There are three main towns in the Forest; Cinderford, Coleford and Lydney. Cinderford is the nearest town to the cottage. It has two supermarkets, two petrol stations and some local shops and takeaways. Coleford has some nice shops, cafes and restaurants, as does Lydney. Slightly further away are the towns of Chepstow, Monmouth and Ross-On-Wye, which all have larger high streets and more amenities. Lydney and Chepstow both have train stations that go directly to Newport, Cardiff, Gloucester and Cheltenham.
The Forest of Dean is a 42 sq mile area of mixed woodland with the river Wye to the north and the river Severn to the south.
There are many beautiful walks in the Forest and various tourist spots with parking and cafes. Below is listed some of our favourite places to recommend;
Attractions
The Palace Cinema, Cinderford – a fabulous family run cinema with 2 screens. Very good value for money.
Puzzlewood – a lovely walk through a magical landscape, it is a well known film location which has been used to shoot scenes for films such as Star Wars, Dr Who, and Harry potter.
Perrygrove Railway – a miniature railway ride through the forest which stops at a lovely picnic spot with a children’s play area.
Clearwell Caves – This working iron mine has many impressive caverns and interesting displays which tell you the history of mining iron ore in the Forest. At Christmas time you can experience Christmas stories that are told through many beautiful scenes and decorations. Sensible footwear needed.
Pedalabikeaway – Nationally famous bike hire centre and trail system with cafe and direct access to the family cycle trail loop of the forest, which is 10 miles, or (for the more adventurous) the Verderers and Freeminers intermediate trails and many challenging downhill runs.
Mallards Pike – Here you will find Go Ape Treetop adventure, Forest Segway, and Mallards cafe on the edge of the lake.
Beechenhurst Lodge and Cafe – A Forestry Commission run attraction with an adventure play area, climbing tower, Cafe, Go Ape Treetop Juniors and a sculpture trail.
Taurus Crafts – Craft centre with cafe, shops, childrens play area, and a garden centre.
The Dean Heritage Centre – The museum for the Forest of Dean, which is situated opposite the Soudley Ponds and has a cafe with a balcony.
The Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo – Here you will find an enclosed Butterfly walk-through zoo, crazy golf, open air laser tag, a large hedge puzzle and a cafe.
Symonds Yat Rock – A beautiful walk through woodlands, with a wonderful viewpoint and two great local pubs. The pub to the west of the river is called The Saracens Head and the pub to the east of the river is called Ye Olde Ferry Inn. You will also find canoe hire here.
Lydney Roman temple and gardens – Gardens and fascinating archeological site with a small museum, only open to the public a few days a year in May and June, well worth the visit if you have the opportunity.
Swimming pools
The CSMA swimming pool in Parkend is open to members of the CSMA.
There are Freedom Leisure Pools located in Cinderford (GL14 2AF) and Lydney (GL15 5DZ).
Bathurst Lido, Lydney
Pubs and Restaurants
The White Hart – This is your nearest pub, a short walk through the graveyard and you will see it to your left. They serve food throughout the day.
The White Horse, Soudley – a small but nice beer garden in the pretty village of Soudley, where you will also find Soudley Ponds, the Dean Heritage Centre and many nice walks. Unfortunately they do not serve food. 2.2 miles
Rising Sun at Moseley Green – a short drive past Speech House. It has a nice beer garden and also serves pub grub. 5.1 miles
The Dog and Muffler – Coleford. They have a nice big beer garden and good food – ring ahead as they get very busy. 6.5 miles.
The Saracens Head – Symonds Yat East. Very nice food, by the River Wye. 9.6 miles.
The Mill Race – Walford near Ross on Wye. Recommended. 8.8 miles.
The Cross Keys – Goodrich near Ross on Wye. Great food. 8.7 miles.
The Ostrich – Newland near Coleford, lovely food. Next to a beautiful church. 7.9 miles.
The Miners Arms – Sling, near Coleford. Good pub food. 6.8 miles.
The Woodman – Parkend, a lovely village. 5.6 miles.
The Glass House – May Hill, near Longhope. Highly recommend! 9.7 miles.
Cafes
Dean forest cycles – Excellent bike shop and hire, has a wonderful cafe, you can lock your bike up in front, enjoy the cosy wood fire inside or sit out the back and watch the steam trains go by.
Taurus Crafts Cafe – A local craft centre in Lydney with a great cafe and a play area for small children.
Beechenhurst Cafe – a good place to stop for coffee whilst walking the sculpture trail.
Hopewell Colliery Cafe – On the way to Coleford. Nice lunch food.
The Art of Coffee – a lovely coffee shop that sells good food as well. In the local town of Coleford.
The Dean Heritage Centre Cafe – In Soudley, a lovely place to stop after a walk round Soudley ponds.
Leaf Creative – A very nice cafe in a garden centre in Huntley. It also has a nice shop with local crafts in it.
Walks
Soudley Ponds loveley waterside walks, free to park
Bradley Hill (also known as the bluebell woods), free to park
Beechenhurst Sculpture Trail paid parking
Cannop Ponds large lakes, picnic area, paid parking
Mallard’s Pike lake, cafe, Go Ape, paid parking
Wenchford picnic area by a long winding stream, paid parking
Woorgreen’s Lake nature reserve, rare breed cattle / or ponies graze freely here, park for free at stained glass window car park
Great Hough Brook Beaver Habitat (between Lydbrook and Brierley) free to park
Symonds Yat Rock paid parking
May Hill park for free here
Cyril Hart Arboretum fenced off arboretum, good for dogs, park for free
Wildlife
The forest is home to many animals including Fallow and Muntjac deer, wild boar, and small mammals such as badgers and otters. As the wild boar numbers have increased this has led to the boar entering towns and villages. They are harmless if viewed from a comfortable distance but please do not attempt to pet or feed them as they can be aggressive if they feel threatened.
For bird enthusiasts there is the Nagshead Nature Reserve in Parkend, where you can find ground nesting birds such as Pied Flycatchers and Wood Warblers.
Check out our trail camera footage on Youtube:
Cycling
The Forest has a great number of mountain bike trails and is one of the best places for riding in the country. The main sanctioned riding area is at Cannop cycle centre, Pedalabikeaway, where you can hire bikes for the day. The most popular is the Family cycle trail which is a circular 9 mile route beginning and ending a the cycle centre.
All the official trails are free to ride with parking at the cycle centre the only cost. Alternatively you can ride directly from Bowkett cottage, with quick access to many miles of fire roads and singletrack trails.
If you want any advice on cycle routes we are on hand for this as we have plenty of local knowledge on this subject!
Local cycling resources:
Sprung suspension based in Cinderford, these guys can fix anything suspension related on your MTB, brilliant service
Dean forest cycles your best bet for spare parts and quick repairs, also provide bike hire and are a Marin dealership
Pedalabikeaway bike shop and bike hire
Pedal syndicate Monmouth If you can’t get your bike fixed in the forest, try these guys
There are regular Mini Downhill and Mini Enduro events throughout the year if racing is your thing, or if you enjoy cross country MTB consider visiting us for the annual wild boar chase in September