Seven Winter Wellness Weekends

Seven winter weekends of wellness

Over the next ten weekends, as we brace the coldest plunges of winter and wait for spring to stir beneath our feet, why not make a few plans that put the spotlight on your wellness?

Winter in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley is an invitation to slow down, soften the pace, and lean into restorative experiences that nurture both body and mind. From deep relaxation and creative mindfulness to forest immersion and seasonal beauty, here are seven perfectly curated winter wellness weekends to help you reset, recharge, and reconnect.

But before we dive in, it’s good to be reminded that health doesn’t come from one single source but a variety, including moving our body, nourishing it with good food and community experiences, and sinking into deep rest and relaxation afterwards. Pairing outdoor, nature-based experiences with warm, restorative practices can help you stay balanced through winter.

Move

1. Wander through winter calm at Wye Valley Sculpture Garden

Wellness focus: Nature immersion, reflection, seasonal awareness

Running Thursday to Sunday, 1–4pm, from 23rd January to 8th February, this sell-out seasonal experience invites visitors to wander through three peaceful acres as over 80 varieties of snowdrops bloom. Nurtured since the 1970s, the snowdrops offer a quiet reminder of winter’s purpose, rest, renewal, and hope. Pre-bookable 1.5-hour visits allow you to slow down, reconnect with nature, and visually experience the turning of the seasons.

2. Forest bathing & nature walks at Forest Retreats & Puzzlewood Cottages

Wellness focus: Grounding, mental clarity, immune support

Guided forest bathing sessions offer a gentle, sensory way to connect with the ancient woodlands of the Forest of Dean, or if you’ve booked into one of the Puzzlewood cottages, you’ll have time to exclusively wander through those ancient trees of Puzzlewood and absorb their majesty. Slow walking, breath awareness, and mindful observation, can help regulate any stress, improve mood, and bring a sense of deep calm, particularly powerful during the quieter winter months.

3. Contrast therapy: sauna, ice baths & woodland views at Mill End Boutique Accommodation

Wellness focus: Circulation, resilience, mind-body reset

Mill End Boutique Accommodation in Mitcheldean offers a winter-friendly approach to contrast therapy, combining a sauna with new ice baths to help boost circulation, support resilience, and bring a real sense of reset during the colder months. With direct walking links up to May Mill, it’s easy to pair warming heat and cold plunges with a gentle sunrise or sunset walk, letting the landscape do some of the work too. Designed with shared experiences in mind, Mill End works particularly well for group bookings and small retreats, giving you space to slow down, warm up, cool off, and settle into winter at a more considered pace.

Nourish 

4. Seasonal Cookery Classes at Harts Barn Cookery School

Wellness focus: Nourishment, creativity, mindful cooking

Winter is the perfect season to reconnect with the rhythms of food and the comfort of home-cooked meals. Harts Barn Cookery School, on the edge of the Forest of Dean, offers hands-on workshops in winter soups, fermentation, chutneys, and preserves, all using the freshest local produce. These classes are as nourishing for the mind as they are for the body, combining creativity, mindfulness, and practical skills.

Relax

5. Mindful Making at Hot Pot Pottery 

Wellness focus: Creativity, mindfulness, nervous-system calming

There’s something deeply therapeutic about working with clay in winter. Hot Pot Pottery’s sessions offer a warm, welcoming space where creativity becomes meditation. As your hands shape the clay, the outside world fades, encouraging focus, presence, and gentle flow. A perfect antidote to winter restlessness and mental overload.

6. Deep Rest & Weightless Calm at Float in the Forest

Wellness focus: Stress relief, muscle relaxation, mental reset

Float away from stress and tension with the ultimate relaxing experience. Your body is effortlessly supported as you float on warm water infused with 550kg of Epsom salt, allowing every muscle to fully relax and your mind to drift. With private float pods, rainfall showers, luxurious towels, natural toiletries, and a relaxation lounge serving organic herbal teas, this is winter self-care at its most effortless and indulgent.

7. Wild winter wellness at Tudor Farmhouse Hotel

Wellness focus: Gentle movement, outdoor calm, restorative spa treatments

Tudor Farmhouse offers a quieter, slower take on winter wellness, where time outdoors and thoughtful rest go hand in hand. With easy walks straight from the door, it’s simple to build gentle movement into your day before returning to warm, welcoming spaces. Their on-site spa treatments, delivered in a peaceful shepherd’s hut setting, focus on relaxation and restoration, making it an easy place to reset without feeling like you need to follow a schedule. It’s well suited to winter weekends where the aim is simple: get outside, come back warm, and take proper time to rest.

Bonus Activity

Why not plan a ‘readaway’ weekend, simply get yourself a good book then head off to a cosy cafe or fine country pub and lose yourself for a few hours, paired with some delicious local food and drinks.

Before you settle in for your readaway weekend, stop by Stella Rose's Books in Ross-on-Wye. This independent bookshop is a treasure trove of carefully curated fiction, non-fiction, and local interest titles, with knowledgeable staff who genuinely love recommending the perfect book for your mood.

Browse the shelves, chat about your reading tastes, and leave with something that'll keep you company through long winter afternoons. It's the kind of place that makes choosing your next chapter feel like part of the wellness ritual itself.

Symonds Yat Rock Cafe is a fine spot with stunning views and epic walking trails if you fancy a little stomp too. Leaf Creative Cafe has a fabulous locally inspired menu that can be enjoyed surrounded by loads of gorgeous plants, (and for when hands get restless, they offer terrarium making courses, if you’re interested.)

Or The Hope and Anchor Pub does a fantastic afternoon tea with locally made cakes, sausage rolls, and plenty of delights that will keep you fuelled page after page. Sit in their beer garden and enjoy the sound of the river flowing by and birdsong in the air.

A winter worth savouring

Whether your idea of wellness is quiet walking among snowdrops, floating in weightless serenity, shaping clay, or warming up in a wood-fired sauna, winter in The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley offer a gentle, intentional way to care for yourself. These experiences remind us that winter isn’t something to endure, but a season to honour, one slow weekend at a time.