In the county of Gloucestershire, Great Britain, there is the ancient Dean Forest, which is also the oldest in England. Part of this forest, Puzzlewood Forest Park, has now been converted into a tourist attraction. It is said that this forest became the inspiration for Middle-earth in John Tolkien's novels The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. J. K. Rowling also lived in this area during the writing of Harry Potter. Puzzlewood is considered by many to be the prototype of the Forbidden Forest, which grows next to the Hogwarts School of Wizardry.
Dean Forest was officially named royal about a thousand years ago. The first inhabitants of the forest during the Iron Age were the Britons, followed by the Romans, who mined iron ore and coal on the territory of the forest. The trees that grew in the Dean Forest were used to build ships that later served the Royal Navy. Coal was mined here industrially until 1965.
The forest acquired its fabulous appearance thanks to the numerous labyrinth mines that remained after coal and ore mining. These passages were gradually overgrown with moss, grass, shrubs and trees. As a result, over the decades, they have turned into paths that now attract not only tourists, but also film industry workers. One of the episodes of the cult British sci-fi television series Doctor Who and several episodes of another popular science fiction series, Merlin, were filmed here.
The forest really now very much resembles the scenery for some film about wood elves, fairies and other fairy-tale characters. Fans of this genre and similar legends come here with pleasure to walk among the ancient trees covered with moss stones. There are even caves here and there. Deer, gray squirrels and wild boars live in Puzzlewood. The most common trees are oak, beech, pine and poplar.
In the 19th century, the then owner of Puzzlewood set up a walking path in the park along the entire forest belt. But in the beginning, this was done only for the entertainment of the children, relatives and friends of the owner. However, after the end of industrial coal mining in the region, the local population was left with no other means of earning money except tourism. Therefore, now anyone can visit Puzzlewood for a small fee.
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The cost of visiting this British attraction is uncertain and is an optional but desirable charitable donation. Travelers are more likely to leave around $ 10 for an adult and $ 7 for a child. For an additional fee, children can ride a pony through the park. There are benches along the paths, and picturesque bridges are thrown across streams. Therefore, both adults and children can spend time here with pleasure.
Puzzlewood is easily accessible from Coulford. In order to get to the park, you need to take a train from London, the capital of Great Britain, to Lydney station, and from it by bus or taxi to the city of Coalford. This city is close to a landmark.