Newent Onion Fayre

Onion string at Newent (picture by Anguskirk)

Newent is a delightful market town in North-West Gloucestershire on the edge of the Forest of Dean.  It is typical of the small towns and villages on the Gloucestershire/Herefordshire borders with lots of black and white cottages.  With its local shops, a 14th Century church and good pubs its great to visit at any time of the year.  But a special time is the second Saturday in September when the town holds its annual fair.

Newent fair is like no other – its an Onion Fayre!

• The biggest onion competetion
• Onion eating competition
• 6 tons of onions for sale
• Onion string demonstrations

Its not all onions and there are lots of other things to fill the day including live music, street entertainment, food and drinks, stalls, fairground rides and a wedding dress exhibition in St Mary’s Church.

This years Onion Fayre takes place on Saturday 12th October.  Further details are available on the Onion Fayre website.

Visit our website to see things to do, places to eat and stay in Newent at any time of the year.

A Day out with Thomas at Dean Forest Railway

Thomas will be visiting Dean Forest Railway

The Lydney-based Dean Forest Railway is running another of its hugely popular ‘Day out with Thomas’ events from Friday, August 21 to Sunday, August 23.

The popular and classic ‘Thomas and Friends’ series of books will be brought to life with ‘Thomas’, ‘Diesel’ and ‘Daisy’ entertaining children at the Dean Forest Railway.  Young ‘Thomas’ fans can see their favourite characters and travel aboard ‘Daisy’, as she races the steam train and takes a story-telling trip into the forest to Parkend.  There will also be short guard’s van rides in ‘Toad’ the brake-van, pulled by ‘Thomas’, for a really atmospheric experience. Sir Topham Hatt will be keeping everyone in order!

Other treats – all included in the ticket price – include rides on a miniature steam railway, Punch and Judy, face-painting, a roundabout and the Imagination Station which has Thomas story-telling, DVD screenings, colouring pages and table-top toys. So there will be plenty for the family to see and do.

Norchard Station has a large free car park. There is also a café, museum and a gift shop selling a large range of Thomas and Friends and other gifts.  The doors open at 9.45 am and the trains run from 10.45 am through to 4 pm.  For more details of this exciting family day out visit www.deanforestrailway.co.uk or phone 01594 845840.

Don’t miss this one, it is the last ‘Thomas’ event of the year at the Dean Forest Railway and will keep the children talking for some time.

Three Choirs Festival – Stay in the Wye Valley or Forest of Dean

Hereford Cathedral - copyright Julian-P-Guffogg

The Three Choirs Festival, Europe’s oldest musical event takes place annually in August, alternating between the cathedral cities of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester.  This year the festival takes place 8th – 15th August in Hereford.  As usual, most of the events take place in the cathedral or nearby locations but some are at Tewkesbury Abbey, Leominster Priory and Wyastone Concert Hall.  In addtion to the varied programme of orchesteral and coral works, on Wednesday 12 August Sir Roy String is leading a guide to the ancient churches of Kilpeck and Dore Abbey.  The full programme of events can be seen on the festival website.

If you are attending the festival or visiting Hereford during this busy period, have you booked your accommodation yet?  Rather than stay in Hereford, why not consided one of the market towns nearby.  Newent, Ross-on-Wye, Monmouth and Abergavennay are all close and just a short drive from Hereford.  Newent and Ross have lots of black and white buildings typical of this area; Monmouth and Abergavenny are busy Welsh border towns.  All have high-quality accommodation, good places to eat and drink and lots of the specialty shops that make visiting small towns a delight.  In addition if you want to escape from the music for a short while, you are well placed to tour the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean.

Look at these links:

• Newent
• Ross-on-Wye
• Monmouth
• Abergavenny

Lancaut and Wintours Leap

Roman Quay on the River Wye and Lancaut

Last week I went on a well known walk just north of Chepstow – Lancaut Loop.  The focus of the walk are the sheer limestone cliffs on the Gloucestershire side of the River Wye, known as Wintour’s Leap and the ancient settlement of Lancaut.

St Jame's, Lancaut and Wintours Leap in the distance

The cliffs at Wintours Leap, a popular climb, are named after Sir John Wintour.  Wintour was a prominent but unpopular land owner and iron master from the Forest of Dean during the English Civil War and the commander of the local Royalists.  When pursued by Parliament forces, Wintour supposedly escaped by riding his horse over this 300 ft cliff to the river bank below!

Lancaut is a peninsula of land almost completely surrounded by a loop of the Wye.  All that is left of the previous settlement, that may have included a leper colony, is the ruined 11th century church of St James.  Today most of the area is a nature reserve.

The walk is well worthwhile as the views are great.  The route down from Wintours Leap to Lancaut is well define and easy to follow but it is overgrown in places and there is one section where a rock fall has to be crossed; its quite safe although care is required and my dog didn’t like it.

The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tour Guides organises guided walks for groups thoughout the area.

Forest of Dean – Best Family Cycle Trail

Family cycling in the Forest of Dean

The cycle path in the Forest of Dean has just been named by the Daily Telegraph as Britain’s No 1 family cycle route.  The route is based upon old railway lines in the Forest, previously used for taking coal to the nearby river ports.  There are 15 miles of track with gradients suitable for all members of the family regularly interspersed with picnic sites.  A good starting point is the Cannop Cycle Centre which has refreshments and toilets.  The route is waymarked but maps can be bought the Cycle Centre or at Beechenhurst Visitors’ Centre.

