Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean was England's first national forest, and that history still shapes the place: mile after mile of oak and beech, criss-crossed with old tramways and quiet paths, sitting between the Wye Valley and the Severn. It's a working forest as much as a scenic one, and that gives it a different character to the more manicured countryside further south - wilder at the edges, dotted with small villages that grew up around mining and quarrying rather than tourism.

Self-catering is the way most people stay here, and the choice runs from cottages set right among the trees to apartments in the villages. Bramble Cottage and Honey Cottage sit as a pair for those travelling together, Chapel Hill Retreats offers Elm and Oak as separate bases, and places like Appletree Barn, Betula Views and Cider Press Cottage give a sense of the range - old barns and converted buildings, mostly small and self-contained, suited to couples or families wanting a quiet week rather than a resort experience. Bank House Apartment is a good option for those who'd rather be in a village than out among the trees.

The forest itself is the main draw, and Go Ape Forest of Dean lets you get into the canopy properly, with zip lines and rope courses strung between the trees for a few hours of doing something rather than just walking through it. Beyond that, the appeal is largely in the walking and cycling trails that lace the whole area, linking old sculpture trails, disused railway lines and viewpoints out over the valley.

What ties it together is the sense of being somewhere genuinely wooded rather than simply rural - the forest presses right up to the edges of the villages, and many of the cottages back directly onto it. For anyone wanting a break built around trees, trails and a slower rhythm, it's hard to think of an English destination that does it more completely.