More Walks
More walks are being prepared. Details will appear here.
If you do not see what you want here, please contact us.
Converted Chapel at Moseley Green.
Walker's block arrangement at Moseley Green.
A Wood Pidgeon near Mallards Pike.
Our Guided Walks
Walks programme for September 2008
We have two different two hour walks on offer during September 2008:
- Part of the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail.
- A circular walk from Mallards Pike.
On each walk we will lead you around the route and explain features of interest as we encounter them.
Sculpture Trail
Start at 14:00 from Beechenhurst Lodge.
This will include the new 'Echo' sculpture by Annie Cattrell
Sunday September 7th
Sunday September 14th
Mallards Pike
Start at 14:00 at the Mallards Pike Car Park.
Sunday September 21st
Sunday September 28th
The walk on Sunday 14th September - which is part of the 'Heritage Weekend' is therefore FREE. All other walks listed above will incur a charge of £3.00 per adult and £1.50 per child.
All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Booking:
Walks can be pre-booked via the 'Contact Us' page on this Web Site. You can also turn up on the day if you wish - but to ensure the safety of the group, we reserve the right to turn down walkers as we see fit.
Cannop Valley
On our Cannop walk we'll take you on a 7 Km circular walk from Beechenhurst Lodge (on the B4226). You'll see a working stoneworks, a working freemine and a working quarry. You'll also see forests, ponds, great views and plenty of evidence of the industrial past of the Forest of Dean.
A Freemine in the Forest of Dean, see it on our Cannop Walk.
Freemines are found only in the Forest of Dean. Many Freemines were once operating in the area, extracting coal or even iron ore. The 'right' to be a freeminer could and still can be exercised by by miners who satisfy the following criteria:
- They must be born within the '100 of St Briavels'
- They must be 21 years of age or older.
- They must have worked for a year and a day in a mine in the Forest of Dean.
We'll also tell you where you can and cannot set up a Freemine and what the Gaveller does.
Mallards Pike
New Fancy Viewpoint - viewing Goshawk
Our Mallards Pike walk is an 8.5 Km circular walk from Mallards Pike. We take in some old mine sites, New Fancy with it's Viewpoint, Miner's Memorial and the unique Geomap. The New fancy Viewpoint is a great place to see Goshawk and Wild Boar have been seen from here. We'll also see the little known Speech House Lake and take a stroll up Spruce Ride as visitors have done for over 100 years.
Parts of this walk can get muddy so please bring suitable footwear.
Redbrook - Kymin - Monmouth
Viaduct and former rail bridge at Monmouth
A circular walk starting from Redbrook to The Kymin and Monmouth using Offa’s Dyke Path and the Wye Valley Walk. The walk starts with a modest uphill section from Redbrook but afterwards is generally level or downhill. There are spectacular views of the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean. The Kymin, owned by the National Trust gives good views West over Monmouth to the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons. Admire the Naval Temple and the Roundhouse where the well-to-do gentlemen of Monmouth dined and Nelson, our best-known naval hero, took lunch. The walk descends from the Kymin through woodlands into the historic market town of Monmouth with toilets, cafes and pubs. The return to Redbrook shadows the route of the 'Wye Tour' down the Wye Valley from Monmouth.
This moderate walk, mainly on good paths and tracks, is about 11 km long.
Noxon Park - Clearwell - Oakwood Valley
A view across the Oakwood Valley.
A walk along the Iron Ore outcrop through the beautiful woods of Noxon Park. See ancient 'Scowles' and remains of old Iron Mines. Find out why George Wyrall wrote in 1780 "There are, deep in the earth, vast caverns scooped out by men's hands, and as large as the aisles of churches; and on its surface are extensive labyrinths ...". Visit Clearwell with it's 'castle', it's Well and ancient Preaching Cross. Take lunch at the local pub or the cafe at Clearwell Caves. Go undergroud at the Caves if you dare - scenes for a recent Dr Who episode 'Fires of Pompei' were filmed down there (admission cost to visit the caves). The return journey brings us back over the coal measures. We'll walk past the 'Gattock Stone' and through more beautiful woodland to the Oakwood Valley where the industrial heritage will be pointed out.
