Gloucester

The city could be an affordable option for those who want to work from home or start a remote business, as it’s more affordable than some of the surrounding areas, and offers access to beautiful countryside

A city in the south west that offers affordable housing, a pretty centre, and easy access to the countryside for lunchtime walks has been named the UK’s best place to start a remote business.

A study that looked at factors including rent prices, number of post offices, business survival rates, and other information useful for remote workers identified Gloucester as the top place to work from your laptop.

The Roman city topped the list, compiled by payment provider Dojo, narrowly beating Norwich and Southampton. Carlisle and Swansea.

The average private rent in Gloucester came in at £1,069 in January 2026, and three-bedroom homes can be bought for under £200k according to Rightmove listings. The city has a five-year start-up survival rate of 43% thanks to local support networks, meaning entrepreneurs have a better chance of their business succeeding in this area.

READ MORE: Couple split up at airport after noticing four-letter code on boarding passREAD MORE: Woman gets big surprise after turning up for ‘scenic boat ride’ husband booked

Gloucester’s Forum in the Kings Quarter is one example of projects being run by the council to support local businesses. A multi-million-pound regeneration scheme has seen co-working spaces and offices open in the area, so if you get bored with homeworking, you can rent a desk.

Best Cotswolds holiday cottage deals

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

From £38 per night

Sykes Cottages

See the deals

The Cotswolds is famous for its rolling hills, honey-coloured villages and quintessential English charm. Sykes Cottages has a wide range of places to stay, starting from £38 per night.

Just a short walk away is Gloucester Quays, another area of the city that has been given a complete makeover. Once an industrial wasteland, it has been turned into a pleasant waterfront promenade full of shops, restaurants and cafés, perfect for a lunchtime walk.

Around 88% of the Gloucester area also has access to ultrafast broadband – over 100 Mbps – a practical consideration that many homeworkers need to take into account.

If you’re just passing through the city, there’s plenty to see. Visit Gloucester Cathedral, a grand, imposing building that dates back to the 11th century and is the resting place of King Edward II. History buffs will also love the National Waterways Museum on the docks, where they can see vintage narrowboats up close and a replica lock.

Nature in Art is also worth a visit. Set in the grounds of a 17th-century mansion, this unique art trail includes paintings, sculptures, and many unique works.

READ MORE: Where new Harry Potter show is filmed including UK’s ‘happiest town’READ MORE: Beautiful seaside city is ‘best kept secret’ in Spain with £20 flights from the UK

Perhaps best of all, Gloucester is set within the Cotswolds, an area of outstanding natural beauty made up of rolling green hills, meadows, and charming traditional villages. You’re just a short drive away from country walks and cosy pubs to explore after work or at weekends.

Visit Haresfield Beacon just south of the city, a walk that combines woodland and grassland, with a one-mile circular walk that enjoys beautiful views. WWT Slimbridge is nearby on the banks of the River Severn. This wetland wildlife reserve includes flocks of flamingos, pretty swans, and mischievous otters, which can be seen in their natural habitat. The best way to see it is on a canoe safari. Grab a paddle and follow the trails to see wetland creatures up close.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

Leicester’s early four-try burst laid the foundations for a fourth successive Prem victory as they overcame Gloucester at Villa Park to retain the Slater Cup.

Wing duo Will Wand and Gabriel Hamer-Webb both scored tries before a quickfire double from Jamie Blamire put the rampant Tigers 22-0 up inside the opening quarter.

Matias Alemanno responded for the Cherry and Whites, but Orlando Bailey grabbed a fifth Leicester try to cement their grip just before half-time.

Gloucester improved after the interval and Will Joseph and Dian Bleuler went over to give them hope, but it was not enough and Harry Wells’ late score sealed the Tigers’ win.

They tore Gloucester to shreds during the early exchanges, with Wand taking only two minutes to open the scoring as his swerving run on the left took him clear of two defenders to race over.

Hamer-Webb soon followed suit on the opposite flank, latching onto a perfectly-timed pass from Billy Searle and streaking clear, before Blamire’s double secured his side’s bonus point with only 16 minutes on the clock.

With Ollie Chessum dominating at the lineout, Leicester’s pack swung around for Blamire to crash over the line, and the hooker grabbed his second following a deft one-two with Hamish Watson.

Alemanno finally got Gloucester on the scoresheet from close range after a spell of pressure on the Tigers’ line, but many of their attacks floundered because of untidy passing, and they fell further behind on the stroke of half-time.

The impressive Wand began the move with another darting run and played a key role in its climax, offloading while on the ground for Bailey to dance through a gap in the Gloucester defence and extend the Tigers’ lead to 24 points.

The Cherry and Whites began strongly after the turnaround, building phases and reducing the deficit when Caolan Englefield set up Joseph to force his way over in the corner.

Leicester appeared to ease up and Seb Atkinson made ground to create renewed pressure that resulted in Bleuler, a half-time replacement for Val Rapava-Ruskin, dotting down with eight minutes still to play.

But it made little difference to the outcome and Wells’ converted score late on, which was allowed to stand after initial suspicions of offside, finally ended Gloucester’s hopes.

It means the Slater Cup – contested twice each season in honour of Ed Slater, who captained both clubs and is now living with motor neurone disease – remains in the Tigers’ possession.

Leicester Tigers head coach Geoff Parling told BBC Radio Leicester:

“It was a great start. Somebody told me it was our fastest-ever bonus point, and we were completely on top and playing well.

“We had nearly 70% territory in the first 15 minutes. We were forcing errors and playing off the back of that.

“There was frustration in the second half. At times we probably lost a bit of control around the set-piece and turning the ball over. We couldn’t really get a foothold in the game, when I think one more try would have put them to the sword and they’d have been overplaying.

“But obviously to come away on a big occasion with the five points was the result we wanted. It’s difficult, but the very best teams keep up that intensity for 80 minutes and that’s our challenge now.”

Gloucester head coach George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:

“The first 20 minutes was as bad as we could have had. We missed some easy tackles out wide, gave them too easy tries and got pinged off the park in the scrum, which has been an area of strength for us recently.

“If we had a game next week, there are definitely a few lads who wouldn’t be starting for Gloucester after the way they came out of the blocks.

“If I’m honest, I think it was centred around a couple of individual performances in that first 20. A lot of the lads were putting it in and by the end of that first half we’d opened Leicester up a lot.

“Our passing wasn’t accurate enough to take advantage of it. Throughout the whole game there were a lot of dropped balls, a lot of little forward passes, and that was frustrating.”