II.

Land and Resources

Gloucestershire has a mixed geology, but is basically divided into three distinct physical areas: the Cotswolds, the Severn valley, and the Forest of Dean. The limestone ridge of the Cotswold Hills runs from north-east to south-west across the centre of the county. At the highest points, just over 300 m (1,000 ft) above sea level, such as Cleeve Hill and Birdlip, there are panoramic views across the Bristol Channel to the mountains of South Wales. Beechwoods are a feature of the steep slopes, and open grassland has for centuries provided rich pastures for the sheep on which the wealth of the county was founded. Limestone is quarried in the south-west of the Cotswolds for building stone, much used in local ecclesiastical and domestic architecture, and also for traditional drystone walling. This local stone is of a pale honey colour which weathers to grey, and in the setting sun acquires a unique mellow glow.

To the east of the Cotswolds escarpment the land slopes gently down towards the River Thames, its grassy uplands dissected by fertile river valleys and dotted with medieval market towns and picturesque villages. In the south-east former gravel workings have been flooded to create the Cotswold Water Park. The western escarpment is scenically more dramatic, plunging down into the exceptionally fertile clay vales of Evesham and Severn. This area is drained by the rivers Avon and Severn, which join at Tewkesbury and widen to become eventually the Bristol Channel. The narrowing of the estuary causes the celebrated “Severn Bore”, a wave which can rush upstream on peak spring or autumn tides at a speed of up to 20 km/hr (13 mph).

On the western boundary of the county is the beautiful Wye valley, with its spectacular gorges and wooded valleys, leading into the Forest of Dean. A royal hunting ground in medieval times, the Forest was once an important source of iron and coal; coal-mining is still carried out on a small scale. The nuclear power station at Berkeley was decommissioned in 1989.

Gloucestershire enjoys a generally moderate temperate climate, although the winters can be severe on the Cotswold Hills. The average annual rainfall is in the region of 760-1,000 mm (30-40 in).