Skip To Main Content

  • Stay
    • Accessible Accommodation
    • Bed & Breakfasts
    • Camping
    • Caravans, Campervans & Holiday Parks
    • Glamping, Lodges & Cabins
    • Holiday Cottages
    • Hostels & Bunkhouses
    • Hotels
      • Boutique Hotels
    • Pubs & Inns
    • Self-Catering
      • Serviced Apartments
    • Themed Accommodation
      • Accommodation with Hot Tub
      • Accommodation with Swimming Pool
      • Eco Friendly Accommodation
      • Family Friendly Accommodation
      • Group Friendly Accommodation
      • Hen & Stag Accommodation
      • Dog Friendly Accommodation
      • Stay on a Farm
  • What's On
  • Things To Do
    • Activities & Experiences
      • Adventure & Extreme
      • Canoeing, Kayaking & Watersports
      • Climbing
      • Cycling & Mountain Biking
      • Food & Drink Experiences
      • Shooting & Archery
      • Golf
      • Nature & Wildlife Experiences
      • Arts & Crafts
      • Walking & Hiking
    • Attractions
      • Beauty Spots & Visitor Sites
      • Castles & Ruins
      • Cinema & Theatre
      • History & Heritage
      • Museums & Galleries
      • Nature & Wildlife
    • Walking
      • 12 Easy Walks
      • Guided Tours
      • The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail
      • The Wye Valley Walk
      • Good with the Dog
      • The Offa's Dyke Path
      • Accessible Walks
      • Other Walking Routes & Trails
    • Cycling
      • Cycle Trails
      • Family Cycling
      • Bike Hire
      • Mountain Biking & Downhill
      • Guided Cycling
    • Dog Friendly
    • Family Friendly
      • Young Families
      • With Tweens & Teens
    • Group Friendly
    • Rainy Days
    • Tours & Trails
      • Walking Tours & Trails
      • Cycling Tours & Trails
      • On the Water
      • Driving Routes
      • Film & TV Trail
      • Myths & Legends Trail
      • Market Towns Trail
      • Heritage Trails
      • 'Feel the Love' Romantic Trail
    • Shopping
      • Local Food & Drink
      • Farm Shops & Delis
      • Towns & Villages
      • Online Gift Guide
    • Wellbeing & Spa
    • Weddings
  • Food & Drink
    • Afternoon Tea
    • Cafes & Tea Rooms
    • Dog Friendly Places to Eat
    • Farm Shops & Delis
      • Shops Offering Home Delivery
    • Family Friendly Places to Eat
    • Local Produce
    • Picnic Sites
    • Food & Drink Experiences
    • Private Chefs & Group Catering
    • Pubs
      • Beer Gardens
    • Restaurants
    • Takeaways & Deliveries
    • Vegetarian & Vegan
  • Explore
    • Getting Here
    • Getting Around
    • Maps & Guides
      • Download Our Visitor Guide
    • Nature & Wildlife
      • Wildlife
      • Boar
      • Birds
      • Deer
      • Flora
      • Bluebells
      • Daffodils
      • Trees
      • Severn Bore
    • History & Heritage
      • Forest of Dean
      • Industrial Revolution
      • Freemining
      • The Wye Tour
      • The Fascinating Facts of the Dean Wye
      • Hidden Heritage
      • Agincourt
      • Myths & Legends
    • Surrounding Areas
      • Brecon Beacons
      • Cheltenham
      • The Cotswolds
      • Gloucester
    • Famous People
      • Charles Rolls
      • David and Robert Mushet
      • The Man of Ross
    • Film & TV
      • Films
      • Harry Potter
      • Star Wars
      • King Arthur
      • TV Programmes
      • Doctor Who
      • Merlin
      • Atlantis
      • Sex Education
    • Tourist Information Centres
    • Towns and Villages
      • Forest of Dean
      • Wye Valley
      • Monmouthshire
      • Herefordshire
      • Coleford
      • Newent
      • Cinderford
      • Lydney
      • Usk
      • Ross-on-Wye
  • Inspiration
    • Adventure Breaks
    • Foodie Breaks
      • Abergavenny Excellence
      • Beer and Boutique
      • Newent Retreats
      • Rural Monmouthshire
      • Severn Valley Touring
      • The Heart of the Dean
      • Tintern Treats
      • Wye Valley Perfection
    • Escape the Everyday
      • Escape the Everyday at Home
    • Family Holidays
    • Rainy Day Ideas
    • Dark Skies
    • My Microgap
    • Dog Friendly Holidays
    • Seasons
      • Autumn: Leaf Peeping the Vibrant Colours
      • Winter: Cosy Escapes and Seasonal Delights
    • Romance
    • Viewpoints & Sights
  • Offers
  • Forest of Dean and Wye Valley
  • Print Logo
  • Stay

