Forest Holidays - Forest of Dean Treehouse getaway
A beautiful getaway in the Forest of Dean, courtesy of a "cabin" in the woods.
We love Forest Holidays for their family-friendly, woodland retreat-style getaways. A blend they achieve through lovely accommodation, family activities and a relaxed vibe.
The cabins themselves are spaced out - dotted across beautiful woodland and generally not too overlooked, or at least spaced out so that it never feels too crowded. You feel hidden away in the woods, but not too hidden away!
Inside the cabins - we all love how spacious, clean, and bright they are
The cabins are open plan, spacious and have floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room which overlook woodland and (our highlight) your own hot tub. Dogs are welcome too.
There are different sizes and styles of accommodation - some have a wood burner, perfect in colder weather, and to add to the woodland-hideaway vibe.
We stayed at Forest Holidays lots when our oldest daughter was little and have many fond memories of escaping to ‘the treehouse’ as she would call it and looking out for Winnie the Pooh or The Gruffalo in the woods.
There are lots of venues - The Snowdonia one (Beddgelert) was the most idyllic (but for us too far of a drive to visit again any time soon) - sheep and bunny rabbits roam the grounds. The Welsh Highland Railway runs through the site, and it even has its own train station, Meillionen, where a steam train can transport you to the pretty coastal towns of Caernarvon and Porthmadog, as well as Beddgelert. You can even order lunch on the trip.
We’ve also stayed at Blackwood Forest and Thorpe Forest.
The lovely thing with staying at any of Forest Holidays’ venues is that you know they will all be a really high standard.
Forest Of Dean
When we used to go during the week, during term time, it used to be a lot cheaper! This time we managed to get a last-minute deal (it’s worth signing up for their newsletter as they email discount codes) over the February half term, as our children had an inset day.
We stayed at the Forest of Dean in a Silver Birch cabin. You can check in from 4, and check out is at 10 - you can upgrade to check in earlier or later.
When you arrive (at any of their sites), you can park up at reception and one of you can just jump out to check in, grab the key, and a map and find out your cabin number (you can select your cabin in advance by paying a bit more).
Our accommodation is all on one floor and all the cabins - thanks to the large windows - are lovely and light. The kids love the fun touches - like spotting the model snails slithering across the top of the wall, and the pre-made stick dens dotted around the woods.
We opted for purely self-catering with no frills this time, but you can add on lots of treats - takeaways, massages and film packages.
Forest Holidays differs from Centre Parks and Bluestone in that it doesn’t have a swimming pool, soft play or any big central activities. But that’s also one of the things we love about it, as we prefer the more low-key, hideaway feel. There are, however, lots of activities to choose from - generally geared towards older children - such as archery, bike hire and bushcraft workshops - the checkpoint cafe also offers pottery painting. This time around, we tried the checkpoint game
Checkpoint game
This was one of our highlights. It was £25 and framed as an outdoor Escape room for the whole family. It felt like a fun treasure hunt/orienteering, and we all loved it.
We ended up donning wellies and anoraks and stomping out in the pouring rain and wind, but it was a hit despite this. We managed to walk around and find all the checkpoints within the time limit, albeit with a slightly soggy map.
It’s interactive, and you need a phone to get clues and enter your answers. Each checkpoint has a riddle, game, puzzle or spot-the-difference activity to complete, and it really was a team effort.
For one of the checkpoints, we spent 15 frustrating minutes trying to find it - we could see it on the map but not in real life. Finally, when we were about to admit defeat, our 8-year-old spotted it (without giving it away - it was at his eye level.)
Local attractions
There are a lot of places nearby that are worth a visit. This time round, we headed to Puzzlewood and Symonds Yat and would highly recommend both sites.
Puzzlewood
Puzzlewood is a picturesque and ancient woodland with deep ravines, moss-covered rocks, and ancient trees. It’s also classified as a rare and temperate rainforest!
The kids loved wandering around the winding maze-like paths. There’s over a mile and a half of paths. Yes, paying to go into a wood feels a bit strange, but I promise it’s worth it. It’s beautiful, interesting and feels like you are stepping into a fairytale forest - it has been used as the backdrop in films such as Harry Potter and Star Wars.
Puzzlewood is one of my favourite woods in the UK
Unfortunately, Puzzlewood is not accessible for children's pushchairs,
mobility aids, or wheelchairs due to narrow pathways and uneven and slippery steps.
Symonds Yat Rock
We drove to the car park on a sunny but cold Monday morning (the inset day), so it was lovely and quiet. It was refreshing in that you drive to the top, and after a short stroll, you are instantly rewarded with stunning views over the Wye Valley. Keep an eye out for peregrine falcons, buzzards and sparrowhawks too. You can then opt to walk down a steep path, which was less fun climbing back up.
The cafe is amazing! An unexpected treat - the food on offer, loads of vegetarian and vegan options and chai and turmeric lattes. The Symonds Yat Rock Cafe was originally built in 1956 in readiness for the Queen’s visit the following year!
