The City of Gloucester is the furthest inland port in the UK, situated beside the River Severn. It inspired the old English nursery rhyme:
:"Dr Foster went to Gloucester in a shower of rain. :He stepped in a puddle, :Right up to his middle, :And never went back again."
'Dick Whittington', born around 1350, a well-known character through the pantomime story, has connexions with Gloucester. The story is based on the real life Richard Whittington, who, unlike his pantomime character, was not poor, being the third son of Sir William Whittington of Gloucester. The traditional tale has a 'poor' Dick going to London to seek his fortune, but evntually becoming Lord Mayor of London.
A traditional rhyme is associated with this episode, as follows:
"Turn again, Whittington, Once Mayor of London, Turn again, Whittington, Twice Mayor of London, Turn again, Whittington, Thrice Mayor of London!"
The city is also known for 'The Tailor of Gloucester', a children's novel by Beatrix Potter that was first published in 1903. It is traditionally read to children on Christmas Eve, just before bedtime.
It was a main Roman city, 'Glevum' - Roman tunnels and fortifications exist underneath the city centre and can be visited through the museum.
As a provincial British town, you will almost certainly need to be able to speak English to get around in Gloucester. Some locals may have a smattering of French or German but by and large most Gloucester residents speak only English. There is a sizable immigrant population in Gloucester from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Poland and the Czech Republic and so you may have more luck with these people should you speak one of their languages. Gloucester also has a large (for the region) black (mainly of Caribbean origin) community.
The Tourist Information Office has literature in most major languages, including Japanese.
Generally, the Gloucester accent is clear to understand and isn't peppered with dialect terms. However, understandably for the area, there is a West Country 'burr'and tourists whose experience of English accents is limited to either Cockney or Queen's English may notice this. The 'burr' becomes more pronounced more westerly, in nearby Forest of Dean,
Gloucester is well serviced by the motorway system and can easily be accessed by junctions 11, 11a and 12 on the M5. It also lies on the A38 and is easily accessible from Wales (Gloucester is the most southerly point on the River Severn with a bridge - apart from the motorway Severn Bridges near Bristol / Newport). Because Gloucester was a major Roman City, it has very good A road connections throughout Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds.
Gloucester has good railway connections (Platform 1/3 at Gloucester is Europe's longest) and has daily direct connections to London, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham. Nearby Cheltenham has more stopping trains, so it may be necessary to get a train to Cheltenham and change trains for Gloucester. Trains between Cheltenham and Gloucester opperate every half hour and take around 10 minutes.
Nearby Staverton hosts Gloucestershire Airport, which has regular flights to Jersey. There are also many private aircraft there, which can be chartered.
Gloucester is a large hub for buses and coaches and there is a large coach station where there are regular coaches (mainly operated by National Express) to all major airports and cities (there are several coaches to and from London daily) in the UK. A Megabus service to and from London also operates from outside the bus station.
Gloucester originally built up around the River Severn. It has a sailing heritage. It is possible to visit Gloucester via river or the Gloucester Sharpness Canal via boat.
A park and ride service is available see, [http://www.parkandride.net/gloucester/gloucester_frameset.shtml National Park and Ride Directory]
Stagecoach operates most of the local bus services, from both, and between Gloucester and Cheltenham. But there are many bus services to the Forest of Dean, South Wales, Gloucestershire, The South West and The Midlands.
There are several cycle routes around Gloucester and it is possible to have a fairly stress-free cycle ride around the city and its suburbs. There are also cycle routes to both Cheltenham and even to Bristol.
The Centre of Gloucester is quite compact and flat so you can easily walk around it.
The best way to get to the countryside around Gloucester is by car.
Take a look around the absolutely stunning Cathedral. Various parts of the Cathedral were used as Hogwarts Castle in the Harry Potter films.
The docks is also worth a look, boat journey down the Glocuester and Sharpness are every other hour in summer time
Gloucester has a variety of generic high-street chain stores, as well as more bespoke or individual retail locations. Eastgate Street is the primary shopping area, with most of the banks, the Kings Walk Shopping Arcade and the Eastgate Mall. The Eastgate Mall also has a small indoor market area towards the back, which sells various goods for considerably cheaper than the main stores.
Westgate Street is more 'bohemian' and has many sole traders and cafes. If you're looking for something a little more unique, the Westgate area is your best bet, especially in the small streets leading away to the Cathedral.
Northgate is the 'budget' end of town - if you're looking for groceries, then the Sainsbury's and Wilkinsons stores are good options.
On Fridays, Northgate Street and Southgate Street play host to the '''local farmers' market'''.
There is also a usual range of fast-food outlets throughout the city centre, including McDonald's, KFC and Subway. However, Gloucester has a great range of restaurants both in the city centre and on the outskirts. A complete dining out guide is available from the Tourist Information Centre on Southgate Street.
There are several brilliant pubs worth a visit in the town centre, most notably of which the
'''The Warehouse''', which is a climbing centre by day.
For a more conventional modern British night out, '''Lower Eastgate Street''' is home to the majority of the bars and clubs within the city. These vary in quality of both facilities and clientele - use your own discretion in deciding where you want to drink. The far end of Eastgate Street is home to the two biggest clubs in Gloucester - '''Liquid/Diva''' and '''Innteraction'''. 'Liquid' is typically the biggest, with huge queues, but it is also the largest club and has a range of special nights. 'Innteraction' is now somewhat quieter since 'Liquid' re-opened, but queue-jump entry is available from the associated '''Pint Pot''' pub next door.
There are several hotels in Gloucester.
There are also Travelodges, Holiday Inns and Travel Inns around the suburbs. Many of the pubs offer B&B. There are a few campsites dotted around, and, in the countryside, there are many, many good hotels and pubs, some of which are luxury ones.