    Stay

  • Food & Drink

  • Things To Do

    Things To Do

  • Cymraeg

My Planner

Currently nothing planned yet in your itinerary. Have a browse through the site and begin to add things you're interested in.

List All My Saved Itineraries

Menu
  • Stay
    • Accessible Accommodation
    • Bed & Breakfasts
    • Camping
    • Caravans, Campervans & Holiday Parks
    • Glamping, Lodges & Cabins
    • Holiday Cottages
    • Hostels & Bunkhouses
    • Hotels
      • Boutique Hotels
    • Pubs & Inns
    • Self-Catering
      • Serviced Apartments
    • Themed Accommodation
      • Accommodation with Hot Tub
      • Accommodation with Swimming Pool
      • Eco Friendly Accommodation
      • Family Friendly Accommodation
      • Group Friendly Accommodation
      • Hen & Stag Accommodation
      • Dog Friendly Accommodation
      • Stay on a Farm
  • What's On
  • Things To Do
    • Activities & Experiences
      • Adventure & Extreme
      • Canoeing, Kayaking & Watersports
      • Climbing
      • Cycling & Mountain Biking
      • Food & Drink Experiences
      • Shooting & Archery
      • Golf
      • Nature & Wildlife Experiences
      • Arts & Crafts
      • Walking & Hiking
    • Attractions
      • Beauty Spots & Visitor Sites
      • Castles & Ruins
      • Cinema & Theatre
      • History & Heritage
      • Museums & Galleries
      • Nature & Wildlife
    • Walking
      • 12 Easy Walks
      • Guided Tours
      • The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail
      • The Wye Valley Walk
      • Good with the Dog
      • The Offa's Dyke Path
      • Accessible Walks
      • Other Walking Routes & Trails
    • Cycling
      • Cycle Trails
      • Family Cycling
      • Bike Hire
      • Mountain Biking & Downhill
      • Guided Cycling
    • Dog Friendly
    • Family Friendly
      • Young Families
      • With Tweens & Teens
    • Group Friendly
    • Rainy Days
    • Tours & Trails
      • Walking Tours & Trails
      • Cycling Tours & Trails
      • On the Water
      • Driving Routes
      • Film & TV Trail
      • Myths & Legends Trail
      • Market Towns Trail
      • Heritage Trails
      • 'Feel the Love' Romantic Trail
    • Shopping
      • Local Food & Drink
      • Farm Shops & Delis
      • Towns & Villages
      • Online Gift Guide
    • Wellbeing & Spa
    • Weddings
  • Food & Drink
    • Afternoon Tea
    • Cafes & Tea Rooms
    • Dog Friendly Places to Eat
    • Farm Shops & Delis
      • Shops Offering Home Delivery
    • Family Friendly Places to Eat
    • Local Produce
    • Picnic Sites
    • Food & Drink Experiences
    • Private Chefs & Group Catering
    • Pubs
      • Beer Gardens
    • Restaurants
    • Takeaways & Deliveries
    • Vegetarian & Vegan
  • Explore
    • Getting Here
    • Getting Around
    • Maps & Guides
      • Download Our Visitor Guide
    • Nature & Wildlife
      • Wildlife
      • Boar
      • Birds
      • Deer
      • Flora
      • Bluebells
      • Daffodils
      • Trees
      • Severn Bore
    • History & Heritage
      • Forest of Dean
      • Industrial Revolution
      • Freemining
      • The Wye Tour
      • The Fascinating Facts of the Dean Wye
      • Hidden Heritage
      • Agincourt
      • Myths & Legends
    • Surrounding Areas
      • Brecon Beacons
      • Cheltenham
      • The Cotswolds
      • Gloucester
    • Famous People
      • Charles Rolls
      • David and Robert Mushet
      • The Man of Ross
    • Film & TV
      • Films
      • Harry Potter
      • Star Wars
      • King Arthur
      • TV Programmes
      • Doctor Who
      • Merlin
      • Atlantis
      • Sex Education
    • Tourist Information Centres
    • Towns and Villages
      • Forest of Dean
      • Wye Valley
      • Monmouthshire
      • Herefordshire
      • Coleford
      • Newent
      • Cinderford
      • Lydney
      • Usk
      • Ross-on-Wye
  • Inspiration
    • Adventure Breaks
    • Foodie Breaks
      • Abergavenny Excellence
      • Beer and Boutique
      • Newent Retreats
      • Rural Monmouthshire
      • Severn Valley Touring
      • The Heart of the Dean
      • Tintern Treats
      • Wye Valley Perfection
    • Escape the Everyday
      • Escape the Everyday at Home
    • Family Holidays
    • Rainy Day Ideas
    • Dark Skies
    • My Microgap
    • Dog Friendly Holidays
    • Seasons
      • Autumn: Leaf Peeping the Vibrant Colours
      • Winter: Cosy Escapes and Seasonal Delights
    • Romance
    • Viewpoints & Sights
  • Offers
  1. Visit the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley

