So me an the missus fancy a change in scenery and love the FoD area (we’ve got some good friends who live there near Blakeney). Anyway we’ve been contemplating a move to the area in the next 12-24 months.

Can anyone recommend villages worthy of looking at/avoid for property purchases? We’d have a max budget of around £200k.

Any local knowledge would be gratefully received.

You can get a lot of house for your money in The Forest, but you need to choose your location carefully. Personally, I’d avoid Lydney and Cinderford. Best bet would be one of the smaller villages around the forest fringe – depends how close to the trails you want to be!

Is your wife your sister or cousin?

I think it’d be beneficial to be near some kind of trunk road – as my missus works for the NHS so would need to be able to easily get to/from work when she’s called out.

Personally I’m a techy contractor, so I’m guessing I’ll need to be working either in Cardiff or Bristol.

I went out with a girl from the FOD for a while. Right little sort she was. Up for anything.

If things don’t work out with your wife, i’ll see if I can dig out her number….

Nothing else to add really. It’s a nice part of the world. Some of the pubs can be a bit “local” (Western saloon style when the outsider walks in off the street).

Hone your Banjo playing skills so you fit in. Coleford is miserable IMO

Actually forest folk scare me 😉

Depends very much what you’re looking for.
Town, Village or Country.
Kids, no kids (schools, colleges, etc.).
Working locally or commuting (to/from where).
It’s not a bad area to live but properties come in all shapes and sizes, it’s easy to fit in if you want to, there’s lots going on if you want to get involved but it is rural, the kind of rural with an industrial history mostly which can make it seem drab in places albeit with a great sense of community.
Spend a couple of weekends/mid-week breaks with your Blakeney friends and have a good look around would be my suggestion 8)

Seriously, how bad can the forest folk be! I’m currently in Norfolk so used to some of the inbred locals.

I grew up in the FoD – as per psling’s comments above, I’d spend a long while trying to understand what it’s actually like via long weekends etc.

I loved living there, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea….

If you have kids or are planning to, the schools are the key thing to consider. As you’re an IT contractor, Brizzle-side (Chepstow-way) may be the way to go?

Avoid the big metropolitan areas such as Coleford( dull) Lydney (even worse) and Cinderford (it’s not called the monkey tump for nothing!)
Places in the villages are not too badly priced but older places on their own are a bit much. Nice 3 bedder with half an acre across the road from me and half a miles from Dowies for 385k. Several ex council houses the other way are great value for money. 3/4 beds a garden that would hold a housing estate nowadays and backing on to the woods.sub 200k
Southern half would make the Severn bridge easier to get to so Bream, Yorkley, Whitecroft etc are near the woods and not too pricey.
They pay you to live in Cinderford! Sorry inbred local bias evident here 😆

If you need to get to Bristol regularly, remember to factor in the bridge tolls!

I grew up in Newent, and both my parents worked in Cinderford/Coleford. Nice enough area. I would argue the north or the Forest, Aston Ingham, Newent, Huntley, maybe Westbury areas are quite good for transport links. Close to the M50/M5 and Ross for the roads into South Wales. Easy access to Gloucester if you want it. Anything in the Forest proper is a bit more of a trek to get out and about…

All of the major towns in the forest are a bit grim. Anything smaller between them varies between being quite nice, or a bit banjoey and inbred.

That said, I liked it, and I like going back now and then!

I’d think carefully about your location, sounds like you’d need to be either on the very north edge for ‘nam or near the bridge for brizzle. Newent way is really nice (but isn’t really in the dean proper).

The middle bit, besides being a bit banjoey, will take ages to commute out on the twiddly little country roads. And you’ll get snowed in there. And it rains a lot. But you can buy a small estate for pocket money. Kind of reminds me of a welsh valley that got a bit lost and wandered off in the direction of london.

Joking aside, we nearly bought somewhere on the north edge, lovely area.

Hmm Chepstow looks like a suitable location – hospital close by in Newport or Bristol. We’ve over in the FoD next month, so will take an afternoon to go and have a look around.

either way you can pretty much ride straight out the door into the wood and ride some great hidden single track or DH which would make a few rather jealous 😉

Nice place, quite a long way from bigger places on a daily basis tho – hence why it exists today and why house prices are cheaper over there. A commute to Bristol can take a good bit longer when the old Severn Bridge is closed for any reason (high winds etc).

mattsccm – Member
Avoid the big metropolitan areas such as Coleford( dull) Lydney (even worse) and Cinderford (it’s not called the monkey tump for nothing!)

I have just snorted coffee and a biscuit over my keyboard. Thanks.

Lots of good advice above, the smaller villages are a better bet. Avoid Cinderford, Coleford, Lydbrook, Drybrook areas. As for Ruardean………

Depends on where your good lady will be working. The FOD is quite big with twisty roads, so it can take 20 minutes to drive to the borders.

Although in the summer it can look very nice, do some house hunting in the depths of winter to get a view of how dark and depressing the FOD can be.

Also check how good the internet services are. Lots of patchy coverage. Phone signals can be terrible too.

Although in the summer it can look very nice, do some house hunting in the depths of winter to get a view of how dark and depressing the FOD can be

^^^ very much this

As I said earlier on, I loved growing up & living there very much and would love to move back one day, but I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s the loveliest place on earth in the summer, but winter’s a different ball game….

If your missus is NHS, she can always try and get a job at the Dilk?

Seriously, how bad can the forest folk be! I’m currently in Norfolk so used to some of the inbred locals.

That’s the one place in England you could move from and still take an evolutionary step forward going to the FoD to be fair! 😉

Joking aside, it’s lovely down there, but even the “big” towns are quiet, and there’s not a lot to do, and its a long way from anywhere, and when you consider that Gloucester is your nearest city and there’s not a huge amount there anyway, you need to really want to be in a very rural location or put up with the consequences. That said, if you can get work in Cardiff, you’re probably no more than 45 minutes away.

There’s loads to do here! Though, if you want the city lights you’d be better off moving to a, erm… City
If you want it there’s a vibrant music scene, plenty of sport, cinemas, eateries, even theatres. Once upon a time STWers used to come here to experience the delights of the nightlife between mtb pootles 😉 If you want big clubs and city night life you need to travel to Cardiff, Bristol or Cheltenham which are all within striking distance.

There are a few mtb trails here too 😉

There are a few mtb trails here too

The ‘hidden’ local trails through the trees are great fun, ridden some miles up there over the years. 😀

“There are a few mtb trails here too “
Don’t forget the pigs and sheep! Some of the women are pretty to!
The Forest in the Winter is great. Snow can cut places off if you are lucky. Tourists bugger off and if you are faster than me fire wood is free. Active cycling clubs if you want, several local protest groups if you feel so inclined, plenty of pubs by the woods so evening cycling has its good points.
Also if you red the Bible very carefully you will discover that the Forest is the original Garden of Eden. Now of to cut all 12 toe nails and collect some more wood.