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More than a dozen walkers enjoyed an end-of-year morning walk from Speech House Hotel.

The walk from Speech House led to the Forest’s favourite piece from the Sculpture Trail, the hanging stained glass window known as Cathedral. After gasps of appreciation and many photos, the walkers moved on to the site of the Rewilding Project, which had been shown in a recent episode of BBC1’s Countryfile. The project aims to introduce tradition crafts such as weaving, tannery, foraging back to the Forest. It holds events, workshops, training sessions, and even has its own shop which you can find on its website.

The walkers were told about two exciting rewilding schemes within the Forest. The first was the reintroduction of beavers to Greathough Brook near Brierley. Their job is to dam up the brook, to protect Lydbrook from flooding. Second, they were told of recent release of 18 pine martens, whose job it was to control the grey squirrels, with a view to reintroducing the native red squirrels.

The next stop was Woorgreens Lake, which is a beautiful remnant of open cast mining. This is typical of the Forest of Dean, where industrial archaeology is transformed into something beautiful for all to enjoy.

The group then went back to the other side of the busy road towards Spruce Ride. Walkers saw relatively new spruces at different points of growth, both on the way, and on Spruce Ride itself.

After a visit to Speech House Lake, the group divided into two. Those who wanted to relax before lunch retreated back to Speech House Hotel, those who wanted to continue enjoyed the old railway line, which is now a cycle track and walking track.

What a wonderful way to start the last day of the year!

What was the Prince of Wales doing in Ross-on-Wye on November 5, 2019? He was introducing the Gilpin 2020 Festival.

The year 2020 represents 250 years since a very influential book was written, establishing tours on the River Wye as the first genuine “staycations” in Britain. Observations on the River Wye was written by the Reverend William Gilpin, an amateur artist from the north who sought out landscapes that he claimed to be “picturesque”, establishing an artistic movement.

Gilpin chose the lower River Wye as the trip that most suited his artistic sensibilities. He wrote his book, including both text and sketches, not realising that it would spark a new fashion in travelling down the River Wye by boat, from Ross to Chepstow. Artists, writers and people as notable as Admirable Nelson took the trip.

There will be events all year commemorating the launch of the book. Watch this space….

After closing it’s doors as the Wyndham Arms Inn three years ago and abandoning it’s historic name, the Inn and the Wyndham name are set to return to Clearwell. After a spell as a guest house called The Clearwell and another spell as Crosswell House the new name is the Wyndham Country Inn.

Many of the buildings we see in Clearwell today are the legacy of a Clearwell girl born Caroline Wyndham. She returned to the village in her later years as Caroline, Dowager Countess of Dunraven.
In the late 1800’s she engaged architect John Middleton and had St Peter’s church and a small cottage hospital built. She helped with building the village school, repairing the village Cross and Well and re-building the Mortuary Chapel. She also restored her childhood home, Clearwell Castle. Many people will therefore welcome the return of her family name to the village.