You are here: Explore > Nature & Wildlife

Nature & Wildlife

From the 20 million trees in the Forest of Dean to the 58 mile long Wye Valley AONB, our natural beauty, dramatic landscapes and plethora of flora and fauna are what make our area so unique. You can walk for miles along glorious paths and see a wide range of local plants, trees and animals. You can spot unusual birds in a number of reserves, hear the most divine dawn chorus, see deer and boar if you're lucky, and in fact you may even see some of our resident wildlife from your holiday accommodation. Nature is at the heart of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley and in these pages we hope you will learn a little more about what makes this area so special.

About the Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean was recorded as The Forest in the 'Domesday Book' (1086) and as Dene or Dean after the Old English Denu for valley. In medieval times it was a royal hunting forest, before becoming a source of timber for the navy's Tudor warships. By Victorian times it was a major site of industry, with coal mining and tramways punctuating the landscape. In 1924 it was transferred to the Forestry Commission and in 1938 it was designated as the first National Forest Park in England. Today, it is still a working forest and Forestry England manages it sympathetically and sensitively while liaising on conservation matters with the main conservation bodies.

The forest is bound by the rivers Wye to the north and west, and the Severn to the south and east. Around the forest are rolling hills, farms and vineyards and many interesting villages and towns. These ancient woodlands and its variety of wildlife hold many surprises just waiting to be discovered.

About the Wye Valley

The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape and straddles the border between England and Wales, from Hereford in the north to Chepstow in the South where the Wye meets the Severn. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscapes in Britain. The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK at 134 miles but the area designated as an AONB covers 126 sq milies. The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was first designated in 1971. Having the same level of protection as a National Park, the purpose of the AONB is to conserve and enhance the outstanding landscape of the Wye Valley, so that we, and future generations, can enjoy it. The Wye Valley offers a varied and contrasting geographical landscape, from the flatter Herefordshire valley with a winding river, to dramatic limestone cliffs with nesting peregrine falcons.

Loading..

