother's Rock
Grandmother's Rock
Enclosed stream with waterfall, and an old quarry, surrounded by shady woodland

Rating: ★★★★
Gwen and Vera's Fields
Gwen and Vera's Fields Nature Reserve
Two small fields filled with wild daffodils in the spring, and a selection of other wildflowers

Rating: ★★★★
Hobbs Quarry Nature Reserve
Hobbs Quarry Nature Reserve
Overgrown limestone quarry, with interesting geological exposures; colonised by a variety of woodland plants

Rating: ★★★★
Ketford Bank Nature Reserve
Ketford Bank Nature Reserve
Wild daffodils and bluebells in a field of sloping grassland, on a north-facing hillside above the valley of the River Leadon

Rating: ★★★★
Kilkenny Nature Reserve
Kilkenny Nature Reserve
Sloping enclosure of unimproved calcareous grassland in the Cotswolds, containing many wildflower species

Rating: ★★★★
Lady Park Wood
Lady Park Wood National Nature Reserve
Ancient, broad-leaved woodland across a northeast-facing slope in the Wye Valley, with several rare plant species

Rating: ★★★★★
Lancaut Nature Reserve
Lancaut Nature Reserve
Limestone cliffs and steeply-sloping woodland along the valley of the River Wye; home to over 350 plant species

Rating: ★★★★★
Laurie Lee Wood Nature Reserve
Laurie Lee Wood Nature Reserve
Small patch of ancient woodland across a steep, north-facing slope above the valley of Slad Brook

Rating: ★★★★
Laymoor Quag Nature Reserve
Laymoor Quag Nature Reserve
Boggy heath, woodland, grassland and ponds near Cinderford at the edge of the Forest of Dean, crossed by old railway lines

Rating: ★★★★
Lippets Grove Nature Reserve
Lippets Grove Nature Reserve
Small, rather remote patch of ancient woodland above the River Wye, beside Offa's Dyke, containing varied wildflowers

Rating: ★★★★
Lower Woods Nature Reserve
Lower Woods Nature Reserve
One of the largest areas of ancient woodland in south England; a group of over 20 small, adjoining woods, separated by broad, grassy tracks

Rating: ★★★★★
Michael Wood
Michael Wood
Elevated area of mixed broadleaf and coniferous trees on an ancient woodland site; a particularly good location for fungi

Rating: ★★★★
Midger Wood
Midger Wood Nature Reserve
Belt of ancient woodland in a narrow valley containing a tufa-lined stream, flowing over small waterfalls

Rating: ★★★★★
Old London Road Nature Reserve
Old London Road Nature Reserve
Small, narrow field at the edge of the Cotswolds, one of only two UK locations for limestone woundwort, a very rare plant

Rating: ★★★★
Painswick Beacon
Painswick Beacon
Grassy summit in the Cotswolds, part of the western escarpment, also site of an Iron Age hillfort

Rating: ★★★★★
The Park and Poor's Allotment Nature Reserve
The Park and Poor's Allotment
Sizeable nature reserve containing acidic heathland, either side of the B4228 near the River Wye

Rating: ★★★★
Pasqueflower SSSI
Pasqueflower SSSI
Rare wildflowers in a peaceful, grassy valley in the Cotswold Hills; also contains orchids in addition to the pasqueflower, which blooms in April and May

Rating: ★★★★★
Plump Hill Dolomite Quarry
Plump Hill Dolomite Quarry
Varied wildflowers in an abandoned quarry at the edge of the Forest of Dean

Rating: ★★★★
Rough Bank
Rough Bank
Sloping grassland above a narrow valley in the Cotswolds, home to many species of butterflies and plants

Rating: ★★★★
Saltridge Wood
Saltridge Wood
Mature beech woodland on the slopes above Painswick Valley, part of Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods National Nature Reserve

Rating: ★★★★
Sapperton Valley Nature Reserve
Sapperton Valley Nature Reserve
Woodland and wet meadows along the River Frome, incorporating a disused section of the Severn and Thames Canal

Rating: ★★★★★
Selsley Common
Selsley Common
Limestone grassland, flat or steeply sloping, along the west edge of the Cotswold escarpment, south of Stroud

Rating: ★★★★★
Siccaridge Wood Nature Reserve
Siccaridge Wood Nature Reserve
Ancient coppiced woodland, on sloping ground above the disused Severn-Thames Canal; several rare wildflower species

Rating: ★★★★
Stenders Quarry Nature Reserve
Stenders Quarry Nature Reserve
Small limestone quarry, abandoned for nearly a century, now colonised by a good variety of plant species

Rating: ★★★★
Stinchcombe Hill
Stinchcombe Hill
Promontory at the west edge of the Cotswolds; calcareous grassland on top, and oak/ash/beech woods around the perimeter

Rating: ★★★★★
Strawberry Banks SSSI
Strawberry Banks SSSI
Two grassy fields above a small valley, sloping down to a stream, a tributary of the River Frome

Rating: ★★★★
Stuart Fawkes
Stuart Fawkes
Gently sloping pasture on calcareous soils, with a selection of common wildflowers and one very rare species, meadow clary

Rating: ★★★★
Swift's Hill
Swift's Hill Nature Reserve
Hillside nature reserve; a noted location for wildflowers, including 15 species of orchid

Rating: ★★★★★
The Hudnalls
The Hudnalls National Nature Reserve
Ancient woodland of beech, oak, ash and lime, on acidic soils across a steep, west-facing slope above the River Wye

Rating: ★★★★★
Uley Bury
Uley Bury
Detached part of the Cotswold escarpment; a flat-topped limestone hill, site of a large Iron Age fort

Rating: ★★★★★
Westonbirt Arboretum
Westonbirt Arboretum
Collection of 2,500 species of trees and shrubs from around the world, mixed with a sizeable area of ancient, natural woodland

Rating: ★★★★
Wigpool
Wigpool Nature Reserve
Ponds, marsh and acidic heath, in the middle of a conifer plantation near the north edge of the Forest of Dean

Rating: ★★★★★
Woodchester Park
Woodchester Park
Hidden valley in the Cotswolds, containing an unfinished mansion, a chain of lakes, grassy slopes and extensive woodland

Rating: ★★★★★
Woorgreens Lake
Woorgreens Lake Nature Reserve
Shallow lake ringed by woodland and heath, at the centre of the Forest of Dean. Formerly an opencast iron mine

Rating: ★★★★★
Workmans Wood
Workmans Wood
Mature beech woodland on steep-slopes in the upper Painswick Valley, part of Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods National Nature Reserve

Rating: ★★★★
Wye Valley: Passage Grove and Caswell Wood
Wye Valley: Passage Grove and Caswell Wood
Ancient woodland, an old railway, a tufa stream, the river and views of Tintern Abbey

Rating: ★★★★★
Wye Valley: Tidenham Chase
Wye Valley: Tidenham Chase
Varied scenery along a loop walk in the Wye Valley, including a disused quarry, an old railway, a cave and an abandoned ferry

Rating: ★★★★★


Map of Featured Gloucestershire Locations