In years gone by, the Dean was criss-crossed by railways that served the mines and quarries. Today, those lines wander through the peace and quiet of the Forest and have been reopened as cycle routes suitable for families, leisurely biking or walking on gentle gradients away from public highways. It is bordered by the River Severn and River Wye
The River Severn is famous for the'Severn Bore' - a natural phenomenon where the river meets the incoming tide from the Bristol Channel. The largest 'Bore' generally occurs in the spring and autumn.
The view of the Wye Valley from Symonds Yat provides one of the most spectacular sites in the area. Water sports are abundant on the River Wye and many other activities are available from rock climbing, abseiling, archery, golfing, fishing, horse riding, caving and even 4X4 driving, with experts on hand to help you at the Activity Centres and Leisure Centres throughout the area.

A pleasant and thriving small village in the heart of the Forest. Once a thriving coal mining centre, the village is now a peaceful backwater surrounded by woodlands, one of which is the RSPB Nag's Head Nature Reserve.
The parish of Parkend was founded in 1822, previous to which the area was part of the Royal Hunting Forest. Only a few cottages existed in Parkend until 1850, with the coming of commercial iron-making, with furnaces that could use coke made Parkend an important industrial centre. Much of the present day village was built as a result. Parkend had plenty of coal, making it well placed to serve a new ironworks with a coke blast furnace in 1799. A waterwheel remained in use long after steam engines had taken over elsewhere.
There are many places of interest within Parkend. The octagonal shaped church was built in 1822. The Memorial Hall, built in 1919 in memory of those killed in the first World War, Parkend County Primary School, built in 1822, a fine feature being the Gothic style window frame, which has been replaced several times during the history of the school. The village also has Inns, craft shops, several listed buildings, and a village walk leaflet. The Dean Field Studies Centre became the first Forestry Training School in 1908. The four storey building is now a Grade II listed building.
There is a cricket pitch right in the centre of the village, ideal for spending a lazy summer's afternoon.