With miles of woodland to explore, endless activities and no crowds, Ellie Fennell recommends Forest of Dean for a multi-gen family break.
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- Kicking off a perfect multi-gen break
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- Getting creative with the landscape
On the road to a multi-gen family break in Forest of Dean
A peaceful escape to kick off the kids’ summer holidays felt a great idea when booking in the wilds of winter, but more like a Utopian fantasy come July. As I consider the realities of pickled roads and jam-packed attractions, it’s with some trepidation that I leave my husband at home earning the family crust and load up the car for a multi-generational break with my mum (Grandma) and our daughters (Tilly, 10 and Claudia, 8).
Yet the Forest of Dean, an epic sea of 20 million trees which it’s claimed was the inspiration for Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, proves that such breaks need not feel so fantastical. Locals we meet urge me not to wax too lyrical about the area for fear of opening Pandora’s box. So, I’ll say it quietly: this might just be one of Britain’s best-kept secrets.
Into Tolkien’s forest
Wondrous woodlands with no screens in sight
Our screen-loving kids would not immediately opt for nature trails above Netflix. But watching the girls scale twisted ancient trees, career down leaf-canopied paths, splash across stepping-stoned streams and build imaginary dens amongst velvety moss-covered crags and caves, the whole vibe is indeed more Tolkien’s Middle Earth than Middle England.
From the minute we enter the UK’s first designated National Forest Park, the miles of soundless woodland immediately provide a sense of joyous isolation – making a long weekend feel less of a flying visit, and more a slow sinking into the Forest’s peace and beauty. At the southern end of the English and Welsh border, and with faster transport links to London, Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham than the much-frequented Cornish or North Norfolk coasts, it’s perfect for a short escape.
Locals still run most of the attractions we visit, and the area feels relatively untouched by commercial tourism. Also, it’s encouraging that strict regulations around development mean it should stay like this for the foreseeable future.
Lounging at Palm House, Newland
Pet friendly Forest of Dean welcomes the whole family
Forest of Dean is full of varied, independent, reasonably priced sleeping options for groups of all shapes and sizes.
From Mrs Mills’ yurts in May Hill to glamping deep amongst the oaks at The Roost in Mitcheldean, there’s something for everyone; with canine guests wonderfully welcome in accommodation and restaurants alike. Note to self, no need to outsource Basil, our cocker spaniel, on the next visit.
We choose to stay in Woofield in the village of Newland on the doorstep of the forest, which turns out to be the ideal spot from which to explore, seemingly 12 minutes from everything.
Owners and interior designers Neil and Raymond have spent the last few years renovating this wonderfully pink-walled Georgian manor, which can sleep up to 10 in three beautiful, dog-friendly private apartments.
We choose Palm House – complete with indulgent feather-filled bedding, a decent coffee machine, freestanding bath, and a fridge pre-stocked with chilled white wine and Fruit Shoots, as well as motion sensor nightlights for sleep-walking kids: perfect for our multi-generational gang.
All Saint’s Church, the ‘Cathedral of the Forest’
Views to the Cathedral of the Forest and a proper local pub
The girls immediately dash outside to explore the lovely shared garden, while Grandma and I head for the deckchairs and enjoy the calming view across the village to the nearby “Cathedral of the Forest”: All Saints Church.
Opposite the church is The Ostrich Inn – a proper village pub with a properly ambitious chef. Tilly and Claudia happily educate the locals on their epic game of Battleships and make friends with copious canine guests while Grandma and I dig into a delicious homemade Vincigrassi before a short stroll back down the hill for a blissfully silent sleep.
Safe family cycling, Forest of Dean
Prepare for acres of adventures in the Forest of Dean
Despite being a spritely septuagenarian, Grandma’s knee replacement precludes cycling. Therefore, after fortifying overnight oats in The Art of Coffee in Coleford, we briefly part ways.
The girls and I rent bikes from Dean Forest Cycles in nearby Parkend while Grandma ventures out on one of the hundreds of walking routes that criss-cross the forest.
Easy mountain bike trails enable us cyclists unexpectedly to clock up a 20km forest ride while Grandma revels in 90 minutes of peace and quiet walking the free-to-visit Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail and enjoying a quick refuel at the Beechenhurst café.
