A Puzzling Exploration of Gloucestershire Quiz

Answer: Birdlip

Avian = bird + lip, which is part of the face.

Birdlip is a village not far from Gloucester, with its 'claim to fame' being its very long and steep hill which was once part of the main route taking traffic from Gloucester to Cirencester. A by-pass has since been opened, but driving up and down that hill gave glorious views over the Cotswolds.

Answer: Thornbury

Roses have thorns and inter is a synonym for bury, giving Thornbury as your answer.

Thornbury is in the southern part of Gloucestershire, not too far from Bristol. It boasts a Tudor castle, originally home to the Duke of Buckingham. When the Duke was beheaded, Henry VIII 'acquired' the castle - he and Anne Boleyn stayed there in 1535. The castle became a high class restaurant in 1966, and twenty years later began offering accommodation as well.

Answer: Gloucester

Gloss is a shiny finish + stir is what you do to your tea, so Gloucester is the answer required.

The name is pronounced the same way as the clue - Glosster, although it doesn't always sound exactly like this in the local accent, which can make it sound like Glawster. Gloucester is the county town for Gloucestershire, and dates back to Roman times when it was known as Glevum - a name still used in the names of local businesses. Its cathedral dates from 1089, although there was an earlier church building on the same site.

Answer: Lydney

A jar would have a lid, and the knee is a joint in the leg, producing Lydney.

Lydney is a town in the Royal Forest of Dean, on the western side of the River Severn. The mining of iron ore has taken place there since the Iron Age, and the remains of a Roman temple have also been discovered.

Answer: Slimbridge

These are literal clues - slim + bridge, for Slimbridge.

Slimbridge itself is a small village approximately halfway between Gloucester and Bristol. What makes it famous is the wetland wildlife reserve located on the River Severn. It was established in 1946 by Peter Scott, son of the explorer Robert Falcon Scott who died in Antarctica in 1912. The reserve at Slimbridge is home to numerous species of waterfowl, some in captivity but many who take advantage of the safe surroundings to make their home there. Peter Scott was an early pioneer in conservation.

Answer: Chipping Sodbury

Chip is the British name for a French fry and ping is a high pitched noise. A sod is another name for a piece of turf and you bury something in the ground. Putting both parts together creates Chipping Sodbury.

The town is in the southern part of Gloucestershire, within commuting distance of Bristol. The first part of the name, Chipping, means that it was known for holding markets, while Sodbury is a corruption of the Old English name. In more recent years, it is best known for being the birthplace of J K Rowling, author of the 'Harry Potter' novels.

Answer: Berkeley

Dogs bark and lea is another name for a meadow, creating Berkeley, which is how this name is pronounced in the UK.

The town is south of the city of Gloucester and is home to Berkeley Castle, dating from the eleventh century and owned by the same family since the twelfth century. It is here that King Edward II is believed to have met his death, in 1327, possibly being murdered and maybe in a particularly unpleasant way. Nobody knows the truth for sure. Berkeley is also where Edward Jenner, who developed the smallpox vaccine, was born in 1749.

Answer: Winchcombe

You need a winch to help lift something too heavy to be raised manually, and a Welsh valley is a cwm, or come arrives at the same answer.

Winchcombe is in northern Gloucestershire, in the Cotswold area and was a prominent and important place in Anglo-Saxon times. Nearby is Sudeley Castle where Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, is buried. The remnants of Hailes Abbey, established in 1246, are also close to Winchcombe.

Answer: Coleford

Coal + ford, one homonym and one literal clue, gives the answer of Coleford.

Coleford is another Forest of Dean town, close to the Wye Valley and around ten miles from Ross-on-Wye in neighbouring Herefordshire. Like Lydney, Coleford was known for its iron production, as the Forest of Dean had several mines producing iron ore. In the twenty-first century, the town relies more on tourists who visit the Forest of Dean and use it as a base for exploring the Wye Valley.

Answer: Patchway

Both of these are literal - you patch clothing to hide a tear or rip and way is used to denote a route, such as a pathway.

Patchway is only six miles from Bristol and could almost be a suburb of the city. It is close to Filton, where much of the UK's aircraft industry, including Concorde, was based. Patchway itself is primarily a dormitory town, and is also home to Aztec West, an industrial estate and business park.