There are places in England that are famous for being beautiful. The Cotswolds. The Lake District. The Peak District. Places that appear on every list, feature in every travel supplement and attract every visitor who’s ever searched “where to go in the UK.”
And then there’s the Forest of Dean.
Quietly extraordinary. Stubbornly underrated. The kind of place that people discover and wonder, usually out loud, why nobody told them about it sooner.
This year, the secret is officially out.
Officially One of England’s Best
Symonds Yat Rock and New Fancy have both been highlighted in a new Forestry England list of 12 forest viewpoints to visit over the coming year, with one recommended for each month.
For anyone who has stood at the top of Symonds Yat Rock and watched the River Wye bend through the gorge below, this recognition is long overdue. For anyone who hasn’t — it is all the reason you need to go.
Symonds Yat Rock, overlooking the winding River Wye, remains one of the most recognisable views in the region. The dramatic limestone outcrop offers sweeping views across the Wye Valley and has become increasingly well known after featuring in the Netflix series Sex Education — with Forestry England saying the viewpoint’s cinematic beauty has helped introduce new audiences to the Forest of Dean.
It is, by any measure, one of the great views of England. But it is also just the beginning of what the Forest of Dean has to offer.
What Symonds Yat Rock Actually Is
Symonds Yat Rock is a limestone outcrop that towers 500 feet above the River Wye, located near Symonds Yat village — a place split into two parts, Symonds Yat East and Symonds Yat West, by the river itself.
From the viewing platform — right on the cliff edge, safe and accessible to wheelchairs and all abilities, just a 5 to 10 minute walk from the café and car park — you look out over miles of Herefordshire, a massive S-bend of the River Wye, dramatic cliffs and sheer scale, at the same time as being somehow gentle and intimate with hedgerows, woods and lovely green fields.
It is, in other words, the kind of view that stops people in their tracks and keeps them there for longer than they planned.
Beyond its famous views, Symonds Yat Rock is also regarded as one of the best places in the country to spot peregrine falcons, which nest on the cliffs nearby. The site regularly attracts birdwatchers hoping to see birds of prey soaring above the valley, particularly during the spring and summer months.
New Fancy — The View Nobody Talks About Enough
The second Forest of Dean entry on the Forestry England list deserves equal attention.
New Fancy viewpoint provides a very different but equally striking perspective of the Forest. Sitting on the former site of New Fancy coal mine, the viewpoint looks out across a vast stretch of woodland and countryside, offering visitors a reminder of the area’s industrial heritage alongside its natural beauty. The site is popular with walkers, cyclists and families, with the nearby Family Cycle Trail, the Geomap illustrating the Forest’s geology, and the Roll of Honour sculpture all adding to its appeal.
Where Symonds Yat gives you drama and scale, New Fancy gives you perspective and contemplation. Together they represent the two faces of the Forest of Dean — the wild and the quietly profound.
What Else Is On the Doorstep
Symonds Yat Rock and New Fancy are the headliners. But the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley are a deep programme, not a headline act.
Puzzlewood — a real-life swathe of enchanted forest, used as a filming location for Star Wars, Doctor Who and Merlin — is the kind of place that doesn’t need explaining to children. You simply let them in and watch what happens.
Tintern Abbey — one of the most beautiful ruined buildings in Britain, sitting on the banks of the Wye just south of Symonds Yat, was the view that inspired Wordsworth’s most celebrated poem. It remains as quietly overwhelming today as it was in 1798.
The cycling trails — the Forest of Dean has one of the best mountain biking networks in England, with trails for every ability level. Hit the trails on an e-bike and in a single morning you can pedal to the mirror-smooth waters of Mallards Pike, where the water reflects the tips of the conifers.
The river — the Wye is one of England’s great rivers, and at Symonds Yat it is at its most dramatic. Kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding are all available locally, and the river swimming at Brockweir is one of those experiences that feels like a genuine privilege.
The pubs — there are pubs in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley that are, frankly, the reason people come back. The Boat Inn at Redbrook. The Ostrich at Newland. Proper pubs with proper fires and a completely relaxed attitude towards muddy boots and wet dogs.
When to Go
The Forest of Dean has no bad season — but late spring and early autumn are exceptional.
Late May brings the end of bluebell season and the full canopy coming in. The trails are green and the light through the trees is something that photographs can’t quite capture. Early autumn brings the oak and beech turning in colours that rival anywhere in the UK — the Forest is one of the great places in England for autumn colour, and the visitors who know this book their October trips months in advance.
Summer brings the longest days and the warmest river swimming. Winter brings frost on the woodland floor, fires in the pubs, and the particular pleasure of a January walk when the forest is yours almost entirely.
Stay Right Here
White Feather Management looks after 14 holiday let properties across the Forest of Dean, Wye Valley and Monmouthshire — many of them within minutes of Symonds Yat Rock, the River Wye and the trails that make this area so special.
If you’ve been inspired by the Forestry England recognition and you’d like to experience this corner of England properly — not as a day tripper but as someone who arrives, unpacks, breathes out and stays a while — we’d love to help you find the right property.
📞 07931 642142 📧 info@whitefeathermanagement.co.uk 🌐 www.whitefeathermanagement.co.uk