Wentwood Forest in Spring
Hey friends! 🌿
I just had to share a recent visit to Wentwood forest in South Wales, after packing the essential picnic (any excuse for a picnic) we grabbed Loki the dog and set off on a glorious sunny Saturday to find bluebells.. we were not disappointed!
I recently discovered that Wentwood used to be part of the hunting grounds for Chepstow Castle. Nowadays, it’s a fantastic place for walks, offering stunning views over the Severn Estuary. The variety of habitats here supports an incredible array of wildlife. If you visit in the spring like we did you’ll be greeted by a sea of bluebells, while autumn brings an opportunity to spot some colorful fungi - I most definitely plan to return then for this 🍄🍄🟫🍁
Wentwood is an absolute haven for wildlife enthusiasts. With over 70 species of birds and 23 species of butterflies recorded here, there's always something amazing to discover, we were fortunate enough to spot & make friends with a common lizard! Keep an eye out for impressive wood ant nests that can reach up to four feet high and listen for the sweet song of the wood warbler during warmer summer periods.
To park here is free and although it was busy on this visit there was no difficulty finding a space. Things to consider when visiting this Woodland Trust Forest is that there are no public toilets, the nearest public toilet is 3.7 miles away which could cause a dilemma visiting with children too old to use a potty or nappies, no toilets also means no wash basins so pack the hand gel / wipes for this trip and extra water for the dog, there are also no bins, you will need to take all your rubbish and dog mess with you, there wasn't any litter here which is impressive however there was occasional dog mess! The majority of people there that day were also walking dogs, Wentwood Forest's website has a small list of reasonable guidelines for bringing your dog, which I think are worth following. Unfortunately, not everyone abides by these, but I'll leave the link here for anyone planning a visit with their pooch: Dog Walking Guidelines.
As for Loki I am not sure what he enjoyed the most! Feeling the wind in his hair from the back seat or his forest walk 🐾
Whilst heading back to the carpark Matt spotted a common Lizard, he lay down his cap and in calmly climbed the little treasure. They seemed to have taken a real liking to Matt actually, running onto his arm, a short while after he scurried off to his woodland wonderland to live his best lizard life, it was a magical experience.
The journey to the forest itself is an adventure with winding country roads and stunning scenery! We detoured through Usk, a beautiful welsh town nearby.
All in all with a little bit of planning Wentwood Forest is well worth a visit for an inexpensive nature filled escape 🌿
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