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A fantastic insight in to the varied scenery and wildlife present in the Forest of Dean. We packed so much in to the three days and saw so much beautiful scenery and wildlife. I have travelled many times with Naturetrek and can't fault them. Everyone in the UK office is friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable and the overseas tour guides have exceptional knowledge of their area of the world.
E.F. Surrey, May 22
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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The Forest of Dean in Spring
Tour Code: GBR75A 3-day break focusing on the birdlife and other natural history of the beautiful Forest of Dean in late spring.
3 days
from
£455 (land only)
£455 (land only)
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
The Forest of Dean covers an area of about 100 square kilometres and is England’s second largest expanse of ancient woodland. From our comfortable hotel base in the heart of the forest, we will make daily walks exploring the surrounding trails during the day, and on one evening head out in search of Wild Boar! In May and June the woodlands are home to Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Redstarts and Wood Warblers along with many other species. We’ll look for these and visit a clearing at dusk to look - and listen for - Nightjars.
- Enjoy the varied birdlife of the Forest of Dean
- A chance of Wild Boar in one of their UK strongholds
- Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Redstart & Spotted Flycatcher all breed here
- An evening excursion for Nightjar
- Roding Woodcock possible
- Butterflies may include Wood White and Small pearl-bordered Fritillary amongst others
- Goshawk breed in good numbers and we'll search for them
- Crossbill and Firecrest possible
- Excellent food from a superbly located hotel
We also offer this holiday in late winter/early spring which offers the chance to see displaying Goshawk and hear Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming, as well as Hawfinch, Redpoll, Siskin, Crossbill and Brambling all possible through less densely leaved surroundings. For this holiday please see The Forest of Dean.
Whichever time of year you choose, this is sure to be a memorable birding break!
Reviews
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This was a short break looking primarily for birds in the Forest of Dean. The weather was mainly dry though overcast and although the Forest was fairly quiet we saw the key species with superb views of a Redstart family, Wood Warbler singing and flitting about and both Pied and Spotted Flycatchers. Evening visits produced Woodcock, beautiful Tawny Owl and on the second evening Nightjar. On Sunday we visited Symonds Yat and had good views of the Peregrine Falcon family amongst others. An area of gorse produced Tree Pipit, Stonechat and Willow Warblers. I had originally been booked to go to the Camargue in May 2020 which scuppered by Covid. I transferred my deposit to May 2021 but when that became doubtful transferred again to two short breaks in England. This was the first. The staff at Naturetrek have been excellent rearranging things and laying on many more short and one-day outings in the UK.
H.B. Devon, Jun 21 -
Excellent variety of reserves and habitats. Our leader Greg Mabbett worked hard to ensure that all the group had good views of the birds
L.H -
The Speech House Hotel is an excellent base for the tour and both the accommodation and the catering are of a very high standard. Marcus clearly knows the forest really well and was an excellent trip leader; he was flexible with the programme but was prepared to work very long days in order to ensure that people saw as much as possible. I have done this trip twice now and I hope to do it again.
P.B, Shropshire, June 2019 -
The Forest of Dean weekend was one of the best wildlife experiences we have ever had- we can't say enough good things about it, particularly about Tom, whose fieldcraft and kind and patient attitude to the group was TRULY outstanding
L.S -
Greg was a delight to spend time with and this made the difference to make it a successful trip. Greg’s local knowledge allowed him to be flexible with the itinerary. Greg was excellent and the tour was better than I anticipated
G.W
Dates & Prices
2025
Departures
Availability
Cost
Wed 4th Jun – Fri 6th Jun
3
£455
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£455
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£85
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Many people take delight in watching birds, and would like both to learn more about them, and to be able to identify them (or at least some of them!).
We offer a selection of holidays specially designed for the novice birdwatcher – these are designed to be slower in pace than other similar holidays and they provide an even higher level of instruction from our top leaders.
We still intend of course to see all the key species of these special areas but we shall take a little more time explaining about everything we find and how the species are identified.
Naturetrek's Birdwatching Holidays for Beginners
On all of our ‘Beginners’ Birdwatching’ holidays, we provide a high level of instruction from our top leaders. These tours are undertaken at a relaxed pace and are suitable for the complete novice, as well as those with some knowledge who would benefit from ‘brushing it up’ or learning more.
And, as is typical with Naturetrek tours, there will be an emphasis on enjoying our surroundings and other wildlife, as well as the birdlife. Questions will be very much encouraged, with emphasis placed on participants being able to see, enjoy and identify every bird well for themselves, whether common or rare.
Our specialist recommends...
"It’s hard to beat the Somerset Levels for the beginner birder. Our Somerset Levels winter break offers a perfect introduction to a variety of waterbirds and, of course, you can enjoy the impressive Starling murmurations. Further afield, our week-long holidays to Extremadura and Coto Doñana in Spain are great for getting to grips with more exotic Mediterranean species."
Tom Mabbett - Operations Manager
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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
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