Forest of Dean wanderings

Dorm accommodation
in one of the round towers

Before heading off to spend a week walking, running & cycling on the North Exmoor (Somerset) coast, we spent a fantastic weekend in the Forest of Dean celebrating friends joint 50th birthday. They had hired the hostel St Briavels Castle, which was once a hunting lodge for King John. Although a youth hostel it is also managed by English Heritage so the grounds can be visited, but you need to stay at the hostel to see its interior.

St Briavels Castle

A very hilly area for running, but I managed an easy pace run on Saturday before we all headed off for a group 8 mile wander through the countryside. With such a large group this was always going to be a challenge and there were several interesting points en-route where no one seemed to know where the route was. Or rather there were differences of opinion, nevertheless we all completed the route and found a communal space to have our lunch. An enjoyable walk in the warm sunshine.  

A quick afternoon visit to meet our niece who is visiting from Vietnam, where she is working, saw us enjoy the afternoon sun at the Old Ferry Inn. Lots of people on the river, where a large part of our group would be heading on Sunday. The evening was spent drinking, chatting and listening to the Jazz band.

Sunday a group of 10 hardy cyclists prepared to set off for a 50 mile ride. However, by the time we actually got into the saddle this was whittled down to just four of us! Nevertheless, we set off with high hopes until the rain had completely soaked us. Time for an early coffee stop in Tintern, where despite the return of the sun the consensus was to return. A hilly return left me waiting for the others where I ended up chatting to a lady sitting on her garden wall. It turned out she was a previous youth hostel warden at Knighton (now closed it seems). She had lots of interesting stories about the old days. After awhile I cycled back to find the others finishing repairs to one of the bikes.

The weekend finished with a relaxing time at The George Inn, with a drink and a pint while the sun shone down on us. Next stop Selworthy & Exmoor National Park.