This walk is around 14 Km in length, includes sections in woodland and fields and short road sections. Strong shoes must be worn.
Lydbrook, Goodrich and Coppet Hill
A canoe on the river Wye at Lydbrook
This is a walk of approximately 14 km part of which follows the River Wye as it slowly winds its way from Kerne Bridge
to Coldwell Rocks. Consequently it is mainly easy going.
The route offers an insight into the industrial history of this area but also shows the scenic beauty, natural history and grandeur
of this stretch of the river Wye. Starting near Lower Lydbrook we cross the Wye via the old railway bridge
of the Wye Valley Railway. As we follow the river we'll see why William Gilpin and others found the area so fascinating. At the sheer
limestone cliffs of Coldwell Rocks ....home to Peregrine Falcon, we'll turn uphill through ancient coppiced woodland
to the top of Coppet Hill. The walk along the ridge of Coppet Hill offers fantastic views across the Wye Valley and over to the Brecon Beacons
and Black Mountains. Perhaps you'll be inspired to write a poem as William Wordsworth was after a visit back in 1793. We then gradually descend into the village of Goodrich ....home to the superb 12th century Goodrich Castle. Leaving Goodrich we head down to the 14th century
Flanesford Priory and Kerne Bridge where we reach the river Wye once again ...following it to Welsh Bicknor and our starting point.
Wye Valley - Redbrook - Whitebrook
Whitebrook Ironworks
Discover the hidden secrets of the Wye Valley on a circular route. Starting from Redbrook and crossing the river on the old railway bridge the walk takes in Penalt and the Whitebrook valley. See the picturesque remains of mills that supplied high quality paper to the Bank of England and the place where millstones were made before being rolled down the slopes to the river for transport.
This walk is about 14km in length and affords wonderful views of the Wye Valley but it is quite arduous.
Wye Valley - Eagle's Nest - Tintern Views
Tintern Abbey
Walk in the footsteps of the poet William Wordsworth and the artist J. M. W. Turner. Starting at Lower Wyndcliffe we climb over 300 steps to the Eagles Nest, described by author William Gilpin as '... one of those grand eminences which overlooks the Wye'. If the climb doesn't take your breath away the view will. The walk then takes in the splendid views above Tintern before returning via more stunning scenery back to our starting point.
This is quite a hard walk because of the climbs, but it is very rewarding. The route is about 14 Km in length.
Monks and Moravians
The Quay at Brockweir
A delightful 5 Km walk in the Wye Valley from Tintern Abbey upstream to Brockweir and back, with the opportunity to visit the Brockweir Moravian church. Explore the fascinating former boat building village of Brockweir. Return via 'Tintern Old Station', a former railway station, which is now a picnic site with a cafe where we will stop for refreshments, before wandering through the water meadows to the interesting churchyard of St Michael, where more than 30 plant species were recorded in April 2008. We'll walk past 'Stella Books', the 'Moon and Sixpence' and 'Abbey Mill' on the way back to Tintern Abbey. (Walking time - approximately 2 hours + refreshment stop) Why not make time to visit Tintern Abbey before or after the walk. The route is about 5 Km in length.
Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail
Echo by Annie Cattrell (2008)
Walking through the Forest of Dean can bring unexpected surprises. You may suddenly come upon half-hidden, etched steel plates in the ground; you may find a giant's chair straight out of Gulliver's Travels. You may see a child playing on a swing topped by wind chimes. How did that get there?
These are all samples of what you will come across on the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail – a route of approximately 5 Km. On a guided walk, you will learn more than just the names of the sculptures and the artists. You will find out how these particular works of art relate to the history and industrial past of the Forest of Dean. The gigantic chair overlooking the Cannop Valley is actually called Place, by Magdalena Jetelova, and has been there since the opening of the Sculpture Trail in 1986. Join us to find out about the others.
Your walk will also experience something new for 2008: a new sculpture – Echo, by Annie Cattrell.
For details of all these walks, please contact us.
What in the Forest of Dean is this?
What are these stone blocks for?. Your guide will know.
This was used in conjunction with the stone blocks.
A Greylag Goose on Mallards Pike Lake.