Find Out More

Find Your Freedom

  1. Wildlife
  2. Birds
  3. Flora
    Flora
  4. Nature & Wildlife Activities
  5. Boar
  6. Bluebells
    Bluebells
  7. Trees
  8. Deer
  9. Severn Bore
  10. Nature & Wildlife Attractions

Explore Our Highlights

2 Danby Cottages
2 Danby Cottages
Credit Wye Valley AONB
Ross-on-Wye
BREAD MAKING CLASS at Harts Barn Cookery School
Bread Making at Harts Barn Cookery School
Palace Cinema, Cinderford
Palace Cinema
Big House Holiday Lets
Big House Holiday Lets
Murder Mystery at Dean Forest Railway
Murder Mystery on a Steam Train
Wharton Lodge Cottages - Elgar, Grosvenor & Harewood
Wharton Lodge Cottages - Elgar, Grosvenor & Harewood
Deanfield Guest House
Deanfield Guest House
Tintern Abbey Cottage
Tintern Abbey Cottage
WILLOW GARDEN STRUCTURES at Humble by Nature
Willow Garden Structures Workshop
Spring Foraging Trips
Spring Foraging Trips
Beechenhurst
Beechenhurst Cafe
SOUTH INDIAN TAKEAWAY SPECIALS at Harts Barn Cookery School
SOUTH INDIAN TAKEAWAY SPECIALS
Forest Holidays: Forest of Dean Cabins
Forest Holidays: Forest of Dean Cabins
Harts Barn Cookery School
Harts Barn Cookery School
JAPANESE COOKERY CLASSES at Harts Barn Cookery School
Japanese Cookery at Harts Barn Cookery School
Luxury Family Friendly Glamping | South Wales - Abergavenny
Seven Hills Hideaway Luxury Glamping
Borderlands Outdoor
Borderlands Outdoor
Dryslade Farm
Dryslade Farm
WEAVE A WILLOW FRAME BASKET at Humble by Nature
WEAVE A WILLOW FRAME BASKET
PHOTOGRAPHY: CAPTURING THE NATURAL WORLD at Humble by Nature
PHOTOGRAPHY: CAPTURING THE NATURAL WORLD
The Lake House
The Lake House
BUILD A WOOD-FIRED CLAY PIZZA OVEN at Humble by Nature
BUILD A WOOD-FIRED CLAY PIZZA OVEN
Mount Annexe
Mount Annexe
PrevPrev
  • 12 Danby Cottages
  • 2Ross-on-Wye
  • 3Bread Making at Harts Barn Cookery School
  • 4Palace Cinema
  • 5Big House Holiday Lets
  • 6Murder Mystery on a Steam Train
  • 7Wharton Lodge Cottages - Elgar, Grosvenor & Harewood
  • 8Deanfield Guest House
  • 9Tintern Abbey Cottage
  • 10Willow Garden Structures Workshop
  • 11Spring Foraging Trips
  • 12Beechenhurst Cafe
  • 13SOUTH INDIAN TAKEAWAY SPECIALS
  • 14Forest Holidays: Forest of Dean Cabins
  • 15Harts Barn Cookery School
  • 16Japanese Cookery at Harts Barn Cookery School
  • 17Seven Hills Hideaway Luxury Glamping
  • 18Borderlands Outdoor
  • 19Dryslade Farm
  • 20WEAVE A WILLOW FRAME BASKET
  • 21PHOTOGRAPHY: CAPTURING THE NATURAL WORLD
  • 22The Lake House
  • 23BUILD A WOOD-FIRED CLAY PIZZA OVEN
  • 24Mount Annexe
NextNext
E-newsletter Icon
Sign up for our e-newsletter
Be the first to hear about our exciting events, offers, inspiration and competitions by signing up.
MORE INFO
Brochure Icon
Download our brochure
Our 2020/21 visitor guide has everything you need for a visit plus a range of discount vouchers.
MORE INFO
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Cookies
  • Advertise With Us
  • Membership
  • Cymraeg
  • Video Credits
  • E-newsletter Sign Up
  • Download Our Visitor Guide
  • Member Login

Connect and share your #DeanWye experiences with us @VISITDEANWYE

©Visit Dean Wye 2021. All Rights Reserved.
*Visit Dean Wye is the trading name of Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Tourism Limited.

Made by Simpleview Logo

Don't Miss

  • Know Before You Go

    Know Before You Go

  • Visitor Guide 2020-2021 Cover

    Download Our Visitor Guide