South Gloucestershire

South Gloucestershire lies to the north and east of the city of Bristol, covering a mix of suburban edges, market towns and river plain. Principal settlements include Kingswood, Bradley Stoke, Filton, Patchway, Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Thornbury. Major transport arteries meet here: the M4 and M5 join at the Almondsbury Interchange and the M48 and M4 cross the Severn at Aust. The district reaches the Severn shore at places such as Severn Beach and Pilning, where expansive mudflats and salt marshes follow the Estuary and reflect one of the largest tidal ranges in the British Isles.

Inland the land rises toward the Cotswold escarpment and parts of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with farmland and small villages on the slopes. Filton remains a centre for aerospace activity and testing; the Concorde that carried out trials and later moved into public display is connected to that local history at the Aerospace Bristol museum. Thornbury preserves a Tudor castle beside its market square, and local rail services such as the Severn Beach line link communities along the estuary and into the urban fringe.