Gloucester Docks
Historic docks with warehouses, waterside walks and museums around Gloucester’s inner harbour.
Opening hours
Public dockside paths are generally accessible; individual museums, businesses and facilities keep separate opening hours. Check the National Waterways Museum for admission and current hours.
Location: Gloucester Docks, Gloucester
Gloucester Docks is best approached as a walk through a working city’s trading past. Brick warehouses line the basins, the water still frames the views, and the connection to the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal explains why this inland city once handled seagoing traffic. You do not need a museum ticket simply to walk the public waterfront.
Follow the water
A loop around the Main Basin takes roughly 1.4km on the Canal & River Trust’s route map. Look at how the restored warehouses sit around the water, then continue towards the canal if you want a longer walk. Cafés and independent stops make it easy to turn a circuit into a slower Gloucester afternoon.
Add the museum
For the story behind the docks, go into the National Waterways Museum in Llanthony Warehouse. Its displays cover around 200 years of the docks and canal. Museum tickets and opening hours are separate from access to the public dockside, so check the museum’s own page before planning around it.