The Fabulous Forest of Dean
Exploring the tree-mendous Welsh Border forest where wild boar roam
“Do not feed the wild boar!” screams the sign on the noticeboard.
Furtively, I scan the surrounding trees. Are they watching me now?
Weighing up to 15-stone and standing over 2 ½ feet tall, a wild boar couldn’t be any happier than in the Forest of Dean. This 42-square miles of woodland habit is perfect for them. They love churning up the woodland soil for bulbs, roots, seeds, nuts, earthworms and insects with their super-strong snouts.
But they’re not popular with the locals. A wild boar can do a lot of damage if they wander into a garden or vegetable patch!
They thrive here because the Forest of Dean is tucked away in a leafy corner of Gloucestershire, sandwiched between the River Wye and Wales to the west and the River Severn to the south-east.
It’s one of England’s oldest woodlands, designated a royal hunting ground in Saxon times. In 1218, the Normans introduced special forest laws, upheld by four local officials called verderers. Today, the forest is still overseen by four verderers.
