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  • Stay
    • Accessible Accommodation
    • Bed & Breakfasts
    • Camping
    • Caravans, Campervans & Holiday Parks
    • Glamping, Lodges & Cabins
    • Holiday Cottages
    • Hostels & Bunkhouses
    • Hotels
    • Pubs & Inns
    • Self-Catering
      • Serviced Apartments
    • Themed Accommodation
      • Accommodation with Hot Tub
      • Accommodation with Swimming Pool
      • Eco Friendly Accommodation
      • Cycle Friendly Accommodation
      • Family Friendly Accommodation
      • Group Friendly Accommodation
      • Hen & Stag Accommodation
      • Dog Friendly Accommodation
      • Restaurants with Rooms
      • Stay on a Farm
  • What's On
  • Things To Do
    • Activities
      • Adventure & Extreme
      • Arts & Crafts
      • Canoeing, Kayaking & Watersports
      • Climbing
      • Cycling & Mountain Biking
      • Golf
      • Food & Drink Experiences
      • Nature & Wildlife Experiences
      • Shooting & Archery
      • Walking & Hiking
    • Attractions
      • Beauty Spots & Visitor Sites
      • Castles & Ruins
      • Cinema & Theatre
      • History & Heritage
      • Museums & Galleries
      • Nature & Wildlife Attractions
    • Experiences
    • Walking
      • 12 Easy Walks
      • Guided Tours
      • The Wye Valley Walk
      • Good with the Dog
      • The Offa's Dyke Path
      • Symonds Yat Rock Walks
      • The Wye Valley Greenway
      • Accessible Walks
      • Other Walking Routes & Trails
    • Cycling
      • Bike Hire
      • Cycle Trails
      • Family Cycling
      • Guided Rides
      • Mountain Biking and Downhill
    • Dog Friendly
    • Family Friendly
      • Young Families
      • With Tweens & Teens
    • Group Friendly
    • Rainy Days
    • Tours & Trails
      • Guided Tours
      • 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
      • Seasonal Guides
      • Severn Bore
      • Trees
    • History & Heritage
      • Forest of Dean
      • Industrial Revolution
      • Freemining
      • The Wye Tour
      • The Fascinating Facts of the Dean Wye
      • Hidden Heritage
      • Agincourt
      • Myths and 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
      • Film & TV Filming Locations
    • Tourist Information Centres
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      • Forest of Dean
      • Wye Valley
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      • Herefordshire
      • Coleford
      • Newent
      • Cinderford
      • Lydney
      • Usk
      • Ross-on-Wye
  • Inspiration
    • Find Your Freedom
    • Adventure Breaks
    • Foodie Breaks
      • Abergavenny Excellence
      • Beer and Boutique
      • 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
    • Dog Friendly Holidays
    • My Microgap
    • Seasonal Guides
      • Autumn: Leaf Peeping the Vibrant Colours
      • Spring
      • Winter: Cosy Escapes and Seasonal Delights
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  1. Bluebells in the Forest of Dean
  2. Autumn - Leaf Peeping Symonds Yat
  3. Winter Walks Icy Wye Valley

You are here: Inspiration > Seasonal Guides

Seasonal Guides

Some of the seasonal delights of the area include:

The Joys of Spring

Springtime is a favourite season to visit the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley, with the brilliant green of the new beech, and the spectacular colours of the bluebells and daffodils. The orchards turn pink and white with apple, pear and plum blossom, and you can smell a hint of blackthorn and elder from the hedges. Along the Severnside and among the Forest villages there are many old orchards with rare and local fruit trees including the Blakeney pear, Blaisdon red plum and Severn bank apple.

Delightful spring flowers in the Forest include wood anemone, celandine, dogs mercury, primrose and violet which bloom before the overhead foliage thickens. Plus of course the carpets of bluebells and wild garlic fill the woods with the scents of spring. We have one of the best displays of bluebells in the UK and April and May are wonderful times to visit and see this glorious sight. See our guide to nature and wildlife including spring flowers here.

The dawn chorus is a springtime joy too, with a huge range of birds singing in a cacophony. Swallows fill the skies, nests are built high in the trees and baby boar (humbugs) as well as deer (fawns) can be seen deep in the woods.

Summer Loving

Summer is when the trees are full of leaves and the area comes to life with colour and vitality. On hot days the forest canopy provides respite from the heat as it is always a few degrees cooler in the woods due to the number of trees. The days are long and you spend your days outside exploring and adventuring, canoe down the Wye, cycle through the forest or light a bbq and watch the sun go down over the hills.

Dark skies in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley are absolutely stunning too. With so much wide open space, deep forest and expansive countryside it's not hard to find a view of the night sky where it is so dark you can see the Milky Way crisp and clear.

Autumn Colours

Autumn is a spectacular time of year in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley when the trees display an array of reds, golds and yellows. Despite the importance of the conifers, almost half the trees in the Forest of Dean are deciduous including oak, beech, sweet chestnut and others. Larch - the only coniferous tree to lose its needles, also turns a magnificent russet-gold in October. This magnificent autumn foliage is the highlight of the season and can often be at its best at the end of October to the beginning of November.

