Explore the forest, and beyond at Forest of Dean
Forest Rangers
An entire forest at your feet. Let us show you around...
Our Forest Rangers are experts in helping you have fun in the great outdoors. They know the forests like the back of their hand and will help you to understand and connect with the forest. With experiences that are designed to show you the very best of our location, whichever activity you choose, you'll have an unforgettable experience.
Make sure you book in advance as our experiences are popular! Just choose your activity in my account.
Guided Woodland Walk
Suitable for families, groups and couples
With an entire forest waiting to be explored, it’s hard knowing where to start! Join our Forest Rangers for a guided tour, taking in some unforgettable views whilst learning a thing or two about the wildlife who call our forests home.
Mini Forest Rangers
Suitable for families and 5-11 year olds
Become a mini bird detective! Spread your wings and get ready to discover the world of bird spotting and migration. Through exciting games, crafts and immersive activities – put our feathered friends into the spotlight with help from your Forest Ranger.
Little Wild Ones
Suitable for families and pre-schoolers
When imaginations run wild, a love for nature begins to grow. And there’s no better playground than the forest! Your Forest Ranger will guide your tiny explorers through woodland activities and imaginative play – bringing stories to life as they find their first Forest Feeling.
Forest Survival
Suitable for families, groups and couples
It’s the simple things in life — like how to light a fire and build a woodland shelter. Learn it all with your Forest Ranger, then it’s time to relax around the campfire, toast some marshmallows and enjoy a well-deserved cuppa from freshly foraged herbs.
Nature by Night
Available September to March, suitable for all
Evenings in the forest just got even more extraordinary. Join a guided walk as you uncover the world of biofluorescence, using UV light to unveil a whole new world of wonders.
Outdoor adventures
River Wye activities:
Explore the beauty of the River Wye from the water:
Forest Spa
Unwind with a spa experience like no other, surrounded by the forest and a natural soundtrack outside. Switch off with soothing treatments designed for couples' time, group relaxation, or simply some time just for you.
You'll need to pre-book our in-cabin spa treatments to make sure we can get everything in place for your stay.
Book your spa experience
You'll need to pre-book our in-cabin spa treatments to make sure we can get everything in place for your stay.
Book your spa experience
Bike hire
Looking to explore more of the forest? Venture out for the day on our bikes and discover acres of woodland, or go at your own pace with full break bike hire. There’ll be a helmet and bike lock for you too, so you can keep your bike just outside your cabin door:
Our cycling options:
- Adult bike hire | £18 per day or from £32 per break
- Child bike hire | £15 per day or from £28 per break
- Child seat | from £10
- Tag along | from £20
- Trailer | from £30
Just pre-book in my account, or ask at the Forest Retreat while you're here.
Elvis Owl Nature Trail
Get hands-on in the forest with this brand-new, self-led Forest Nature Trail.
Explore the incredible wildlife around you, get stuck into activities and learn amazing things about nature.
Use your discovery pack and follow our five stepping stones to nature while you get to know your forest friends. See, hear and touch nature all around you... and have an incredible adventure in the forest.
Quiz nights
Come along to our Forest Quiz every Wednesday and Sunday! Grab a drink, choose your team name and put your knowledge to the test for a chance to win. It’s free and everyone’s welcome - with special rounds for kids! Join us in the Forest Retreat from 5pm.
Good to know...
You can reserve a table for the quiz by booking in for dinner at the Forest Retreat. Pre-order our Quiz Night specials in my account, or speak to our team while you're here.
Pottery painting
Head to the Forest Retreat and discover your creative side. Choose from a selection of our favourite woodland animals and experiment with spongy foam clay or paint a masterpiece to take away the same day.
Small Bisque - foam or paint | £6.95
Medium Bisque - foam or paint | £10.95
Large Bisque - foam or paint | £13.95
Rainy days
On rainy days, look out for TV messages for any indoor activities we're running. We also have plenty of board games in the Forest Retreat so why not pop in, pick up a game and grab a drink.
Build a Forest Friend
Looking for something to keep little hands busy indoors?
Head to the Forest Retreat, where mini explorers can build their own Forest Friend to join them on their adventures when they’re back outside. You can pre-book yours so they’re ready and waiting for when you arrive.
Local recommendations Forest of Dean
Pubs and restaurants
Proper pubs, roaring fires and amazing riverside views. Take your pick from our top pubs and restaurants close to the forest to get a taste of the local.
Excellent food and a roaring fire.
Distance: 7 minute drive.
A local country pub.
