If there’s a more magical forest in England, we haven’t found it yet. Puzzlewood is a place I’d wanted to visit for years after hearing that it was one of the woods that inspired Tolkien when writing The Lord of the Rings. Having waited to visit for so long, I had high expectations. I’m happy to say that Puzzlewood exceeded them.
It really does feel like you’ve strayed into a fairytale: thick moss covers the trees, gorge walls and boulders, and the result is truly enchanting. It’s no wonder that so many movies have been filmed here (including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Star Wars: The Force Awakens)!
The walkways are rustic, which alls adds to the charm, although it does mean the track might not be for everyone.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Puzzlewood.
Visiting Puzzlewood
The walk
Distance: 1.2miles (2km) circuit
Elevation gain: 40m
Difficulty: Easy
The track
The walk around Puzzlewood is truly spectacular. You would never know that beyond the manicured fields full of farm animals, you’ll come to a rare and wonderful patch of ancient forest.
The moment you set foot in the forest it’s like entering another world. It’s incredible from the first step to the last, but the further you go the more wild it begins to feel.
There are no signposts for the walk, but you’re told to always keep left. The track is mainly flat, but does have a couple of hundred steps scattered throughout it.
You never feel like you’re going uphill though, as there are just a few steps here and there, rather than any sustained climbs.
You’ll immediately be surrounded by towering trees, and as you continue following the trail, you’ll come to a small section of gorge, which reminded us of a mini Luds Church - a huge mossy canyon in the Peaks, and a must if you haven’t visited before.
The wood was silent but for the birdlife and squirrels and we also spotted lots of weird and wonderful fungi, which I guess was thanks to the large amount of rain.
You’ll soon come to one of my favourite sections of the walk, which takes you over a rickety wooden bridge and into a ferny wonderland.
It truly felt like we’d been transported to New Zealand and that’s honestly the highest praise I could ever give!
After you’ve been walking for 1km you’ll reach the far end of the circuit and begin looping back round. You’ll pass several more mossy cliff walls which are incredibly atmospheric.
There are a couple of points where the trail diverges and keeping left means you miss small sections. If you’re like me and you have to see every little bit you can easily circle back on these bits, which doesn’t add on much time or distance.
Although you could easily walk the trail in 30 minutes, we spent more than treble that time just soaking it all up.
There are a few seats scattered around the wood, but the ones in the prettiest spots had a tendency to be a bit damp.
Track conditions
The walk around Puzzlewood is easy in the sense that it’s almost entirely flat, and the scenery is so gorgeous that you stop all the time - even if you’re not a regular walker it won’t be a problem. The only thing to mention is that the terrain can be quite slippery at times.
We visited after a fair bit of rain, so it may have been more slick than usual, but there were quite a few sections where you really had to watch your step.
There are also things like uneven stone steps, but there is always a wooden handrail nearby to help if you need. As long as you take it slowly, particularly after rain, then it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. I’d recommend shoes with a bit of grip if it’s been wet.
Puzzlewood entry fee
The most important thing to know about visiting Puzzlewood is you need to book online in advance and you need to arrive during your allotted time slot. The wood is not open every day, so check in advance so you aren’t disappointed.
The entry fee at time of writing is £8.50 for adults and £7 for children. You can check the opening times, prices and book your tickets here.
Although we never love paying for walks, Puzzlewood really is worth every penny!
Photography tip for Puzzlewood
Although the wood will appear darker, we always find it easy to get good forest photos on cloudy days. Although Puzzlewood is quite dense, on very bright days you can still get dappled uneven light, which is distracting in photographs.
Although clouds make a dark wood even darker, I actually think this adds a bit of mystery and intrigue to the pictures, so it doesn’t really matter. You aren’t allowed to use a tripod inside the wood, but we found we didn’t really need one.
Getting to Puzzlewood
Puzzlewood is located in Gloucestershire - Perrygrove Rd, Coleford GL16 8QB. It’s easy to add on a stop here if you’re spending some time around South Wales as it’s very close to some of the major attractions, including Chepstow Castle and Tintern Abbey.
Facilities at Puzzlewood
Puzzlewood has a small shop selling hot drinks, cakes and a few other snacky things. There are lots of picnic tables outside, which are lovely, and an undercover picnic area which you could use at a pinch, but is less appealing.
There are toilets onsite.
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