Dog Friendly Holidays Forest Of Dean – Nestled under the protective canopy of ancient oak woodland or set in open meadows at the edge of the forest, our Forest of Dean cabins offer an escape from everyday life in one of the UK’s most incredible woodlands.
Seek privacy under the protective canopy of the forest or enjoy the freedom of bright open meadows: the cabins blend perfectly with their forest surroundings and provide a natural retreat after the day’s activities. From cozy one-bedroom cabins to spacious five-bedroom Golden Oak Treehouses for short or long stays, you can perfectly fit your group’s needs.
Dog Friendly Holidays Forest Of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a timeless landscape of woods, rivers, hills and valleys, ideal for outdoor activities from walking and trekking to canoeing and cycling. Take days to explore enchanted forests, underground caves, craft centers, steam railways and cathedral cities.
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We have a team of scouts who scout each location either by filling out a questionnaire over the phone or visiting in person. Guest blog post by Jill Travers who visited the Forest of Dean with her husband Pete and their beloved Labrador Winnie while staying at Forest Holidays Pet Friendly Log Cabin.
In November 2019, we took Winnie, our two-year-old chocolate lab, on her first real vacation. We chose Forest Holidays because we had stayed in Sherwood Pines before and knew it was dog friendly, but since it would be Winnie’s first time in an unfamiliar environment, we decided to stay home. We chose a closer place: Forest. Dean.
Holiday Cottages With Hot Tubs In Forest Of Dean
After doing a little research, we found plenty of hiking spots in the forest, all within a 15-minute drive of the site (though you can walk out of the cabin and be right in the forest, so you can find all sorts of spots). track here too!)
Our last bush holiday was for our honeymoon so we went to a premium Golden Oak lodge but this time we wanted somewhere comfortable but not necessarily a premium lodge so we chose Silver Birch. This cabin still has a hot tub but does not have a wood stove or extra towels for use in the hot tub, but the cabin was for 4 people so we used the spare towels for the bedroom.
We managed to book the holiday while the discount code was on during the January sales, so Vinnie didn’t have to spend anything extra (usually £15 per night for a dog). When searching for cabins on the website, make sure they say “pet friendly” as the results will show cabins that do not allow pets. We chose a weekday break (Monday to Friday).
At the end of the holiday we decided to take Winnie to see some wildlife at the Cotswold Wildlife Park – as we were much closer than if we had driven from home.
Staying In A Log Cabin In The Forest Of Dean
We arrived at our warm and cozy wooden cabin for check-in at 4:00 pm (they offer early check-in for an additional fee, but we decided against it as it only meant 2 people per cabin for an hour of extra time).
On arrival we took Winnie to her cabin before unloading the car – she was so excited by the new surroundings and smells that she went ahead in our search!
The deck area is fenced and divided into 2 sections – on the upper deck there is an outdoor table and chairs, as well as a place for a one-time barbecue, the lower deck is fenced, as there is also a hot tub. There is a second gate in the hot tub area for access to the hot tub that staff may check daily, but make sure they are securely tied before allowing the dogs to explore, as our door was not completely closed while I didn’t check on her (stupid dog mom in action!).
Very kindly, the team at Forest Holidays left Winnie with a big beauty and some biodegradable poo bags! (She liked the cookies better than the bags, but we appreciated them!) We found Winnie’s bed, some toys, and some food to help her relax.
Golden Oak Treehouse
Tip: You can place the poop bags in the brown bin outside the lodge or take them to one of the on-site dog bins for proper disposal – we collected them for a day or two and then picked them up. When we were on our way to our adventure.
Winnie didn’t like us staying in the hot tub separately from her the first night, but the next night some yoghurt and canned sardines frozen in her toy snake soon calmed her down.
We made sure to ask for a bath mat for Vinny when we arrived as bath and shower surfaces are very slippery and we always place him on a bath mat when bathing at home so he can rest.
Lots of new noises during the night (mainly owls and pigeons) meant Vinny didn’t sleep well and I woke up very tired. The bed was a king rather than our usual super king, which meant that Winnie was quite uncomfortable as she usually lay next to us in our king size bed.
Forest Of Dean Holiday Cottages
Winnie also had a little trouble getting used to the shiny wooden floor, so she was a little nervous getting out of the sofa and bed due to the slipperiness.
However, we woke up to a beautiful fresh day and decided to go for our first proper walk.
Forest Holidays is self catering however there is a restaurant on site (located in the Forest of Dean reception building) which serves breakfast/lunch/dinner and hot meals can be delivered to your cabin!
We went to Beechenhurst Lodge to try out the sculpture trail – the entire trail is about 4.5 miles long (if you’re good at trail maintenance) so we covered just over 6 miles in about 3 hours because we had to turn back. Go anywhere and go off-road into deep mud and follow Winnie as she leads the way!
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The fall colors were amazing! Most of the course has gravel paths so it is quite accessible, but due to the time of year some areas were quite muddy – so if you have mobility issues or intend to use a pram, yes, I would wait a few days after the rain. I’ll try it this way. Some paths overlap with cycle paths, so watch out for cyclists.
Winnie had a great time in the fresh water creek, which we were very happy about, until she rolled down the muddy slope! We have already planned to return for a day trip and explore the forest in the spring/summer.
Back in the cabin, Winnie went straight into the bath to take a shower, then turned the heated floor on high to dry and we took the opportunity to spend some more time in the hot tub while she napped!
We woke up to a cold and rainy day, so we decided to have a lazy day!
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After yesterday’s walk and a long stay in the cold air; Vinnie slept much better and settled into his cabin. Make friends with the staff checking the hot tub – it was so fun to watch them work!
We took full advantage of the entertainment package offered by Forest Holidays, spending the day on the sofa and watching a few films.
We stopped for lunch at The Woodman Inn pub in Parkend – very dog friendly, free treats in the bar (some locals gave Winnie as a gift for being such a good girl) and some new Labrador friends! Of course, Winnie was also on vacation, so she had sausage for lunch!
Back at the cabin, we decided to watch a movie with some hot chocolate – we quickly discovered that Vinnie *loved* the buttercream we made for the hot chocolate topping!
Forest Holidays: Forest Of Dean Cabins
Our last full day was spent on a few short walks to explore more of the local Forestry Commission sites. We were lucky enough to choose autumn as our holiday season because the forest was magnificent. It was the week after half term so the places we visited were sparsely populated – I expected them to be very busy during the school holidays.
First on the agenda: Mallards Pike Lake. The accessible boardwalk runs around the lake, but there are jogging tracks in the surrounding forest if you want to explore further.
Winnie doesn’t usually jump into water, she prefers water that she can get into.
