Forest Oddities #1 and some dots to join

This little series of posts has been inspired by a walk I recently made in the north of the Forest of Dean, guided by this book – Exploring Historic Dean. I love unearthing local history and the walks in this book have served as a wonderful introduction to the area, keeping me enthralled for many hours.

The Forest was once a hive of industrial activity and has its fair share of quirky relics from the not-too-distant past to show for it – such as a viaduct on a steam carriage road – but Walk 11 in the book really takes the biscuit. So I invite you to join me as I return to Drybrook, Lea Bailey and Wigpool.

First, a learned quotation to add a little culture to this post:

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.

Steve Jobs

The large white building in this photo is Euroclydon House, built in the 1860's for mine owner TB Brain, who is said to have added the tall tower so that he could keep an eye on his workers at Pluckpenny Colliery, to the south. I prefer to think that he actually built it to take in the magnificent views west, down Hope Mansell valley and with the Brecon Beacons beyond, not least because there didn't seem to be much happening at Pluckpenny. In 1889 Mr Brain recorded: "William Wilce of Ruardean spent nearly £40 in 1884 and 86 in opening a pit and driving out a heading. I lent the necessary tackle.  Money lost, did not find any coal to work."

Much of this I knew before coming to live in the Forest of Dean as I once had a week's holiday in the little white-walled cottage that you can see beside the road to Euroclydon.  At the time, I had no thoughts of leaving my beloved Cornwall but looking back, as Steve Jobs observed, I can join up the dots.  My love affair with the Forest of Dean was intensifying and, unknown to me, this would be my last holiday in this area.

It was, indeed, a lovely holiday. We canoed down the Wye, marvelled at the Severn Sisters, criss-crossed the Forest on numerous paths and got caught in an enormous thunderstorm near Moseley Green – not so funny at the time, but I smile about it now. The week culminated in a glorious day in and around Symonds Yat, with a meal by the river at the Saracen's Head Inn.

The Severn Sisters, looking up the River Wye towards Symonds Yat

A meal at the Saracen's Head. Perfect!

A final thought... There is a finite probability that I may end my days at Euroclydon House.  It's now a nursing home.  More dots to join up?