A weekend escape to the Forest of Dean

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There’s something soul-restoring about spending time in woodland – it’s easy to see why the Japanese have created a whole practice called ‘forest bathing’, devoted to its benefits on health and wellbeing. Luckily, I live less than an hour’s drive from the sprawling Forest of Dean – the oldest oak woodland in England and a wonderful place to immerse yourself in nature.

Set in Gloucestershire and flanked by the picturesque Wye Valley, it’s a magical mix of sun-dappled glens, towering trees and haunting mine ruins, where wild boar roam free and outdoor adventures abound. It’s an area I’ve visited a few times before (including on an autumn foraging break), but one that I’d love to know better. So, when Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Tourism invited Chris and I to spend a weekend exploring it earlier this month, we jumped at the chance.

After a quick hop across the Severn Bridge (now toll-free), we pulled up outside Little House – one of two cabins at rural self-catering retreat Wyelets. Smiling owner Jill was waiting to show us around, and we were instantly smitten with our pretty little abode. Consisting of an open-plan living space and a cosy bedroom perched on a mezzanine, it was decorated in simple rustic style, with white walls, breezy linen curtains, salvaged wooden furniture and snuggly woollen throws. There was also a secluded garden complete with a firepit and a cocoon swing dangling from a tree.

It proved to be an incredibly relaxing place to stay. We spent our evenings lazing in front of the wood-burner with board games and books, before dosing off to absolute silence – a real treat for us city dwellers, who are used to the constant buzz of traffic. Each morning, we awoke to a crescendo of birdsong and took our breakfast out to the garden, where we were entertained by robins, blue tits and a cheeky squirrel stealing nuts from the feeders.

The daytimes, though, were devoted to getting out and about. We started at the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail, where 16 art installations are dotted among the trees. It was a beautiful spring morning, with young leaves studding the branches and shafts of sunlight filtering down through the canopy, and there was something wonderful about strolling through the woodland, never quite knowing what sculptures we were going to stumble across next. My favourites were ‘Threshold’ and ‘Iron Road’, which were both inspired by the area’s industrial heritage. The former is a brand-new work by Bristol-based artist Natasha Rosling and echoes the crevice-like tunnels of the old mines. The latter, by Keir Smith, consists of sleepers laid along a disused railway track and adorned with motifs representing the various crafts of the forest.

We also spent a few hours getting happily lost at Puzzlewood, a mysterious patch of the forest that’s said to have inspired Tolkien and which has been used as a filming location for Dr Who, Merlin, Star Wars and more. There’s an otherworldly air about its twisting tree trunks, moss-covered rock formations and sprouting ferns, and we half expected to meet a wizard or dragon as we wandered. It’s privately owned so you need to pay to enter, but it’s well worth it – and there are Shetland ponies, hens, ducks and other animals to meet, too.

But there’s more to the area than beautiful scenery, and we also had the chance to see why it’s rapidly gaining a reputation as a hotspot for food and drink. First up was a gin masterclass at craft distillery Foxtail, which is run by husband-and-wife team Ross and Leigh using botanicals foraged from their garden and nearby meadows. Over the course of three hours, we learnt about the origins of gin and the production process, and experimented with different combinations to produce our own bespoke blends. It was a lot of fun, and definitely worth the slightly wobbly legs at the end!

We enjoyed more tipples – and delicious food – at Three Choirs Vineyard. One of the largest vineyards in England, it produces some 250,000 bottles a year and has won numerous awards. Tastings and tours are on offer, but we settled for a relaxing lunch in the bistro, where we feasted on gin-cured salmon, oven-baked bream and rhubarb and vanilla pannacotta (accompanied by a few glasses of Three Choirs wine, of course), while gazing out over the vines.

We ended the weekend by admiring the forest and the winding River Wye from above at Symonds Yat Rock, a limestone outcrop which soars 540m above the canopy. We arrived just before sunset and watched the sky slowly turn pink as the last rays of light danced across the landscape spread out beneath us. It was a truly unforgettable moment, and yet another reason why it won’t be long before we return to this enchanting corner of south-west England.

Visit Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Tourism for more information on holidays and day trips in the area. They’ve also put together a short video about the forest, which you can watch here. 

All photography by Abi Dare