This beautiful forest is just an hour away from Cardiff (Image: Getty Images)

I love a good forest walk. There's nothing quite like traversing peaceful woodland paths in search of wildlife and curious flora and fauna. (Yes, I'm a nature nerd.)

I've happily explored many of the beautiful forests in south Wales so I decided to hop across the border to the Forest of Dean, a historic royal forest in Gloucestershire that's just as pretty in autumn and winter.

Managed by Forestry England this ancient forest is home to more than 20m trees and has slowly evolved over the centuries. In medieval times it was a royal hunting forest before becoming a source of timber for Tudor navy warships.

By the Victorian era it was a major industrial site with coal mining and tramways punctuating the prett

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