Self Catering Holiday House in the Forest of Dean

No° 1 Hazeldene - available to rent from April 2009

A newly renovated, spacious, traditional stone-built house in the village of Parkend in the heart of the Royal Forest of Dean.

The house is set well back from the road conveniently situated close to local facilities, including the general store and post office. There are two pubs nearby, both serving food and real ales.

The Fountain Inn is 100 metres from the house; The Woodman is 300 metres away on the other side of the cricket field. The Dean Forest Railway provides a fun outing on a standard gauge heritage railway operated by steam trains. The station is just 200 metres from the House. Trains run from Parkend to Lydney and back during the holiday season, with several stops along the way. More details are on the Dean Forest Railway web site. The RSPB Nagshead Reserve is a short walk from the house. There is a petrol station in the village.

Parkend is one of the few villages actually within the Royal Forest and has a history of involvement in mining and related industry from the nineteenth century, now all in the past. The tall, distinguished looking building next to the Post Office was originally the pumping house for the local mine, became a Forestry Commission college of forestry and is now a field studies centre. The Forestry Commission woodlands are open to visitors and provide extensive footpaths and cycle tracks. You can set off in any direction from the house and visit a different area of the Forest each time. Information about Parkend can be found on local web sites:

• www.fweb.org.uk/dean/towns/parkend.htm
• www.visitforestofdean.co.uk
• www.active.visitforestofdean.co.uk
• www.wyedeantourism.co.uk

The house has four double bedrooms, three with twin beds, one with double bed, all with en-suite bathroom or shower room. The kitchen has a washing machine, dishwasher, microwave and fridge-freezer. The lounge has Sky TV and a wood-burning stove. The separate dining room can seat ten and has a speaker for an mp3 player. There is a basement room with futon and a DVD. There is also a spacious, sunny garden room. Private parking for 4-5 cars and the large garage can be used for storing bicycles. Dogs welcome.