How many of these Gloucester landmarks have you visited?

Gloucester, with its famous cathedral, actually dates back over 2000 years to Roman times. It also has the distinction of being England’s most inland port and is conveniently situated with the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and Wales all close by.

Having lived here for twelve years, one of my favourite areas to visit is The Quays, the dockland area of Gloucester that has seen massive rejuvenation in recent years. With the designer outlet, multiplex cinema and restaurant chains, this area has become quite trendy. What I appreciate though is the docks themselves from where you can take a boat trip down the Gloucester- Sharpness canal. On the dockside is one of my favourite restaurants with a great view, aptly named ‘Greek on the docks.’

The kleftiko (lamb cooked in a clay oven) is to die for. I first went there for my birthday and will definitely be going back.

The area has been mostly pedestrianized and there’s a pretty little church that looks as if it’s been marooned amidst the redevelopment.

If you want to find out more about local history, Gloucester Waterways Museum is just a stone’s throw away and well worth a visit. I really enjoyed finding out what life was like for people living on barges last century.

At Christmas the area becomes a magical grotto with stalls selling Christmas novelties and mouth-watering goodies. There was also an ice-rink set up last Christmas to add to the magical feel.

The area also hosts a Victorian market and in summer the Tall Ships Regatta is not to be missed as the ships are quite a sight to behold as they sail into the Docks.

From the Quays it’s an easy walk into Gloucester itself. The town is arranged in a crossroads style with roads named Eastgate Street, Southgate Street, Westgate Street and Northgate Street. Although there is a modern shopping centre, I still love the ambiance of the streets and it’s not too difficult to imagine what they must have been like in medieval times.

Overshadowing the city is the magnificent cathedral.

It was begun in the late 14^th century and the cloister is one of the earliest examples of cross vaulting – truly magnificent but for most people the cathedral is better known as the place where several scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. Dr Who and Wold hall have also been filmed here and if you visit, you can see why.

Gloucester’s final claim to fame is of course Beatrix Potter. In the shadow of the cathedral is ‘The tailor of Gloucester’, a museum and gift shop dedicated to this book.

It is believed that Beatrix Potter got the inspiration for her book whilst visiting a cousin who lived in Gloucester.

Whatever your interests, Gloucester is a wonderful place to visit and I feel very lucky indeed to live here. Sometimes visiting your home town through the eyes of a tourist makes you realise that you hardly know a place at all.