Nature Retreats

We’ve teamed up with Ed Drewitt, naturalist, broadcaster and wildlife detective to provide an opportunity to unwind, be outdoors and explore the forest landscape.

Over several days we will be exploring the forest’s natural side, walking around beautiful ponds, looking across stunning views and watching wildlife which may include displaying raptors such as peregrines and goshawk, fallow deer, wild boar and woodland birds.

Discover more about what’s shaped the Forest of Dean – from it’s famous scowles to the use of different trees; much of this is now hidden among the trees. As we’re out and about you’ll hear more about some of these places and the clues that they were once here.  And you never know what stunning view or woodland scenery may be round the corner. What you see will depend on the time of year:. 

April: Late April is a time when spring woodland migrant birds begin to arrive and ancient woodland flowers, such as wood anemone, begin to appear and flower. We will be listening to rich birdsong, looking out for pied flycatchers and redstarts and of course watching out for wild boar and deer.

October: We will be looking for autumn flocks of birds as they move through the forest and waterbirds building in numbers on the ponds. Wild boar will be busy foraging for nuts while deer will be grazing the last grasses before their turn to winter foliage such as ivy and holly. The forest’s trees will be beginning to wind down and their leaves changing colour. Birdsong, after a summer lapse, will be starting up again with robins taking the lead.