What’s Lydbrook like?

Thinking of relocating there.

There’s no internet in The Forest, don’t expect a rush of replies.

Lydbrook isn’t so deep that you can’t get out in a sensible(ish) sort of travel time.

The Forest itself is obviously quite beautiful.

caveat: I didn’t relocate there. I did look at a couple of houses about ten years back; ended up moving somewhere closer to the day job.

I’ve got an Uncle, a brother and a cousin that live near there. I’ll ask him

Who cares when the riding is brilliant 🙂

Love riding in the Forest and the scenery is undoubtedly stunning. However the towns and villages all seem to have an air of decay and gloom about them. Just my perception. That and the fact it isn’t the easiest place to get to and from.

LOL at decay and gloom! Lydbrook and the forest are fine, all the stuff about everyone having 6 toes is not to be taken too seriously. Flooding can be an issue in the bottom of the Lydbrook valley, also as it runs north to south it can be a bit dark, if you’re looking at a place higher up the side of the valley you should be ok. Great riding nearby at the Pludds obviously.

I’ve got an Uncle, a brother and a cousin that live near there. I’ll ask him

Genuinely LOLed at that. Thanks 🙂

Have lived in Gloucestershire for nearly 10 years so have heard all the rumours about Foresters 🙂 And I’ve ridden in the FoD many, many times.

Not familiar with Lydbrook at all, so just wondered if anyone here had first-hand knowledge.

all the stuff about everyone having 6 toes is not to be taken too seriously.

It depends on which side of Ruardean Hill you come from. It’s extra toes on one side, fingers on the other.

Lydbrook is on the dark side of the hill, it’s a lot nicer further up the hill and a lot nicer off the main road. It floods very regularly at Lower Lydbrook, which cuts you off from Ross-On-Wye / A40 A449. Over the hill and down to Parkend is nicer, although you are then dependent on the Monmouth / Cinderford / Gloucester Road to get in or out, unless you go further south towards Chepstow.

The FOD is a beautiful place in the summer months, a dark depressing place in the winter.

As my grandad said, “it’s two miles long and two yards wide”. It sees a lot on sun. Between 11.45 am and 12.15 pm on any day in June, between the 24th and 26th. In leap years. If it isn’t raining. If you get up on the banks a bit it isn’t so bad. Huge variety of housing. Not up as far as Joys Green though! (at least the “special unit” has gone!). Lower Lydbrook floods (anywhere above Lydwood factory or a bit lower should be ok) but it does have a beach on the river in the hot summers days. Rammed! Stacks of pasty white size 18 bodies shoved in size 12 bikinis. (shudders) Millions of canoeists in the summer.
The chippy is great, the pub nearby is ok when open. ‘Tother down by the river is better IMHO. Ladies hair salon and small shop. Working mans type club. See final sentence below.
Plenty of cyclists live there. A 15 minute slow pedal up to the honey pot of the cycle centre.
Road surface is crap, enough to make me change my commute through the much smoother gravel tracks.You will get good at going up hill.
School Ok or a smaller even more rural one up the road in English Bicknor (where I work) .
Internet has reached there. Check, if buying house on main road where the culvert is and how it reacts to lots of rain. New shiny tarmac above the body shop is where the road was closed for months when the culvert collapsed. Nice tarmac for 100 yards.
Banjo playing popular. Google “Deliverance”. Don’t stroke the sheep dogs , they maybe someones girls friend.

I’d visit any potential dwelling on a murky rainy day in the middle of winter just so you could see if it’s too dark and dank to live in. There must be some houses down there that barely see the sun in winter.

Moved to Whitecroft in 2020 and it was an amazing decision. The forest is a wonderful place to live, it’s not depressing in the winter at all. Cities are depressing in winter, forests definitely aren’t.

I haven’t been in Lydbrook much but the Pludds offpiste is right near there and they are excellent trails. And that’s just one area of offpiste!

Yaeh but Whitecroft is open to the skies! Chippy not as good now. You see more daylight in a freemine than you do in Lydbrook. Just kidding , bits of Lydbrook are great.

Mark steels in town podcast did the f o d last week, it’s a reissue I believe. V funny too. No idea how true it is.

I live in Upper Lydbrook and I love it. Old railway line goes behind my house so you can get straight on the trails. I am away from the road and higher up so the house does see the sun through the winter. Some houses down on the main road don’t see the sun during the winter months so I would avoid a house like that.

Positives about Lydbrook…

-It’s close to some great trails, especially Pludds

Negatives about Lydbrook…

-Pretty much everything else!

There must be some houses down there that barely see the sun in winter.

Honestly, I bet there’s houses in Lydbrook that barely see sun in the middle of Summer, let alone winter! It is GRIM!!!

Couldn’t agree with what @mattsccm says more… Never lived in the FoD, but spent a lot of time there over the last 20+ years. Despite what outsiders will tell you, there’s really some rather lovely parts to the FoD (aside from the trails), but Lydbrook is not one of them! If you wanted me to suggest the darkest, dankest, most depressing place I could possibly think of, where it floods regularly, the roads are in dangerously bad repair and SAD is guaranteed for even the cheeriest of cheery people. Send “smily smily Carol Smiley” there for a year, she’d have to change her name by deed poll!

Seriously though… I’d move to the FoD in a heartbeat… But it wouldn’t be Lydbrook!

Also a Whitecroft local (well, we near enough live in Parkhill Enclosure).

Drive through Lydbrook fairly regularly & it always feels dark & gloomy. Not somewhere I would have actively chosen to live, even if it is close to some lesser known Forest Gold in terms of trails.

No sun in Lydbrook as has been said.
Berry Hill-er here.

As said above, Lydbrook be a dark, cold and dank place. The flooding can be quite bad at times, but more often just an annoyance with road closures.
I’ve lived in the forest all my life, and it has changed a lot in that time. I believe it has a bit of an unfair reputation because of this. Cinderford probably suffers from this more than most other places in the Forest.
There are some great properties in Lydbrook, but very few are lucky enough to see the sun, even in summer some places are permanently in the shade.
Village services are as mentioned above, a bit limited.
All older houses made in the very porous local stone will be damp, Lydbrook could be worse than a lot of areas due to the lack of sun and the way properties tend to be built into the hill and have walls below ground level.
Like anywhere there are good streets and bad, but Lydbrook has more than it’s fair share of bad I’d say.
Virtually all of the towns and villages have a nicer area that could be a better choice.
Depending what you want to be near to and can afford – on that side of the Forest I’d recommend Drybrook, Ruardean, Harrow hill, or English Bicknor.
For a better selection of properties and proximity to the best and most variety of trails I’d reccomend looking a bit further away from the Wye.
Coleford area is the pick IMHO with the best town centre in the forest and lots of surrounding villages which are mostly walking distance. Some are cheaper than town, some more expensive. They all have great riding on the doorstep.
If you want a tour or more info on anywhere feel free to drop me an email or P.M.

They’re called Foresters, aren’t they?

@lovegoinguphills

I live in Upper Lydbrook and I love it.

you’ve picked your username wisely

Anyone know what happened to Ferndean B&B in Lydbrook? Lovely place to stay but appears to be closed now.

Of course Lydbrook may be paradise , depending on where you come from. A friend of mine lives on the Monkey Tump* and thinks it is great. But then she comes from London.
Foresters will know where I mean!

I live on the Monkey Tump. It’s well named.