Wye Valley Mountain Biking

If you don’t have your own bike there is no problem as cycles of all sizes and types can be hired by the Pedalabikeaway Cycle Centre.

If you are looking for something more challenging, you might consider:

• Wye Valley Mountain Biking
• Redhill Bike & Board Centre

Telstar – Joe Meek and Newent

Poster for the Telstar film

Last week saw the film Telstar go on general release in the UK.  The film tells the story of Joe Meek, the 1960s Rock legend, who recorded some of the most iconic music in the pre-Beatles era.  Meek, although tone deaf was responsible for hits including Have I the Right?, Just Like Eddie, Johnny Remember Me  and most memorably Telstar recorded by the Tornadoes.

Newent Market Hall (picture by David Stowell)

Joe Meek was born in Newent on the north edge of the Forest of Dean.  Although much has changed since Meek’s time, Newent is still a delightful market town in a very rural part of Gloucestershire.  The town has many black and white half-timbered bulding including the market hall.  The area is worth visiting at any time, but the spring is special when the wild daffodils bloom in the surrounding countryside.  Nearby is the International Birds of Prey Centre and the renowned Three Choirs vineyard.  Visit our website for details of other attractions, accommodation and pubs and restaurants.

The Onion Fair, probably the only devoted entirely to this vegtable, takes place on 12 September; a fun day out where you can enter the raw onion eating competition!

The Joe Meek Tribute Concert takes place in Newent on Saturday 3 October starring Mike Berry and the Outlaws.

Highnam Court Gardens

Highnam Court (picture by Matt Buck)

Last week I visited Highnam Court Gardens just west of Gloucester on the edge of the Forest of Dean.  Highnam Court is a Grade 1 listed Queen Anne period house set in 40 acres of glorious gardens.  The current gardens were laid out in the 19th Century by Thomas Gambier Parry, the owner and father of Sir Hubert Parry (the composer of Jerusalem).  The gardens deterioriated throughout the 20th Century until the house and grounds were bought by Roger Head in 1994; at that time many of the best features had been totally lost or concealed in a jungle.  Since then Roger has lovingly restored these garden to today’s splendour.

The gardens are open the first Sunday of every month under the National Garden Scheme and at other times for various charities.  If the gardens are open when you are in the area, I recommned a visit.  You will not be disappointed!

Whilst at Highnam you should travel the extra ½ mile to Over and visit two members of our Association.

• Over Farm Market is probably the best farm market in the area.  In addition to the fruit, vegtables, meat etc, there are farm animals and occasional on-site attractions.
• The Wharf House; a delightful restaurant in a riverside setting.  Why not go for coffe and cakes, lunch or afternoon tea, possibly try their Tapas on the Terrace.

Open Studios in the Forest of Dean & Wye Valley

The Wye Valley and Forest of Dean are home to a large number of artists and crafts-persons and each year during July and August they open their doors to visitors.  This year 35 studios will be open during July and early August.  Full details of the event including the locations and open dates can be found on the Open Studios website.

We particulary recommend the follow who are members of our Association or exhibiting with our members.

• Kathy Lewis at Taurus Crafts, near Lydney
• Valerie Brown at the Bailey Inn, Yorkley
• Threads and Crafts Art Web at Beechenhurst Lodge, near Coleford
• The Celtic Year Project at the Garden Cafe, Lydbrook

Railway planned for Forest of Dean

This could have been the headlines in 1809!

ON JUNE 10, 1809 an Act of Parliament established the Lydney and Lidbrook (sic) Railway and, to mark the occasion, the Dean Forest Railway will be holding a special event over the weekend of June 13-14 2009.  The star of the weekend will be one of the two 2-4-0 Beattie Well Tanks (30587) that were saved for preservation, and which Parker’s Flour Mill works at Bream in the Forest  did the restoration work. The engine – which was built in 1874 – is probably the oldest preserved locomotive working in the British Isles.

Beattie 2-4-0s were once a numerous class, but all but three were scrapped as long ago as 1898, except for three engines which worked the Wenford Bridge mineral line in Cornwall. The three survived up to the 1960s as they established themselves as a vital asset for working the tightly curved Wenford Bridge china clay lines, lasting another 67 years.

Beattie Well Tanks (30587)

 

Press officer Terry Palin said: “It is an exciting locomotive to have at the railway as it has never been to the Forest before, except when in 2001, it was removed from the museum and taken to the Flour Mill workshops in the Forest of Dean, where it was restored to running order over 12 months.  Number 30587 was selected to be part of the National Collection and has been a star on many preserved railways.

See the railway’s web site (www.deanforestrailway.co.uk) for further details.

Winifred Foley – A Child in the Forest

“Wild, sweet days, spent in a small mining village deep in the Forest of Dean…Before the motor car had taken over from the horse and cart and before they built the Severn Bridge”

The autobiography of Winifred Foley

Jenny Wren Productions presents the true story of Winifred Foley’s childhood in the Forest of Dean in the 1920s and 30s. 

An open air production in the heart of the Forest at the Dean Heritage Centre on Friday 7th August 2009 at 7pm with the grounds open from 6pm for picnics.  Tickets £7 (concessions £6) from 01594 822170.