Planning a trip to the Forest of Dean (General)

by jhopkins , Tuesday, June 18, 2013, 22:05 (4177 days ago) @ stockampreddy

From our perspective visiting the Forest once only from New Zealand in 2004.

1. Allow as much time as you can and then double it! It is an extremely beautiful area, even without the genealogical interest.
2. We had no luck getting into any of the churches associated with our family. They were locked. Perhaps a letter ahead of time to the minister may let you make an appointment for entry.
3. If you are looking for graves, much time can be saved if you are able to locate your ancestors' burial places/plots before you go. Walking up and down rows and rows of graves isn't conducive to a good temper for the rest of your visit!
4. I had done insufficient research before we went to the Forest. I blush to say that I didn't make a conscious distinction between the Parish of St Briavels and the village of St Briavels, so we went to look at the village. I found out later that none of my family lived there - we should have gone to several other sites in the PARISH.
5. One of the members on this site was able to identify the address where my great grandmother's family were living during the 1841 Census. We still had some difficulty in finding it because the landmark house my directions were based upon had been demolished to make way for a housing development. However, two grumpy men going to play golf on a Sunday morning put me right (with a singular lack of grace!). It was lovely to look at one of the places my family lived in before coming to NZ in 1860.
6. We stayed locally in a B & B which meant we could toddle around in our rental car from dawn to dusk without having to get home to Oxford or London or...
7. We carried a picnic lunch with us, and one of the places we stopped to eat was the castle at St Briavels (it is opposite the church where none of my family are buried...). Lovely place to visit, and the views down to the Wye Valley are super.
8. I agree with Jefff's suggestions about the A40 from Oxford. The Cotswolds are a beautiful part of England.