Forest of Dean Hot Tub Lodge

In late June we stayed in a lodge in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. It was a luxury lodge, called the Wentworth, with a hot tub, 3 double bedrooms (can be a twin as well), 3 bathrooms and it certainly had the wow factor. One of the best we have stayed in over the years. The location was excellent, most attractions were with a 5 min drive and is set next to a golf course with a clubhouse and restaurant. There is so much to do and visit around the lodge, it easily kept us busy for a week plus we had some lovely relaxing time at the lodge as well. You can visit Puzzlewood, Beechenhurst, Symonds Yat Rock, kayaking, crazy golf plus plenty of walking, running and cycling trails through the forest. The Forest is free to enter, you just pay for Parking. Puzzlewood is the only chargeable attraction that we paid for (£9.50 per adult at the time of writing). You pay approx £4-8 for parking charges depending on how long you stay. We had pre-booked cycles a couple of months beforehand to pick up at the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre (5 mins drive from lodge) and followed the 9 mile Colliers Trail through the woods. It wasn't a difficult ride and is known as the family trail. We stopped off at Mallards Pike Lake which is a scenic spot with a cafe, toilet and benches to enjoy the view. It was a lovely sunny day and well worth a stop off. The next day we drove to Symonds Yat (approx 15 mins) to go kayaking down the River Wye, if you haven't kayaked before (or you can hire canoes) it's a great introduction as the water is calm. We visited Beechenhurst (5 min drive) as it has a Sculpture Trail you can follow through the forest. This is approx a 4 mile walk and you look out for sculptures which made it an interesting walk. Next day hopped over the border to Wales to Monmouth (15 min drive) and had a mooch around the town and visited the oldest medieval bridge in the UK. The next day we visited Puzzlewood (3 min drive). This is really very different, like a magical enchanted forest. Scenes from Star Wars were filmed here, we spent a couple of hours here, I'm not sure I have ever been anywhere quite like here before, pictures can't do it justice really, you have to feel it for yourself. We also went back to Symonds Yat Rock to do a couple of trails and it has an spectacular viewpoint of The River Wye. It was the cheapest summer UK break we have had. We would have spent the same amount on food shopping at home so apart from 1 meal out and a couple of entrance fees (Crazy Golf was £4pp) and parking that was it for us. I highly recommend this lodge and its location, it was perfect in every way. If you would like prices for the lodge then please do get in touch.