Secret Escape to the Forest

View prices & book 9.7 19 reviews
Outdoor seating and fire pit to relax outside the Shepherd's hut
Outdoor seating and fire pit to relax outside the shepherd's hut
Views from inside
Exterior
Exterior
Exterior
Picnic table by the hut
Path to the hut
Rural views around the hut
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Views from inside
Exterior
Exterior

  • Ensuite shepherd's huts on a quiet site in the Forest of Dean
  • Puzzlewood, Clearwell caves and canoeing within 10 minutes' drive
  • Barbecues, picnic tables and firepits provided; hot tubs for a fee
Psst… fancy fleeing away for a forest adventure? Slope off quietly if you can – the whole point of Gloucestershire getaway Secret Escape To The Forest is to keep things as peaceful as possible. The forest you’ll be secretly escaping to is the fab Forest of Dean, on the cusp of the border between England and Wales. It forms the stunning surrounds for this family-run site five minutes’ drive from Coleford and 10 minutes from Monmouth. Many a mile of track awaits for folk who fancy wandering in the woods (keep your eyes open for deer as you go…), and the River Wye’s a 10-minute drive away for riverside rambles and canoe trips. Even closer than any of these is the little village of Staunton, 10 minutes’ walk away and home to a splendid country pub with a tasty food menu. If you’d rather stay squirrelled away serenely on site, you can cook meals at your shepherd hut’s little kitchen area or settle down outside, where each hut has a picnic table and barbecue or firepit for alfresco meals. That firepit’s a handy thing to have around on chillier evenings, too, as is the woodburning stove inside the hut and the two woodfired hot tubs that are available to hire for an additional cost (bring your own towels).

Campground type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 3
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • Facilities/activities including hot tubs are subject to extra charges payable on arrival.
  • As the shepherd's huts have steps they may not be suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Languages spoken

English

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Campsite types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCamper sitesRV sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsMobile homes for rentRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
0 dogs

Reviews

9.7

Overall rating from 19 Pitchup.com customers

  • 84%
    10
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 6
PeacefulForest

95% would recommend this campground to a friend

95% would stay here again

What customers say

Guests rave about cozy, clean, well-equipped shepherd's huts in a beautiful, remote location with forest trails. Comfy beds, great showers, and friendly hosts are big pluses. Most loved the digital detox, though some wanted a shower mat, door curtain, and clearer hot tub info.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 2
Arrival date (latest first)

Wonderful location, a spotless and cozy…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Sandra B.

Foxglove 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked Wonderful location, a spotless and cozy cabin, and really clear instructions from the owners on finding the place and using the bathtub. Will definitely come back.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Love this place stayed a few…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Acorn 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked Love this place stayed a few times now, Sheppard hut is beautiful, log burner definitely keeps you warm. So nice waking up and sitting out looking over the forest with a coffee. Peaceful and 30 seconds walk and your in the forest. Beautiful place. Would highly recommend if you like being next to the forest.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Very well located, comfortable and warm cozy hut

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
America L.

Foxglove 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked The place is super quiet. With immediate access to the Wye forest. The hut has everything you need. Most importantly it's warm, the showers are really warm, the bedding it's warm, you have an electric heater or a burner for extra cozyness. We really love it and wished we would have stayed longer.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely site, loved the Shepherd's Huts, and amazing views!

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
zoe b.

Foxglove 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked Everything

Recommend to friends Visit again

A great place to stay in a lovely location. Great value for money.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 9
Anonymous

Bluebell 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked It was incredibly cosy and clean. Had pots and plates for self catering and entering and leaving couldnt be easier.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Third time staying, will definitely be back

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 1
gary h.

Acorn 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked The location is great
The lady in charge is great to deal with
The shepards huts are really nice
The walks
The food in the local pubs is great

Recommend to friends Visit again

Remote location, beautiful and well maintained…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Acorn 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked Remote location, beautiful and well maintained hut, provided firewood and burner/firepit

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely place to stay with my…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Emily R.

Foxglove 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked Lovely place to stay with my 4 year old daughter, she enjoyed exploring in the forest and have a lovely weekend away together. Place was so clean and easy to get to, would definitely come here again.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Such a beautiful stay! It has…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 6
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Laura S.

Foxglove 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked Such a beautiful stay! It has everything you need for a little getaway with lovely views to wake up to in the morning. The hut was spacious and very clean. The bed was extremely comfy and the shower was really powerful. Location was perfect, not far from local pub and supermarket.

I would definitely recommend and stay again!

