The Forest of Dean

A long weekend to explore the Forest of Dean in exceptional March weather. We were up at first light and in the field all day and continued after dinner for evening drives to see the elusive Wild Boar. Superb views of Hawfinch, Firecrest and Goshawk amongst the best highlights. The guide provided was local and excellent.

On our first morning, before breakfast, we saw 19 hawfinches - amazing! It was nice that all the locations were close to the hotel, so time in the minibus were kept to a minimum. It was also interesting to go out in the evening to look for mammals and owls.

I spent a great two days discovering the wildlife of the Forest of Dean. With the weather favourable and an excellent guide leading, we tracked down around 70 bird species including at least 10 I’d not previously seen. Our base was ideally located and enabled quick access to several varied and often spectacular sites. We packed an awful lot in, but were never rushed and this allowed a fuller appreciation of both the area and its abundant wildlife. This was quite a demanding couple of days, but extremely enjoyable. Naturetrek provided first class pre tour information. Booking was very straightforward and everything ran very smoothly in the field. Accommodation provided was of a high standard. Food was very good. Restricting the group number to 8 also enhanced the overall enjoyment.

The holiday from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon was for a group of 8, guided by a bird and wildlife expert. With a 7am start to an evening drive finishing at 11pm, we walked or drove to many different habitats in the Forest of Dean searching for birds and other wildlife. The 60 species of bird and 5 species of mammal sighted, discussed and recorded will be a lasting memory, with scarce birds such as Goshawk, Hawfinch and Brambling being most notable. Naturetrek is a long established tour operator focusing on wildlife worldwide. Comfort and safety for guests is paramount, while the wildlife and their habitats are treated with care and respect.

Chis Griffin our guide was excellent. He has a marvellous sense of humour, great enthusiasm, fantastic knowledge of birds and their calls and was most helpful towards all members of group making sure everyone was able to see all the species we came across at some point. Our group was all so friendly, we gelled straight away and with Chris as our guide this made the trip so exciting, fun and memorable. I would highly recommend the trip to other people. B.C. Hampshire

Lovely hotel and good food. Saw lots of wildlife, the highlights being a family of wild boar, a great grey shrike, and peregrines and little owls at Symonds Yat. Our leader, Tom, was knowledgeable and helpful, and took us to a number of different habitats around the Forest. An excellent holiday which we are hoping to repeat in the future.

A very enjoyable weekend in the Forest of Dean looking for target bird species and mammals of the area. The tour leaders were excellent and worked hard to secure superb sightings of crossbill, hawfinch and goshawk as well as other bird species. Excitement was experienced by those intrepid nighttime explorers who wished to see wild boar and again the tour leaders ensured that there was no disappointment. A large and fierce looking boar was seen within minutes. Later in the evening, under a moonlit sky, a family group of approximately eight members was seen by the road side eating swedes. Torch light assisted the viewing as the group scampered away. Other mammals of the area included fallow deer and rodents.

Like entering a different world, we took time to listen and look and enjoy the world around us. Guided to many different birds, their habits in flight and choice of trees or other habitat were clearly explained so our knowledge base grew. Travelling as a small group to wooded glades, lakes, a meandering stream and much more, our guide gave us the space to explore and the direction needed to make the most of each moment. Combined with being amply fed and rested in ideal hotel accommodation when we returned home we felt very blessed to have enjoyed such a special weekend away. Memories of the song thrush and siskin we saw and heard are especially precious.

It was a wonderful weekend in the Forest of Dean. Guided by Tom and Greg we saw about 50 different types of birds, some of which are quite rare, and also wild boar and deer. It opened up a whole new world for me as a newcomer to birding. We saw a great grey shrike sat on a tree, swooping down and picking up food for its 'larder', and good sightings of goshawks and peregrine. Tom especially was a very considerate and attentive guide, who made sure that everyone had sightings through the scope. The enthusiasm of the guides was infectious and added to our enjoyment of the experience. The weekend was relaxed, informal, the guides were very knowledgeable, the people on the course were very nice and friendly, and the hotel was comfortable and welcoming.

A holiday with modest ambitions... simply a weekend birdwatching in the Forest of Dean... turned into a glorious weekend of birding because of our guide's skills.

A small group [12] on a 2 day holiday in the Forest of Dean in a comfortable hotel We were led by 2 expert Ornithologists who knew the area. Many unusual birds seen including a close view of Crossbills feeding on larch cones. We were lucky late on a warm evening waiting on a clearing of the Forest till well after dusk to hear and then see Nightjars. A first for me. Then the most unusual and fantastic finale to the evening was a loud repetitive cry. This would be around 11 o'clock, in the pitch dark stumbling over tree roots with the help of a torch. The leaders gathered the group and went to look with the torch found a fluffy baby Tawny Owl on high up in a pine tree. WHILE WE WAITED THE MOTHER FLEW in and FED it. An entirely nocturnal happening which we were privileged to see.

A birdwatching weekend based at the Speech House. A lovely place to stay; excellent food and accommodation and also convenient for the sites to be visited. Places visited included Symmonds Yat and Cannons Ponds. Birds seen included the Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, Sparrow Hawk, Mandarin Ducks, Crossbills, Marsh Tits and flocks of Hawfinches, Redpolls and Siskins as well as many commoner species. We had a good leader who was very knowledgeable. All in all a very good weekend.

Utterly brilliant leaders. Marcus was superb and so was Greg. It's the best Naturetrek trip I've ever been on. The Forest of Dean is magical.

Good variety of habitats. Level of information given was excellent -not too much detail unless requested. Very good introduction talk. Leaders worked well with hotel staff and position of the hotel in the forest was excellent.

Good flexible itinerary and good mix of sites. Pleased to have reasonable amount of walking and not just getting in and out of vehicle. The leaders complimented each other well and worked well with the group.