Distance: 10-minute walk.
Find fine food and great wine selection
Distance: 10-minute drive
Real ales and riverside views.
Distance: 10 minute drive.
Places to visit
Head out beyond the forest and discover what the Forest of Dean has to offer.
A 20 minute drive away.
Explore five acres, including a museum, reconstructed cottage and workshops.
Distance: 20 minute drive
Ride a vintage steam train
Distance: 8 minute drive.
Walking trails
May Hill | 4.8km
The short, dog-friendly walk up May Hill in Gloucestershire is half an hour’s drive from your cabin. Straddling the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, May Hill is a famous local landmark, unmissable for miles around. It’s a short, exhilarating climb and the views from the clump of pine trees at the top is what make it worth all the effort. On a clear day, you can see the River Severn, the Forest of Dean, the Cotswold Hills to the east and the Welsh hills to the West.
Tintern Abbey Circular | 12km
Slightly further afield, this 12km Tintern Abbey, Devil's Pulpit and Brockweir circular walk takes in the glorious view of the Tintern Abbey ruins from the Devil’s Pulpit viewpoint. It meanders through Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire and includes a section of the Offa’s Dyke National Trail.
Try this local walk, which offers spectacular views of the River Wye and takes you through three counties and two countries! At just under 20km it’s the perfect longer walk to explore the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley.
King Arthur’s Cave and the Seven Sisters is a moderate 5.6km walk. The children will love exploring the cave, climbing the rope ladder and walking between the rock walls, and you will love the views across the valley from the hill fort.
River Wye routes | 3.km or 8.5km
The magnificent River Wye can be reached at two spots. The quickest route is 3.8km through the woods, but it is worth taking the slightly longer route to Symonds Yat Rock for the stunning views and the chance to see the nesting peregrine falcons on the cliff face. An 8.5km loop takes in both spots and the lovely thing about all these walks is that they are completely within the forest, so there are no roads to negotiate.
Symonds Yat Trail | 2km
This short, circular walking trail follows paths through the Iron Age fort and into the woodland. Pass through the remains of the ramparts of an Iron Age hillfort built around 2,500 years ago. The ramparts defended the southern side of the fort, while the other two sides were protected by the steep cliffs of the Wye Gorge.
Cycling trails
Peregrine Path | 12.1km
Soak up some local atmosphere and feel closer to nature along The Peregrine Path. It goes from Monmouth to Goodrich and takes in castles, ancient towns, the River Wye, King Arthur’s Cave and nesting peregrine falcons.
Three Rivers Circular | various
The Three Rivers circular route connects Hereford, Ross on Wye, Monmouth and Hay on Wye. The National Cycle Network route 42 is another stretch, which takes in countryside between Hay on Wye and Chepstow.
Freeminer Trail | 6.1km or 11.3km
Take on the ‘Iron Chicken and ‘Blue String Pudding’ before the final thrilling descent or test your skills along The Freeminer Trail. This route is ideal for experienced cyclists with technical challenges, hairpin bends, switchback climbs and varied single-track. Our tip? Look out for a few surprises. The volunteers who maintain these trails are constantly upgrading the various stretches so there’s always something new to conquer.
Verderers Trail | 11.3km
Known as one of the best blue-graded trails in the country, the Verderers Trail is an exciting and adventurous ride. There are plenty of features and surface types along the trail to help hone your skills. There's a gentle uphill climb through the forest with some tricky challenges along the way. And the final descent, known as the Dragon's Tail, is a fast, thrilling finish.
Dog-walking trails
Bring your furry friend on an adventure and explore one of the many forest trails, where acres of woodland and country roads make a great spot for a scamper.
Sculpture Trail | 7.6km
This is a beautiful circular art trail starting from Forestry England's Beechenhurts cafe, taking you through the forest to spot different contemporary sculptures along the way.
Follow this circular woodland route, starting from Speech House, with dense plantations of coniferous and deciduous trees and thick carpets of moss and woodland flowers below. From the car park, head through the gate into the Cyril Hart Arboretum, then through a second gate into the forest.
Head a little further out to this beautiful trail around Woorgreens, a 42-hectare nature reserve covering heathland, marshland, woodland, and lakes. This area used to be an open cast mine and now provides a home to a variety of wildlife and plenty of birdlife.
Go Ape
Take a trip through the trees, full of adventure! Save 10% on your Go Ape experience when you stay with us, including on Saturdays.
