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  • Stay
    • Accessible Accommodation
    • Bed & Breakfasts
    • Camping
    • Caravans, Campervans & Holiday Parks
    • Glamping, Lodges & Cabins
    • Holiday Cottages
    • Hostels & Bunkhouses
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      • 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
    • 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
    • Shopping
      • Local Food & Drink
      • Farm Shops & Delis
      • Towns & Villages
      • Online Gift Guide
    • Wellbeing & Spa
  • 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
      • Fascinating Facts
      • Hidden Heritage
      • Agincourt
      • Myths & Legends
    • 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
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      • Lydney
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      • Ross-on-Wye
  • Inspiration
    • My Microgap
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    • 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
    • Seasons
      • Autumn: Leaf Peeping the Vibrant Colours
      • Winter: Cosy Escapes and Seasonal Delights
    • Viewpoints & Sights
  • Offers
  1. Autumn - Leaf Peeping Symonds Yat
  2. Winter Walks Icy Wye Valley
  3. Bluebells in the Forest of Dean

You are here: Inspiration > Seasons

Seasons

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.

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.

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

See our guide to nature and wildlife including spring flowers here.

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Find Your Freedom

  1. Spring: Nature's Wonder and Outdoor Adventures
    Spring: Nature's Wonder and Outdoor Adventures
    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, adrenaline filled activities and more are ready for the taking. So what are you waiting for?

Explore Our Highlights

The Dairy at Gage Farm
The Dairy at Gage Farm
Humble-by-Nature-Cider-Making
CIDER MAKING
Whitehill Farm Cottage
Whitehill Farm Cottage
DRY STONE WALLING: 1 DAY INTRODUCTION at Humble by Nature
DRY STONE WALLING: 2 DAY FUNDAMENTALS
Ed Drewitt - naturalist, author and wildlife detective
Wildlife Safari
Enjoy Evening Steam Train Fish & Chip Supper on Dean Forest Railway
Evening Steam Train Fish & Chip Supper
Humble-by-Nature-Cooking-on-a-wood-fired-oven-David-basting-fish-in-oven-small
COOKING ON A WOOD-FIRED OVEN
SMALLHOLDING FOR BEGINNERS at Humble by Nature
SMALLHOLDING FOR BEGINNERS
Forest Holidays: Forest of Dean Cabins
Forest Holidays: Forest of Dean Cabins
WILLOW GARDEN STRUCTURES at Humble by Nature
WILLOW GARDEN STRUCTURES
LEARN TO PLANT DYE YARN at Humble by Nature
LEARN TO PLANT DYE YARN
Warehouse 701
Warehouse 701
Wye Adventures
Wye Adventures
Cowshed Cottage
Cowshed Cottage
Scuba Diving at the National Diving & Activity Centre
The National Diving and Activity Centre
SHEEP FOR BEGINNERS at Humble by Nature
SHEEP FOR BEGINNERS
PASTA MAKING at Harts Barn Cookery School
PASTA MAKING
Tudor Farmhouse Cottage Garden
Tudor Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant
Forest Barn Falconry
Forest Barn Falconry
RESTAURANT FAVOURITES – INDIAN TAKEAWAY SPECIALS at Harts Barn Cookery School
RESTAURANT FAVOURITES – INDIAN TAKEAWAY SPECIALS
GOATS FOR BEGINNERS at Humble by Nature
GOATS FOR BEGINNERS
Stay at Lydney Park Estate
Stay at Lydney Park Estate
Canoe the Wye
Canoe the Wye
SRI LANKAN COOKERY at Harts Barn Cookery School
SRI LANKAN COOKERY
PrevPrev
  • 1The Dairy at Gage Farm
  • 2CIDER MAKING
  • 3Whitehill Farm Cottage
  • 4DRY STONE WALLING: 2 DAY FUNDAMENTALS
  • 5Wildlife Safari
  • 6Evening Steam Train Fish & Chip Supper
  • 7COOKING ON A WOOD-FIRED OVEN
  • 8SMALLHOLDING FOR BEGINNERS
  • 9Forest Holidays: Forest of Dean Cabins
  • 10WILLOW GARDEN STRUCTURES
  • 11LEARN TO PLANT DYE YARN
  • 12Warehouse 701
  • 13Wye Adventures
  • 14Cowshed Cottage
  • 15The National Diving and Activity Centre
  • 16SHEEP FOR BEGINNERS
  • 17PASTA MAKING
  • 18Tudor Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant
  • 19Forest Barn Falconry
  • 20RESTAURANT FAVOURITES – INDIAN TAKEAWAY SPECIALS
  • 21GOATS FOR BEGINNERS
  • 22Stay at Lydney Park Estate
  • 23Canoe the Wye
  • 24SRI LANKAN COOKERY
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