royal forest of dean

Numerous forest trails, ideal for both the casual, and the more serious walker, well signed and described, through a wide variety of trees and habitats.

The thing about the forest is that it has atmosphere. Although it appears wild- indeed, it is- it was a centre of industry from pre-Roman times until the end of the 20th. century and the evidence is there, among the trees and wildlife. If walking or industrial archaeology is your thing, the Dean Forest is a "must do"!

The forest covers a vast area of beautiful scenery, with many historical sites to explore. Mining took place here, well before the coal fields of South Wales were developed. Most mines were of the shallow type, often on the drift system using horse drawn tubs, to extract the black gold of the industrial era. Lydney docks exported coal to various places both home and abroad. A nice place to spend time strolling along the old wharfs, where now visiting craft bob safely in tranquillity among the relics of bygone times. There are numerous eating places named after the relationship with mining, Dean Forest Railway have open days for visitors, where you are able to travel by live steam trains and browse their collection of memorabilia. There are so many places to just picnic, listen to birdsong , relax and harmonise with nature.

Mid week break in a self catering cottage in Sling. The forest is full of paths to fully explore its wonderful ambience. Great for wildlife. Good photo opportunities. Well laced trails. Easy access to many towns. Great base for exploring the area.

We spent a morning at the forest, wish we could have spent longer here though! We hired mountain bikes and tried out some of the trails through the forest. Some quite hard, but there are always options to do the easier routes and even short cuts! Great spots for picnics too.

This review will be totally biased as this is where I was born. To me the forest will always be home to no matter where I live now or when in other parts of the UK or the world. You can take the man out of the forest, but you can never take the forest out of the man. I have seen the forest in all it's glory throughout the season, but for the best times are in early spring with the bluebells making the forest floor a carpet of blue as far as the eye can see. One of the best places to see the bluebells is chestnut wood just below Littedean, For the wild daffodils Newent is the place to be, but please do not buy these daffodils at the roadside as they have been picked without permission. The other time is in the autumn, not long age I stayed at the Speech House Hotel as I drove out of the car park I had to stop the car as the morning mist was hanging in the trees turning the leaves a light golden colour mixing with rusty brown of the bracken and the bright green of the grass in my eyes it was a fantastic sight and one I will remember for a long time.There are so many places to visit in the forest and to long to list so I will leave the reader to discover this for themselves as this is all part the fun. The only thing I miss about the forest is the local dialect which is fast disappearing and I still have problems remembering a lot of the old words, for example owe bist ole butt. (hello old friend) yud (head) yutting (eating) sship (sheep) vitt (feet). There is one thing that the visitor to the Royal Forest of Dean must remember that when driving, the sheep have the right of way on the roads, as they can do a lot of damage to a car if you hit one. Last of all if you want to make love in the forest you must first apply for a fern ticket from the fern ticket office. I am now into my 70's and I am still finding places within the forest that I have never been to before. and I hope that you the reader will come to enjoy and love the forest that is my home.

All kinds of things to do like mountain biking, walking, canoeing etc. great place to go. Lots of places to eat and drink.

The Forest of Dean is often a forgotten part of Gloucestershire. Folks know about the Cotswolds, the Severn Vale and the Wye Valley but West Gloucestershire sometimes doesn't get the promotion it deserves. For anyone liking the great outdoors the FOD has much to offer by way of walking, cycling, horse riding and canoeing or simply sightseeing and mooching around and there is a wealth to look at if interested in Industrial archaeology. The walking is particularly good and there are numerous marked paths to meander the time away. These can be found at Cannop Ponds, Mallards Pike, Symonds Yat and Blakney Straights. Refreshments can be found at Beechenhurst Lodge or the Speech House and many other good hostelries within the Forest of Dean. There are also excellent facilities for off road cycling again with marked trails around the forest and cycle hire is available at Cannop Ponds. For further information of these trails contact the Forestry Commission in the FOD or any of the Tourist offices in Gloucestershire. There are also very good facilities for the folks with mobility difficulties and many pathways are available to them. Having lived in the area for over forty years we still find nooks and crannies never previously discovered. Give it a try if visiting the area you will not be disappointed.

Have been here many times over the years and doesnt seem to change.Many great forest walks to explore, feels like you are back in the middle ages.

Strongly recommend visiting the forest, just make sure you take a torch if your heading through late afternoon as it gets dark very quickly and visibility is extremely poor, i learnt the hard way!

Wonderful huge forest, with loads of good walks everywhere & very easy parking. The dog was in heaven!

good place to live. Plenty to see and do, even when the weather is not at it's best. Lots of good coffee places!

The Forest of Dean, located on the western edge of Gloucestershire, England is well worth a visit by tourists.There is much to see and do although the area is perhaps let down by a lack of Tourist Information sites except for on-line resources - a major drawback for those who arrive on spec.

Years ago as a Sales Agent this was my patch and recently back here to cycle enjoy the scenery and just love the place once more. Cycling is so good with lots of lovely trails and wonderful to see so many families out, teenagers and some a bit older powering along on their mountain bikes. The screams of fun from Go Ape all makes this a wonderful place. Even though we all seem to be here for the day, it's quiet and quite beautiful. Imagine my delight when a herd of wild deer charged across my path. Come here and charge your batteries. So much more to explore.

Just returned from great half term week in Forest of Dean. Can recommend bike trails from Cannop. Also did a great Bronze navigation award with Black Grouse Tours. Tony Greenacre did a fab job of tailoring the course perfectly for myself and my 11 year old daughter. We both passed and loved the scenery. A very beautiful part of the UK.