Severn Vale

The River Severn meets the River Avon at the medieval town of Tewkesbury. It follows its course through the floodplain landscape of orchards, meadows and traditional half-timbered villages.

For those interested in the arts, Nature in Art, near Gloucester, is a unique museum dedicated exclusively to art inspired by nature in any medium. Its international standard collection is housed in a fine Georgian mansion.

The river flows on to Gloucester and, south of the city, assumes a slightly wilder character. Crowds gather to watch the Severn Bore, a natural tidal wave offering a surreal sight on the river. Slimbridge, the world's largest exotic wildfowl collection is home to up to 8,000 wild birds annually. Visitors can also enjoy the new Visitor Centre and the 18-metre observation tower, which gives amazing views over the River Severn.

Nearby Berkeley Castle, in pink granite, dates from 1117 and has an extraordinary history that includes sieges and the murder of a king, as well as associations with Berkeley University in California.

For further information please visit the 'Order a Brochure' section, or take a look at the Cotswolds and Severn Vale site for the area north of Gloucester (Tewkesbury and Winchcombe). For the Severn Vale south of Gloucester, go to www.visitthecotswolds.org.uk. Alternatively contact the following Tourist Information Centres:

Stroud: Subscription Rooms, George Street, Stroud, Glos. GL5 1AE Tel: +44 (0) 1453 760960 Fax: +44 (0) 1453 755658

Tewkesbury: The Museum, 64 Barton Street, Tewkesbury, GL20 5PX Tel: +44 (0)1684 295027 Fax +44 (0) 01684 292277

For more Severn Vale images click here.