Find out more in our guide to Leaf Peeping including our top ten spots for the best autumn colour and a driving route to see them all.

Winter Wonderland

Winter is the most wonderful time of the year for a woodland walk. The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle and reset with some time in nature. As winter settles over the land, the sight of frosty leaves and crisp sunshine creeping through the canopies might be just what Santa ordered. The woods are peaceful and serene, no crowds, loads of space and an ideal location if you really like some time away from everyday life. The changing forest is still full of life, with mistletoe and holly with its bright red berries in the trees, the birds and wildlife so much more visible and the low sun glowing through the woods. Don't let anyone tell you winter is a boring season, there is so much beauty out there.

See our guide to winter in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley here.

Find Out More:

If you are interested in birdwatching see our seasonal guide to which birds can be seen when in the Dean Wye here. 

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Find Your Freedom

  1. Spring: Get Back to Nature and the Great Outdoors
    Spring: Get Back to Nature and the Great Outdoors
    Longer and brighter days spent outside in nature... that's what spring is all about. Find your freedom in our ancient forest and wild river valley with our guide to the best things to see and do this spring.
  2. Autumn: Leaf Peeping the Vibrant Colours
    Autumn: Leaf Peeping the Vibrant Colours
    Follow our special Leaf Peeping Drive through sweeping countryside with river views across ancient woodland before delving deeper into 10 hotspots en route to enjoy breathtaking views, riverside walks, lakes and arboretums drenched in autumnal colour.
  3. Winter: Cosy Escapes and Seasonal Delights
    Winter: Cosy Escapes and Seasonal Delights
    Winter in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley is just as beautiful and inspiring as any other time of year. The low light and lack of leaves can create some breathtaking views through the trees and dramatic viewpoints open up even further. History and culture, food and drink, theatre, walks, adrenaline filled activities and more are ready for the taking. So what are you waiting for?

Explore Our Highlights

Whitemead Forest Park
Whitemead Forest Park - Cabins and Apartments
Benhall Farm Holidays
Benhall Farm Holidays
The Barn at Severn & Wye
The Barn at Severn & Wye - Cafe and Restaurant
Fish and Chips
Dining at Bells Hotel and Country Club
Greenacres Campsite
Greenacres Campsite
Puzzlewood
Puzzlewood
Tudor Farmhouse Cottage Garden
Tudor Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant
Pew Corner - Luxury Converted Chapel Chamber
Pew Corner - Luxury Converted Chapel Chamber
Bells Hotel and Country Club
Bells Hotel and Country Club
Whitemead Forest Park
Whitemead Forest Park - Camping & Caravans
Thatch Close Cottages - Bramble's Barn Mezzanine
Thatch Close Cottages
Borderlands Outdoor
Borderlands Outdoor
School Rooms - Luxury Converted Sunday School Rooms
School Rooms - Luxury Converted Sunday School Rooms
Hopewell Colliery
Hopewell Colliery, Museum and Cafe
Stand-up paddle boarding on The River Wye at Monmouth with www.inspire2adventure.com
Inspire2Adventure
Taurus Crafts
Taurus Crafts
The Barn at Severn & Wye
The Barn at Severn & Wye - Food Hall, Fish Market and Gift Shop
Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle
Cottage Garden at the Tudor Farmhouse
Tudor Farmhouse Hotel
Orchard Barn - Luxury Holiday Cottage with Hot Tub
Orchard Barn - Luxury Holiday Cottage with Hot Tub
Clearwell Caves
Clearwell Caves
Tintern Abbey
Tintern Abbey
Pedalabikeaway Cafe
Pedalabikeaway Cafe
Whitemead Forest Park
Whitemead Forest Park - Glamping Pods
PrevPrev
  • 1Whitemead Forest Park - Cabins and Apartments
  • 2Benhall Farm Holidays
  • 3The Barn at Severn & Wye - Cafe and Restaurant
  • 4Dining at Bells Hotel and Country Club
  • 5Greenacres Campsite
  • 6Puzzlewood
  • 7Tudor Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant
  • 8Pew Corner - Luxury Converted Chapel Chamber
  • 9Bells Hotel and Country Club
  • 10Whitemead Forest Park - Camping & Caravans
  • 11Thatch Close Cottages
  • 12Borderlands Outdoor
  • 13School Rooms - Luxury Converted Sunday School Rooms
  • 14Hopewell Colliery, Museum and Cafe
  • 15Inspire2Adventure
  • 16Taurus Crafts
  • 17The Barn at Severn & Wye - Food Hall, Fish Market and Gift Shop
  • 18Raglan Castle
  • 19Tudor Farmhouse Hotel
  • 20Orchard Barn - Luxury Holiday Cottage with Hot Tub
  • 21Clearwell Caves
  • 22Tintern Abbey
  • 23Pedalabikeaway Cafe
  • 24Whitemead Forest Park - Glamping Pods
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