Forest of Dean (DUW)

Hey everyone

I took a trip to the Forest of Dean (although it wasn't the 'true' Forest of Dean, it was a very large wood on the outskirts, we chose that spot because it's part of a valley of a tributary of the river Severn) today with my Dad. I hadn't seen him for about three months so we decided to do something a little different.

We cycled for about 20 miles, taking pictures as we went, until we got to Symonds Yat (small village along the river). We then climbed the valley sides (there's a series of steps) so we could get to Symonds Yat Rock (which is the viewpoint where I got most of the shots of the valley). I hope you appreciate the effort it took to get these pictures: my Dad made me carry the bikes on my shoulders along with my camera case for the entire climb (he said it was good training... *insert word of choice here* LOL).

We then cycled back down on a small road which led back to the village, and had some lunch. Then we cycled back to the car (which was on a plateau, only accessible by a really steep dirt track... nightmare to cycle up).

Oh and no, Dean, the forest is NOT named after you :grin01:

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures.

All the best

David

And the next set:

I really like how the trees grow right down to the water. Pretty scenery.

The last ones:

Great shots! What a beautiful area. I've never been to the UK, so it always surprises me when I see photos of some of the "wilds". I always picture the British countryside areas to be pastoral, but well-manicured. I guess it's not all "Hobbiton". :grin01:

Roy Munson said:

. I always picture the British countryside areas to be pastoral, but well-manicured. I guess it's not all "Hobbiton".

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Some bits are...We keep them for the tourists:grin01:......
Nice set of pics Dave, I used to drive through there every morning and every evening for 5 weeks last summer, it was 'hard'....

Thank you Steph! It reminds me of the Amazon or the Congo.

Cheers Dean, there's still a fair amount of 'wilds' left, especially in Wales and Scotland, but if you know where to look in England, you can find some beautiful places. Britain was once almost exclusively forest... ah well, that's what well over a 1,000 years and the Industrial Revolution does to a country :grin01:

As I said, that was only a small chunk of it, the true forest is huge. But we wanted to get some water shots too. The pub we had lunch at was over 500 years old :grin01:

Thanks Mike, I bet that was a really arduous journey, wasn't it?

I'm glad you all liked 'em.

Those are such beautiful shots, Dave! And look at you!!! You and your father are both very handsome, and you look so much like him!

Don't forget, when I come over there to visit my family, I'm going to look you up!

I haven't been all over the US, but I've certainly never seen a place that compares in beauty. Thanks for sharing.

LBoz said:

Those are such beautiful shots, Dave! And look at you!!! You and your father are both very handsome, and you look so much like him!

Don't forget, when I come over there to visit my family, I'm going to look you up!

I haven't been all over the US, but I've certainly never seen a place that compares in beauty. Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks Lori! I appreciate that (haven't worked out whether I'm happy or not that I look like my Dad, LOL).

No problem, it'd be lovely to meet another forum member

Really? The US has loads of beautiful places, and it's much more sparsely populated (generally) than the UK due to its sheer size. But I'm glad you enjoyed them, I had a nice day.

Wow, gorgeous! Looks like a wonderful ride.

Nanci said:

Wow, gorgeous! Looks like a wonderful ride.

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Thanks Nanci, you're big on cycling, aren't you?

The main forest has a brilliant cycle route apparently, it goes in an undulating circle all the way through the forest and around the lakes.

Hey Snake dave

Thanks for sharing your pictures. When I look at them they put a warmth in me. If you understand that?? I really like the trail and hillside shots.
Keep them coming.
Also, do you ever see any snake in your travels???

Thanks again for the warmth.

Lennycorn said:

Hey Snake dave

Thanks for sharing your pictures. When I look at them they put a warmth in me. If you understand that?? I really like the trail and hillside shots.
Keep them coming.
Also, do you ever see any snake in your travels???

Thanks again for the warmth.

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You're very welcome Lenny, I'm glad that I brightened and warmed up your day.

I saw three snakes today, one adder (woot!) And two grass snakes. However, because we were cycling, by the time I'd stopped, opened my camera case and turned the camera on, and then got close enough because I don't have a telephoto lens, they were gone, LOL. They were lovely to see though. I also saw lots of squirrels, birds, a dead badger on the side of the road (still counts, right?) and a fox (odd to be up at this time, but I'm not complaining, LOL.) Again, the reasons for not having pictures of those are the same as for the snakes. I really wish I could afford a telephoto lens.

Great photoshoot, Dave. Seeing the grass snakes and adder must have been brilliant.

Breathtaking photos. Thanks for sharing.

Blows me away Dave. Would love to see it myself someday.

Some lovely shots Dave! Glad you and your dad had a nice day out.

Thank you all!

Janine, it was amazing, yes. I've seen a grass snake before in my garden, but never an adder. Even my dad thought it was cool, and he's not really an animal person.

I'm glad you liked them Wade, you should come whenever you get the chance! It'd be great to see you over here.

Thanks Elle, I see him less and less these days, so it's nice to have a few days here and there that are really special.

Thanks for sharing those wonderful pictures with us Dave. I would love to be able to go to england someday and see forests like that in person. Your very lucky to live in an area like that. Glad you had a great day with your dad and were able to see a good array of wildlife.