Forest Of Dean

5 Stars

I agree with Dave. The concentrated tourist activity areas are good and serve a purpose. In a few hundred away from thses centres there is no change, but for the increase in depth of leaf mould on the forest floor that has been added to over the past 20 years. That said, the Boar have indeed arrived!

Shauna It's still there dark and magical. You just need to get away from the normal tourist places and times. Theres something added now it's scary as well with all the boar around. My wife and I have walked for 3 hours in winter and met maybe 2 or 3 couples. I used to love following those little sheep tracks and getting right off the beaten track.

4 Stars

In response to the comment from the person who's been visiting the Forest for 25 years - yes it is a wonderful area, but it's changed so much in that time. The reference to Centre Parcs was interesting because that's how I feel the Forest of Dean is going. 20 years it was a much more rural place. Traffic and housing have increased noticibly, and visitor attractions like GoApe, Beechenhurst and the Cycle Centre have seen masive developement in the pursuit of tourist dollars. And, even though I'm a tourist myself, the increased number of visitors means you never feel 'isolated' any more. The Cannop ponds and Beechenhurst resembled a beach scene when we visited; with BBQ's going, people sitting everywhere on rugs and playing cricket, etc. What happened to that dark, magical and rustic Forest I remember?