Tab1
Whether you want to go on a two-day hike, throw yourself into some high-energy activities or just take a leisurely bike ride to a viewing hotspot, the Forest of Dean accommodates all.
With so much selection, you won't know where to start. So here are some of our top tips to keep everyone entertained on your visit to the Forest...
Tab 2
Whether you're a first time visitor, or returning to rediscover its charms, you'll find the best in hospitality, along with spectacular scenery, a wealth of wildlife and a fascinating heritage.
However if you only have a day, you'll just scratch the surface of what this wonderful place has to offer. So why not stay a bit longer and discover more of the Forest's charms, it won't take long before you fall under its spell.
Tab 3
Said to have inspired the likes of J.R.R.Tolkien, J.K.Rowling and Dennis Potter, "Gloucestershire's greatest natural wonder", the Forest of Dean, is best explored by following The Royal Forest Route, which takes visitors on a 20-mile tour of the spectacular broad-leaf forest.
Springtime is one of the best times of the year to follow this route, when many areas, such as the Soudley Valley are filled with the most spectacular bluebells.
Famous links
> Playwright Dennis Potter was born in Coleford.
> The Great War Poets Rupert Brooke, Robert Ford, Edward Thomas, Lascelles Abercrombie, Wilfred Gibson an John Drinkwater all lived in the village of Dymock, near Newent.
> Harry Potter author JK Rowling lived in Tutshill in the Forest of Dean as a child.
> Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien, took part in archaeological digs in the Lydney area of the Forest as a young man. His inspiration for ‘Middle Earth' is believed to originate from the ‘scowles' of the Forest of Dean.
> Mary Howitt, born in the Forest in 1799, first translated the stories of Hans Christian Anderson into English.
> The founders of Horlicks Malt Milk, James and William Horlicks, were born in Ruardean in the Forest of Dean.
> Robert Mushet, born in Coleford in 1811, was a metallurgist and perfected the Bessemer process for making steel in 1856/7.
> Presenter, Sir Jimmy Young was born in Cinderford.
> The real Dick Whittington was born at Pauntley Court in Pauntley, a small hamlet situated between Dymock and Newent.
> Lady Edna Healey, wife of the Labour politician Sir Denis Healey, and an eminent historian and biographer, was born in Coleford and won an Oxford scholarship from Bell's Grammar School.
> Dr Herbert Howell, musician and composer, was born in Lydney and attended Lydney Secondary School.
> ‘80's pop group EMF came from Cinderford.
> Frederick William Harvey, poet, 1888-1957. Born in Hartpury, grew up in Minsterworth and spent the last 30 years of his life in the village of Yorkley. Will Harvey was a friend and contemporary of Roy Gurney and Herbert Howells. For further information visit www.fwharveysociety.co.uk.
Powered by 