Look out for our emails with offers and activities to book before your stay – they'll include your unique discount code. Beechenhurst is your nearest Go Ape, where you can experience:
Go Ape Forest Segway | from £34.50
Go Ape Tree Top Adventure | from £18
Go Ape Tree Top Adventure Plus | from £22.50
Go Ape Tree Top Challenge | from £29.70
Activities nearby
Discover local activities and adventures in the surrounding area.
- Make your own gin | from £110
- Silver Circle Distillery Gin tasting | from £15
- Photography lesson | from £78
- Night sky photography lesson | from £78
Wildlife experiences
Get close to the wildlife
Meet some of our forest friends up close with incredible experiences nearby to the forest. Why not try...
You can pre-book these activities with us! Just speak to the team at the Forest Retreat when you're here.
Wildlife and trees
Wildlife at Forest of Dean
What can you spot?
Tawny owl
In winter, the hooting of the nocturnal tawny owl fills the air, with their striking gingery-brown feathers standing out against the frosty forest backdrop. Watch as they hunt for mice and ‘talk’ to each other during the courting season.
Roe Deer
Stay quiet and you may just stumble across a roe deer in a forest glade. See its reddish grey-brown coat and short antlers. The roe deer is the most common type of deer found in the UK.
Badger
Head out into the forest at night for the best chance of spotting the elusive badger. On your nocturnal adventure look out for the black and white stripes that make this large mammal so distinctive.
Signs of ancient woodland
With its signature scent of wild garlic and beautiful carpet of bluebells, the Forest of Dean is bursting with life. In fact, both plants are signs that this forest has been around for a very long time. Take a moment to stop for the ultimate springtime photo (or a sniff of that delicious garlicky smell) and imagine all the ancient stories this forest could tell.
Pine martens
Pine martens have made a welcome return to the Forest of Dean! We're proud to have supported our partners at Forestry England and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust with their pine marten reintroduction project. Being nocturnal animals, they can be difficult to spot, but if you do see one, note their characteristic pale yellow ‘bib’, which is unique to each individual animal.
Want to learn more about the wildlife here? Book onto a Forest Ranger experience and discover all the secrets of the Forest of Dean!
Trees at Forest of Dean
Trees you'll find in the forest
Hazel
With nuts that are eaten by people, squirrels and hazel dormice, the Hazel is a great source of food and shelter for many other creatures. It’s also home to lots of fungi, mosses and lichen.
Hazel supports lots of species of butterfly and ground-nesting birds, and with its bendy stems, it’s used for lots of weaving, thatching and even in gardening – it’s a conservation hero!
Oak
Oak supports more life than any other native tree in the UK – and they're found throughout the country. They're home to hundreds of insect species, supplying many birds and bats with an important food source, as well as creating shelter. Oaks actually shorten with age to help extend their lifespan!
Birch
Birch trees are hardy, able to live in a range of temperatures, from as far south as Spain to as far north as Lapland. Birch woods (either downy, silver birch, or both) have a light, open canopy and thrive in dry woodlands, downs and heaths. Their open canopy also helps grasses, mosses, wood anemones, bluebells, wood sorrel and violets to grow.
Silver birch provides food and habitat for more than 300 insect species, as well as homes for nesting birds like woodpeckers.
Douglas Fir
Douglas fir is a much-loved tree in the UK, despite being a native American tree brought here in the 1800s. It’s a valuable timber source and provides homes for the likes of red squirrels and pine martens, especially in Scotland.
It thrives in high rainfall areas, more in western UK areas and can live for more than a thousand years. Living so long, they provide lots of deadwood cavities that birds and bats can shelter in. They also make perfect nesting sites for larger birds of prey, such as buzzards, sparrowhawks and hobbies.
Supporting the forest
We’re more than just a holiday
Nestled within inspiring natural spaces, we offer a unique way to experience and enjoy the UK’s forests, helping you experience and reconnect with nature.
We look after the land we love for us all, protecting wildlife and helping to preserve the forest for the future. By putting nature centre-stage, we give you the best of the outdoors. A sense of freedom and a unique experience, where you feel connected to the forest and to each other. Because you don’t just visit the forest, you really feel it.
And once you’ve found that Forest Feeling, you’ll never let it go.
Let's look after what we love
Help to care for the wildlife around you in small, but important ways. You'll find it's as good for you as it is for nature!
Give nature a helping hand by....
- Creating habitat piles using old logs and branches
- Picking up any litter you see – the forest and wildlife will thank you for it
- Turning off the lights when they’re not in use to reduce energy use
- Using the bins provided to separate your waste and recycle properly
