The best dog walks in the Forest of Dean, graded by muddy paws
We live on the southern edge of the Forest of Dean, at Aylburton near Lydney, and we walk dogs here every day of the year. Over time we have built up a list of nineteen walks that we hand to guests when they arrive, each one rated for how far it is from the door, how long it takes, how hard it is and, most usefully, how muddy your dog will be at the end of it.
That last rating matters. The Forest is ancient woodland on clay and old mine workings, and after rain its best paths turn to bog. One paw means mostly dry and a quick wipe. Two paws means muddy feet, so bring the towel. Three paws means a proper Forest of Dean adventure, and your dog will need the wash station when you get back. Ours is free, with a stainless steel tub, shower hoses and a blow drier.
Walks from the door
Before the car comes out, there is the lane. Chapel Hill runs down from the stables to The Cross at Aylburton, the village pub, a short walk down and a steeper one back. Taurus Crafts is about half a mile away and Lydney about a mile. Dogs go on the lead for the driveway, and off it again in their own paddock when you get home.
The Forest proper is a drive of fifteen to twenty minutes. Worth saying plainly: "walks from the door" and "the Forest on the doorstep" are both true, but they are not the same walk.
One paw: the easy ones
Lydney Harbour and canal. Five minutes by car. Thirty to ninety minutes, flat, with the Severn estuary on one side and the old canal on the other. There is a cafe and a pub nearby. This is the one we send guests with senior dogs to, and the one for an evening stroll when nobody wants a hill.
Lydney boating lake. Five minutes away. Twenty to forty-five minutes. Good for puppies and quick walks, with a cafe close by.
Two paws: towel in the boot
Mallards Pike. Fifteen minutes away, and the one everybody comes back talking about. Anything from thirty minutes round the lake to three hours into the surrounding woods. The lakeside path is fully surfaced, so it works for wheels as well as paws. Forestry England says dogs are welcome and there is a dog dip area on the far side of the lake if yours likes a swim. The cafe is dog friendly too. Take your litter home with you: there are no general bins, only dog-waste bins for bagged waste.
Beechenhurst and the Sculpture Trail. Twenty minutes away. Forty-five minutes to two hours following winding paths between sculptures that have been placed in the trees since 1986, some permanent, some passing through. Dogs are allowed on the trail. There is a cafe and a map on sale at the information point.
Cannop Ponds. Fifteen minutes. Thirty to sixty minutes around two reservoirs dug in the 1820s to drive a waterwheel at Parkend ironworks. Trails circle the water and it is a quiet spot for wildlife. Swimming is not allowed for people or dogs here, so save the paddle for Mallards Pike or the Wye.
Whitecroft to Whitemead. Ten minutes. One to two hours of peaceful woodland, with a pub on the route.
Nagshead nature reserve. Ten minutes. Forty-five to ninety minutes on two waymarked loops. This is an RSPB reserve and dogs must be on a short lead at all times, which suits a calm walker and a birdwatcher. The bluebells here in spring are the best we know.
New Fancy View and Blaize Bailey. Both twenty minutes away, both thirty to ninety minutes, both chosen for the view rather than the distance. New Fancy is the one for sunrise and sunset. Blaize Bailey looks out over the Severn and is a good picnic stop.
River Wye trails. About half an hour away. One to four hours along the river, and the walk we recommend for dogs who love water, because the swimming is real. Cafes and pubs along the way.
Hewelsfield. Twenty minutes. Two to three hours of quieter countryside, with a pub.
Three paws: book the wash station
Russell's Inclosure. Twenty minutes. One to three hours of quieter woodland for active dogs, and it gets properly muddy.
Symonds Yat Rock. Half an hour. One to five hours depending on how far down you go. The rock itself is a clifftop viewpoint high above the River Wye and one of the best places in the country to watch peregrine falcons. Waymarked trails run down to the river and across Biblins bridge. There is a log cabin cafe at the top. Forestry England asks you to keep dogs close and in sight here so they stay on the official trails.
Devil's Pulpit, Tintern. Half an hour. Two to three hours for experienced walkers, with the river and the abbey below you.
Cadora Woods. Twenty-five minutes. One to two hours, wildflowers in spring, a stream for paws, and quieter than the honeypots.
St Briavels circular. Twenty minutes. Two to four hours of the full countryside mix, with the river, a cafe and a pub.
Brockweir circular. Half an hour. Three to five hours, river included, for serious walkers and dogs with stamina to match.
High Meadow Woods. Twenty-five minutes. Two to four hours of woodland hiking, with no cafe and no pub, so pack for it.
The full circuit. Fifteen minutes to the start. Four to six hours and a full day out. Optional swims, cafes and pubs on the way round, and a dog that sleeps all evening.
The Forest in each season
Spring brings bluebells, at Nagshead and across the woodland, on paths that can be soft after rain. In summer, walk early or late and let the Wye do the cooling. Autumn is arguably the most beautiful time to be here, but fallen leaves make paths slippery and the trails muddier. Winter walks are peaceful and much quieter: waterproof boots, and the dog's towel.
A few things Forestry England asks
Forestry England's dog code is short. Keep your dog close and in sight, on a lead if they do not always come back when called. Stop them going up to or chasing people or animals. Bag the poo and bin it or take it home. Follow the signs, and take care around bikes and horses. Where a walk crosses farmland, the local advice is a short lead, no more than two metres, near sheep or cattle.
The Forest is also home to wild boar. We have written about them separately, but the short version is the dog code again: keep your dog close, and if you see boar, lead on and give them room.
And then the wash
Every walk on this list ends the same way: the gates close behind the car, the dog goes into the paddock while the kettle goes on, and the muddy one gets a warm wash and a blow dry before anyone sits on the sofa. The full nineteen-walk sheet is in your welcome pack when you arrive.