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Dean Laser Clay, Newnham
A laser shootout with some very surprising results
Less bucolic but no less fun, a competitive blast follows at Dean Laser Clay in Newnham: eco-friendly laser shooting sessions at a wallet-friendly price of just £12.50 each for about an hour of shooting.
The kids delight in slinging ‘real’ shotguns over their arms and the owner, Chris, is impressively patient explaining how to handle a rather large weapon with rather small limbs.
The deactivated guns are fitted with laser beams which is great for young and old alike: there’s no shoulder-shattering recoil, and the only noise you hear is the welcome smashing sound-effect when you hit one of the reusable discs Chris names ‘pigeons’ and ‘rabbits’.
Despite a rather slow start, we all hit quite a lot. It comes down to the wire in the final match with Grandma nailing 100% of her ‘rabbits’, but our dead-eyed 10 year-old steals the win by scoring a mind-blowing 54 of the potential 75 points on offer.
Clearwell Caves, Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean serves up underground history lessons
An experience not to be missed is Hopewell Colliery, a working mine on Cannop Hill, just four miles from Newland. The tour with local ‘freeminer’, Jason, is fascinating, shocking and surprisingly gritty: more like stepping into a different world than visiting a tourist attraction.
Descending 200m below the forest floor, the narrow tunnels, damp walls, and open coal seams bring to life the challenging working conditions for those (some as young as six in the 19th century) who mined coal for hundreds of years in these tunnels dotted throughout the forest.
Down the mines, Clearwell Caves
Head down the mines for the true meaning of pitch black
Whilst I don’t share Claudia’s delight as Jason encourages us to turn off our head lamps to see (or not) true pitch black, it is a place we will long remember.
Intrusive thoughts of collapsing mine shafts aside, all four of us are engrossed. A call home to Dad that night makes our visit even more impactful as we learn that the girls’ great-grandfather worked in a similar mine from the age of 12 until 65.
Jason is just one of the locals deeply invested in preserving the area’s natural and historical heritage. Jonathan Wright, another ‘freeminer’, runs nearby Clearwell Caves which provide yet more sub-terranean excitement for the kids as we explore the nine huge limestone chambers and meet their bat inhabitants. With underground concerts and tours year-round, it’s a thriving site where locals still mine ochre today.
Getting lost in Puzzlewood, Forest of Dean
Get happily lost in Puzzlewood AKA the Forbidden Forest
Back above ground, my fellow travellers’ highest accolades are reserved for Puzzlewood, an incredible woodland where we get wondrously lost in acres of huge oaks, hills and dells.
It’s a popular attraction thanks to JK Rowling’s Forbidden Forest being loosely based on its extraordinary topography, and scenes from the final Harry Potter being filmed in the other-worldly woods. However, its size means it’s relatively empty as we immerse ourselves in nature before refuelling in the on-site café.
It’s tough to drag the girls away from the mini farmyard’s quirky pedigree chickens (imagine a badly arranged flip-flap book creation with head, body and legs belonging to different animals) but the lure of the River Wye wins out.
Contemplating the landscape, Forest of Dean
Sundowners and splashing around in the Forest of Dean
As Grandma grabs a seat and well-deserved Pimm’s on the astonishingly uncrowded riverside, suntrap terrace of The Saracen’s Head Inn, the girls and I head out in a canoe hired from the adjacent Wyedean Canoe and Adventure Centre.
After a few early shaves with the banks, we hit our rhythm. A happy day could easily be spent stopping in at the many riverbank hostelries between Symonds Yat and Ross-on-Wye. But, somewhat exhausted from our action-packed day, we return for a final sunset meal with Grandma enjoying stunning views down the river to the famous Symonds Yat Rock.
The Forest of Dean is a hidden gem that offers the kind of unspoilt, quiet, wild escape it’s so hard to find during school holidays. With a host of brilliant activities for all ages just a stone’s throw from each other, the outdoorsy, good value, easy-yet-adventurous trip is a brilliant start to our long summer break.
Driving home, every sentence I hear from the back seats seems to start “When we come back with Daddy and Basil….”. So a full family return trip seems imminent.
How to plan a Forest of Dean weekend
How to get there
Direct trains from London Paddington to Gloucester from 1 hour, 45 minutes
Gloucester to Newland from 1 hour, 15 minutes by bus or 40 minutes by taxi
London to Newland by road from 3 hours
Where to stay
Woofield Apartments in Newland from £125 per night (2 adults, 2 children)