The county of Gloucestershire is located in the South West of England and boasts some of the most beautiful countryside. It has always been associated with farming, forestry and the wool trade. It is dissected by the  River Severn,  which runs southwest from the adjoining county of Worcestershire to the Bristol Channel.

It is comprised principally of  the Cotswolds  hills to the East, the ancient  Forest of Dean  to the South West and the fertile river valley of the  Severn Vale   in between.