Family holiday review - a log cabin in the middle of the Forest of Dean

Beth, 26, and Jamie Hughes, 29, from London, took Grace, 4, to a log cabin tucked away in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.

“If you’re the type of family who loves to spend time in the great outdoors, without having to compromise on comfort, then a stay in one of Forest Holiday’s luxury cabins (they even have underfloor heating), is just the ticket. When we arrived Jamie and I squealed like little children at the sight of our private hot tub. It turned out to be perfect for romantic chill out time once Grace was tucked up in bed.

Getting close to nature

The cabins are in the middle of a forest so nature really is right on your doorstep – Grace loved squirrel spotting and listening to the birds singing. We took her to the Young Explorers Club, organised by the rangers at Forest Holidays, where we had great fun going on a nature walk collecting bits and pieces, to make into a mask later on. There are lots of nearby walks you can take, and after speaking to reception, who provided us with some free family-friendly routes, we set off.

Grace could only manage a short walk but she thoroughly enjoyed sporting her new wellies and jumping in any puddles that came her way! And if you like a good view take a five-minute drive to Symonds Yat Rock. We marvelled at the stunning vista overlooking the River Wye and we also had a good pit stop at the log cabin shop and café.

Animal fun

Grace is animal mad so we spent a morning at Dick Whittington Farm Park (www.dickwhittington.org), which is about a 20-minute drive away. She loved saying ‘hello’ and petting the cows, ponies and deer, but her favourite animals were the alpacas, which she couldn’t stop talking about for the rest of weekend. She was fascinated by the brightly coloured fish in the aquarium too, although a little wary of the spiders and snakes! If you’re visiting from spring onwards, we recommend a trip to the Perrygrove Railway, too (www.perrygrove.co.uk) a mere 10-minute drive away. As well as the fun train ride, there was a fantastic treetop activity centre where Grace could burn off some energy with her dad.

Essential info

At its Forest of Dean site in Gloucestershire, Forest Holidays offers Silver Birch cabins, which have hot tubs and two or three bedrooms, the latter sleeping up to six people, from £220 per cabin for a 3-night weekend stay. For more info visit www.forestholidays.co.uk.