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Lydbrook is a small village which is both within the Forest of Dean and in the Wye Valley AONB. It has a rich industrial history. It occupies a steep sided valley leading to the river and is an ideal base for walking, cycling and enjoying the river with direct access to launch canoes from the car park.
Lydbrook is jokingly known as 'three miles long and three yards wide'. The village, with its rich industrial history, occupies the steep sided valley of the Great Hough Brook, a tributary of the River Wye. At one time the valley bottom was alive with industry, collieries, tin plate works, chemical works and forges. Now largely residential, the Forest is reclaiming the once bare hillsides and the village offers the walker some spectacular views from the steep slopes.
Upper and Lower Lydbrook were once major producers of pig iron, rivals even for Sheffield, and when the extraction of iron ore and coal was at its height their position on the northwest edge of the Forest made them ideally situated for the processing of the ore. The first commercially viable blast furnace in the area was sited here at the beginning of the 17th Century.
For several centuries, flat bottomed barges were loaded at Lower Lydbrook with coal bound for Hereford, 25 miles upstream; this river trade continued until the 1840s, when it was superseded, first by the Gloucester-Hereford Canal and then by the Severn and Wye Railway.
As with many mining communities there were a large number of pubs in the past and there are still 3 today with more in the surrounding villages. Besides its pubs, Lydbrook has a very good local shop, fish and chip shop and church.
'The Old House', which dates from the 15th century was at one time home to the famous actress Sarah Siddons. The village maintains an attractive area known locally as 'The Tump' located on the banks of the Wye which is a popular launching point for canoeists and rafters and is an ideal setting for a picnic. The church of the Holy Jesus is an impressive stone built Victorian structure.
The excellent Forge Hammer and River Spice Restaurant can be found a short walk from the river and serves real ales, ciders and lagers as well as a range of Indian meals.
In 2021 The Wye Fry chip shop in Lydbrook won the 'Best Traditional Fish & Chip Shop’ award for Gloucestershire in LUXlife Magazine’s 2021 Food & Drink Awards.
Lydbrook is an ideal location for outdoor pursuits and is very close to Symonds Yat just a few miles walk along the Wye from Lydbrook. A cycle path runs through the village and there are many good walks. The 'Old Black Bridge' is a footpath over the Wye connecting Lydbrook with Welsh Bicknor (in England). Built in 1875 it was then the Lydbrook Rail Bridge (also known as the Stowfield Viaduct). The rail line was closed in 1964 and the bridge deck was refurbished to form a walkway. It is an important connection across the River Wye between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, and is used by over 20,000 walkers every year as part of the 136 mile Wye Valley Walk.
During the summer the river is a hive of activity as it is one of the favourite locations for canoeists to stop between Ross-on-Wye / Kerne Bridge and Symonds Yat with a large flat pebble bank alongside the park.
Lydbrook is around 4 miles from Coleford and Cinderford and 7 miles from Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth. Nearby villages include Ruardean, Brierley and English Bicknor.
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