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There is an abundance of things to do to keep our youngest visitors happy in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. You can’t come to the area without a woodland walk and whether it’s raining or the sun is shining the trees are often a great place to shelter. If you enjoy walking and need a trail to follow then the sculpture trail from Beechenhurst is a good start. Forestry England also often have seasonal trails to follow which in previous years have included the Gruffalo or Shaun the Sheep.
A hidden gem for our younger visitors is Perrygrove, with its with steam train rides that circle a children’s play fort complete with slides and lookouts as well as woodland pathways and an undercover play area that makes you feel like you have stepped into toy town. Perrygrove is opposite one of the...Read More
There is an abundance of things to do to keep our youngest visitors happy in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. You can’t come to the area without a woodland walk and whether it’s raining or the sun is shining the trees are often a great place to shelter. If you enjoy walking and need a trail to follow then the sculpture trail from Beechenhurst is a good start. Forestry England also often have seasonal trails to follow which in previous years have included the Gruffalo or Shaun the Sheep.
A hidden gem for our younger visitors is Perrygrove, with its with steam train rides that circle a children’s play fort complete with slides and lookouts as well as woodland pathways and an undercover play area that makes you feel like you have stepped into toy town. Perrygrove is opposite one of the must-go attractions in the area, Puzzlewood, with its magical mystical natural woodland pathways it is a breathtaking sight which is why it is used regularly in TV and films such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Merlin and even Tree Fu Tom.
Other attractions loved by our younger visitors include the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo and aMazing Hedge Puzzle where you can play hide and seek whilst you find your way into the middle of the maze. There are many majestic castles to visit in the area too including Goodrich Castle, Raglan Castle, Chepstow Castle and Caldicot Castle and they often run events, trails and activities to follow that let your little ones' imaginations run wild.
If cycling is your thing, you can take your own or hire a bike (and child’s seat) and head out for an hour or two onto the Family Cycling Trail. You can also hire a canoe (minimum age 4) and spend a few hours gently floating down the river – keep an eye out for otters swimming along the water's edge and kingfishers flitting past.
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Lydney Park Estate, Lydney
Bring a group together for a fun creative mosaic experience and create a striking woodland animal mosaic for your garden. Choose either a square design or get really creative and cut out your chosen animal shape.
Price: £45 per person
Length of experience: 4 hours
Speech House Road, Coleford
Experience a world beneath the Forest - see and hear what it’s like to work in the mines beneath the Forest of Dean and toil to win the minerals from the earth! Don a hard hat and learn about the history of mining from a true Forest freeminer.
Price: Adults £10, Child £8, Family discounts
Length of experience: 45 to 60 minutes
Lydney
Enjoy a relaxing journey along the Dean Forest Railway behind one of our steam locomotives. Looking for something a little extra? Add a takeaway cream tea or afternoon tea to your trip when placing your booking (and make them extra fancy with a 20cl bottle of prosecco!), available for pickup from Whistles Cafe before your train ride.
Price: Adults £14, Child £7
Length of experience: 1½ hours
Coleford
The Speech House Hotel & Silver Circle Distillery have teamed up to bring you the ultimate Gin Tasting Experience & Stay in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. If you love gin, great food and fantastic surroundings, then this is the experience for you! Join us for an overnight stay, with dinner in our 2 AA rosette restaurant, a distillery tour of Silver Circle with tasting, and a gin tasting board in the hotel bar! This fantastic package is one not to be missed!
Prices: £135 per person, based on two people sharing
Approx length of…
Parkend
Enjoy a taste of mountain biking with our friendly experienced guides. These sessions are individually tailored to each family, to ensure all have a wonderful cycling experience to remember. No need to be an experienced rider or even own your own bike to take advantage and enjoy this taste of mountain biking!
Price: £160 per family of 4
Length of experience: 3 hours
Littledean
Laser Clay Pigeon shooting is 100% Safe, firing harmless infra-red beams instead of live ammunition meaning no bruises from recoil, no ear-splitting noise, and more environmentally friendly and cheaper than traditional Clay Pigeon Shooting! Perfect for family fun, birthdays, corporate reward days, and wedding groups.
Highnam
Highnam Woods on the eastern edge of the Forest of Dean is an RSPB nature reserve offering great birdwatching and wildlife spotting opportunities.
Abergavenny
Historic covered market in the centre of town. As well as the regular market stalls held on Friday and Saturday, specialist markets are held throughout the year.
Chepstow
Breathtaking views of the Wye Valley and River Severn from the Eagle's Nest at the top of a steep, wooded limestone cliff.
Lords Hill, Coleford
We challenge you to not smile on an a E-Bike ride! Not only do you get to explore more of the beautiful Forest of Dean & Wye Valley, you don’t have to worry about climbing off your bike and pushing it uphill when the going gets tough.
Price: £80 per person
Length of experience: 6 hours.
Coleford
Whitecliff Ironworks is an important and unique heritage site in the Forest of Dean. It was the second coke-fired blast furnace of three built in the Forest of Dean and the industrial remains today remind us of the association of producing iron using coke.
Symonds Yat West
Learn basic survival skills on one of our hands-on bushcraft courses. We’ll lead you through the priorities of survival and a range of techniques for living comfortably in the wild. Our friendly instructors will introduce you to primitive survival skills from a time when life moved more slowly and thoughtfully.
Price: TBA
Length of experience: 3 hours
Pillowell
Visit artists in their workshops and galleries during the annual Open Studios Event in the Forest of Dean, Wye Valley, along the Severn and Gloucester.
Ross-on-Wye
Truffles Deli is a foodie haven for young and old alike in the centre of beautiful Ross-on-Wye. Stocking everything a deli should and more, you'll find a vast cheese counter, salamies, quiches and pies, olives, cakes, snacks and drinks in abundance. Explore the best local produce and foods from around the world. You can buy also buy food and drinks to take away including soups, salads, sandwiches, teas and coffees.
Hereford
Wye Valley Falconry offers Private Experiences and Events to fly, handle or view a variety of encounters flying a number of Birds of Prey.
Chepstow
Chepstow Park is a large block of woodland with both mature broadleaf and conifer species as well as an excellent viewpoint south towards the Severn Bridges.
Hartpury
Parish church with Norman origins.
An arboretum full of unusual and interesting trees in the heart of the Forest of Dean next to the Speech House Hotel.
Coleford
A site not to be missed by anyone interested in industrial archelogy - in the 19th century some of the most important developments of the iron and steel industry took place here. Woodland walks surround with two information boards and a cycle path runs nearby between Coleford and Parkend.
The St Briavels parish curch of St Mary is situated directly in front of the the Norman castle.
©Visit Dean Wye 2025. All Rights Reserved.
*Visit Dean Wye is the trading name of Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Tourism Limited.
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