- Itineraries
- Sex Education Road Trip
TV & Film
A Sex Education Road Trip
A one-day Sex Education road trip through the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. Six filming locations, from Otis's house to Wintour's Leap and a river cruise.
About The Itinerary
Moordale doesn't exist, but you can drive round it in a day. This Sex Education road trip links six filming locations in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. It starts with coffee in the forest and finishes on the cliffs above the River Wye.
It's around 34 miles of driving from the first stop to the last, on roads that cross between England and Wales, so allow around eight hours with stops. In spring and autumn, that should put you at the last stop in good time for the sunset.
Opening times and sailings change with the seasons, so check each stop before you set off. For the story behind each location, read our guide to where Sex Education was filmed.
No car? Let someone else drive
Newnham Private Hire runs private half-day and full-day tours of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley by chauffeur-driven car. Tell them the places you want to see and they'll plan the day around them.
Itinerary Info
Duration:
8 Hours
Itinerary Schedule
Coffee and a steam railway
Start with coffee. Dean Forest Cycles in Parkend has a dog-friendly café open from 9am to 5pm, seven days a week, with homemade cakes and locally made pastries. They say their coffee is "rumoured to be the best coffee in the Forest of Dean". You can be the judge.
Then head to Parkend Station. The Dean Forest Railway and its Parkend station appeared in series 2, and steam and heritage diesel trains still run through the forest from Lydney. Trains don't run every day, so check the timetable if you want to see one pull in.
Jean's house from the river
This is the stop everyone comes for. The red and white house with the balcony over the river is The Chalet at Symonds Yat East, home to Otis and Jean in all four series. It's a private home, so please don't go knocking.
Park at Symonds Yat Rock and walk out to the viewpoint first, where the Wye loops through the gorge below you. Then take the waymarked path down through the woods to the river.
The best view of the house is from the water. Kingfisher Cruises board outside the Saracens Head Inn, with the Chalet on the slope above. Boats leave every hour from 11.30am to 4.30pm between March and the end of October, depending on the river and the weather. You pay on board, £12 for adults and £7 for children, and dogs are welcome. Ring ahead on the day to check your sailing.
It's a climb back up to the Rock, which makes lunch easier to justify. Symonds Yat Rock Cafe is run by the Coffee Cart Company and serves paninis, filled focaccias, sausage rolls and pasties. There's Italian gelato for afterwards. It closes at 4pm.
A bench with a view of the Wye
Leave Symonds Yat by the road down to the Wye at Redbrook. Redbrook Bridge crosses the river here and appears in the show more than once. From Redbrook, follow the A466 along the river and turn up the hill to St Briavels.
St Briavels Castle is where Jackson and his mum have their heart-to-heart in series 2, on a bench looking out over the Wye.
The castle was built in the early 12th century as a royal stronghold on the frontier with Wales. It's a youth hostel now, and you can walk round the moat for free at any reasonable time in daylight.
St Briavels is pronounced "Brevels", which is worth knowing before you ask anyone for directions.
The wooden bench used in the show is the one positioned furthest away from the castle gatehouse, which overlooks the scenic views toward Llandogo and the River Wye valley.
The village shop from series 1
From St Briavels the road drops back down to the Wye and crosses into Wales at Bigsweir Bridge. Llandogo is a short drive down the river.
Browns Village Stores, where Adam and Ola worked, closed in 2021 after 93 years in the same family. The site has had permission since August 2024 for new homes and a replacement shop. The shopfront from the show may be gone by the time you visit.
The bridge to school
Go to the abbey first, because last admission is half an hour before closing. Tintern Abbey is the one stop here that never appeared in Sex Education but is well worth a visit. Visitors have been coming to this stretch of the Wye to see it since the 18th century, so it has managed without. It's open from 9.30am to 5pm in September and October, with shorter hours in winter.
Then walk up the river to the Wireworks Bridge. Otis and Eric cycle over it to school in series 1 to 3. It's open to walkers and cyclists, with one end in England and the other in Wales. Brockweir Bridge, just north of Tintern, turns up in several scenes too.
Finish where Jackson and Cal sat
Save this one for the end of the day. Jackson and Cal sit on these cliffs in series 3, high above a horseshoe bend in the Wye with Wales on the far bank. The Lancaut and Wintour's Leap cliffs face west, so the sun goes down in front of you.
The name comes from Sir John Wintour, who is said to have ridden his horse over the edge in 1642 to escape the Parliamentarians. You can see why the story stuck once you've looked down.
Local tip: There's little roadside parking at the viewpoint. Use the small car park near Lancaut or walk in along the Offa's Dyke Path, and keep well back from the edge.
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