Getting there
The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail is located at Forestry England’s Beechenhurst site. To plan your visit, go to Forestry England’s Beechenhurst webpage. Beechenhurst is on a direct bus route from Gloucester as well as part of The Robin local bus service route.
Opening times and charges
Opening times are usually 8am until dusk all year round, but the Sculpture Trail may be closed in extreme weather conditions. The trail is closed on Christmas Day.
The Sculpture Trail is free of charge and no prior booking is required.
Facilities
Forestry England operate a pay-for-parking car park at Beechenhurst, where you will find toilet facilities, a cafe, picnic and play areas. There are Changing Places facilities at Beechenhurst, as well as a Tramper for hire. Visit Forestry England’s Beechenhurst webpage for further details on accessibility facilities available and bookable on site.
Access
The majority of our sculptures are found on the ground and can be touched.
The Sculpture Trail contains slopes (some steep), and uneven terrain (loose stone surface paths and narrow unsurfaced paths). This does mean certain areas are unsuitable for many pushchairs and wheelchairs. A number of pedestrian gates will be encountered along the trail.
The Speech House Woodlands car park allows closer access to the sculptures found at the end of the Trail (14 – 18) and these are our most easily accessible works.
For visually impaired visitors we recommend downloading our audio descriptions, which describe most of our sculptures, before you begin the trail as you will find limited signal at the Beechenhurst site.
There are Changing Places facilities at Beechenhurst, as well as a Tramper for hire. Visit Forestry England’s Beechenhurst webpage for further details on accessibility facilities available on site.
Forestry England welcome feedback to continue to improve accessibility. You can get in touch at westengland@forestryengland.uk
Dogs are welcome
Dogs are welcome on the Sculpture Trail. Dog biscuits and water bowls are available at Beechenhurst Cafe. You can find out more information on forest dog walking here
Schools and coach visits
For resources and ideas on planning your school visit, go to the Forest Learning information page. All coach parties (over 20 seats) need to notify Forestry England of their visit – call 0300 067 4800 or email westengland@forestryengland.uk
Visitor Testimonial
“A wonderful day out, we keeping back to see the forest evolve through the seasons. Cathedral, even after all these years, still takes my breath away as the sunshine gleams through it”
