Whitfield, Gloucestershire

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Whitfield is a hamlet in South Gloucestershire, England. It is on the A38 near Falfield, just beyond the B4061 junction, the rural exit from Thornbury. The hamlet is bounded by farmland and is often recognised by the boat shop located there, some what unusually, as there are no navigable waterways nearby. The northern outskirts have an organic beef farm which is adjacent to the Park Hotel (visible from the M5 motorway); both properties are located near the garden centre on the A38 towards Falfield. When approaching from the opposite end of the hamlet i.e. south on the A38, you pass The White Hart pub at Buckover, with spectacular views of the Severn Estuary unfolding to the west and rolling fields and woodlands ahead of you to the north and east. Visitors will spot some very tall trees in the middle foreground, at the end of a long straight downhill section of road, signalling the southern edge of Whitfield. The scenery is fairly typical but never-the-less beautiful, with gently undulating farmland bounded by hedges and trees, positioned on a plateau below the steeper terrain of the Cotswolds to the north east. The local buildings are in keeping with the regional vernacular, comprising of mainly stone or rendered detached homes and some farm buildings. The hamlet has a nucleus around Brinkmarsh and Iron Hogg Lanes but also strings out along the main A38 between Bristol and Gloucester and into the B4061 towards Thornbury. The most notable nearby landmarks are the country estates of Eastwood Park and Tortworth Court, both of which have been influential in shaping the locality for a number of generations. Eastwood Park now offers conference, training and social facilities to the healthcare and private sectors and has a garden centre within the grounds. Tortworth Court is now a quality hotel with a number of restaurants, offering formal dining within the main house and also more relaxed surroundings in the glass roofed Orangery, which is well worth a visit if passing - there is a gym and health spa for hotel guests and members. The main road near Whitfield is quite dangerous, the long fast straight section of the A38 comprises of three lanes of open road with a 60 mph limit, that is often exceeded; the road narrows into a gently winding 50 mph two lane carriageway within the hamlet itself. Motorists carry too much speed, which when combined with a sharp road junction into the B4061 and additional filtering traffic from a number of small rural lanes and domestic driveways directly off the A38, results in a problematic environment for passing motorists and local residents alike.