Disliked Not having a little curtain on the door window as it was quite bright in the morning, but that was a minor thing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Everything. Cute and very clean…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 No rating
Anonymous

Acorn 1 bedroom shepherd's hut

Liked Everything. Cute and very clean little cabin, well equipped with everything we needed. Very comfortable stay.
Friendly host, made the stay easy.
Great to have firewood included.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

No dogs allowed

Leisure on park

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Hot tub Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Playground Recreation room/arcade TV room Takeout Tennis Watersports

Amenities on park

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Free wifi Grocery store Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundromat Parent & baby washroom Payphone Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Restrooms Shower available Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue grills allowed Barbecue provided Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed No dogs allowed No pets allowed

Themes

Forest Hikers’ paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Dump station Electric car charging point(s) Propane/gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby

Type

Tiny (1-10 sites)

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horseback riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Tennis nearby

Location

Secret Escape to the Forest

Staunton Road

Staunton

Coleford

Gloucestershire

England

GL16 8NT

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.80864°N
2.64738°W

Route directions

The entrance is next to the 30 mph sign, with big black gates and a space to pull in. You will be met on arrival by one of the family. Please check your email after you have booked for additional information and directions.

Nearest transport

Bus
3.1 mi Bus Station
7.8 mi Cantilupe Road
11.7 mi Bus Station
Rail
8.2 mi Lydney Rail Station
11.7 mi Chepstow Rail Station
13.9 mi Cam & Dursley Rail Station
Ferry
9.1 mi Lydney Harbour
9.1 mi Sharpness Old Docks
21.2 mi Bristol Docks Ferry Landing
Airport
21.7 mi Gloucestershire Airport
29.3 mi Bristol International Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

You’ll want to start with a wander (or few) around the Forest of Dean… If standard woodland trails aren’t doing it for the kids, take them over to Puzzlewood (10 minutes’ drive) to meander along magic-themed paths in search of fairies, unicorns and dragons. And if that’s not their scene either, add a bit of adventure to the equation on the treetop rope courses at the Go Ape park (10 minutes), or sign up for raft building, climbing and other escapades in Coleford. Caves, canoes and castles should certainly be on the schedule too – start by getting underground at Clearwell Caves (10 minutes), then return to the surface for canoe trips from Monmouth (10 minutes) or Symonds Yat (15 minutes). If you pick the latter, you may end up paddling past Goodrich Castle; if not, it’s worth driving up there (15 minutes) to see the ruined Norman pile. If you’ve got an eye for all things that move, take the trip to Coleford (five minutes) to visit the Great Western Railway Museum and ride on the Perrygrove Railway. Should you prefer to peek at pretty little things, make your way to the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo (15 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Clevedon Beach 27.3 mi Estuary N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Caldicot Castle & Country Park 3 mi

Goodrich Castle 4.4 mi

Raglan Castle 9 mi

WWT Slimbridge Wetlands Centre 11.4 mi

Chepstow Castle 11.5 mi

National Trust

The Kymin 1.8 mi

Skenfrith Castle 7.9 mi

Westbury Court Garden 10.1 mi

Woodchester Park 17.2 mi

Ashleworth Tithe Barn 18.1 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

A4136 - Longstone - Forest Trail - A4136 0.2 mi

Staunton - Highmeadow Woods - Symonds Yat 0.3 mi

Staunton - Buckstone - Hearkening Rock - Staunton 0.8 mi

A4136 - The Kymin - Wysis Way - A4136 1 mi

The Kymin - Monmouth - Wyesham 1.6 mi

Local events

  • Green Man Festival (Thursday, August 20, 2026 – Thursday, August 20, 2026)

    Crickhowell, Wales 22.9 mi

  • Bristol International Balloon Fiesta (Friday, August 7, 2026 – Friday, August 7, 2026)

    Bristol, England 25.3 mi

  • Cheltenham Festival (Tuesday, March 16, 2027 – Tuesday, March 16, 2027)

    Cheltenham, England 25.9 mi

  • The Hay Festival (Thursday, May 21, 2026 – Thursday, May 21, 2026)

    Hay-on-Wye, England 27.3 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Want to know more about camping in Gloucestershire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Secret Escape to the Forest have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is Secret Escape to the Forest dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Secret Escape to the Forest? You’ll want to start with a wander (or few) around the Forest of Dean… If standard woodland trails aren’t doing it for the kids, take them over to Puzzlewood (10 minutes’ drive) … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Secret Escape to the Forest?
    On-park accommodation
    Arrive:  4 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Secret Escape to the Forest? From $135.88 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.