Dog Friendly Holiday at Sherwood Forest

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know I LOVE travelling and exploring. The plane is my happy place and to go somewhere and explore a new city or country ... it is in my blood. But there is one thing (or better two things) I miss the most when I am travelling and this is MY DOGS! And with this, dear airlines, it is time you make travelling with dogs easier. Doge belong inside the cabin, not the hold as they are not luggage. So time to change your views, as dog owners would love to travel with their dogs and explore the world.

But back to the blog. So, until we can fly with our dogs, we have to explore the UK with The Beagles. Thankfully we do have a lot of beautiful places to go too. Like Sherwood Forest for example … Robin Hood look out. Sit back and enjoy our Beagle-venture in Sherwood Forest.

We did find Sherwood Forest aka Forest Holidays via the good old google search. We wanted a long weekend trip, not too far to drive. So Sherwood Forest was perfect - only a 2h drive. Run by Forest Holidays, which have locations all over the UK, close to Nottingham and sooooo dog friendly.

Honestly the staff were so welcoming to Lucy and Archie.

Our little Log House was located in the middle of the woods and even so there are other cabins, it is so quiet and peaceful, you would not notice there are other people next to you. I would describe Forest Holiday as a Centre Parks without the entertainment (who needs all if the stuff when you have a whole woodland to explore) and minus the kids. Sorry we are a child free family and I do not want to hear little Timmy next door. So Forest Holidays are great for a quiet and peaceful holiday.

The Beagles loved their new little home for the weekend. Lots of new smells, they were allowed on the sofa (how it should be) and there was a veranda, perfect for squirrel and deer watching. Yes the woods are full of deer, so for us this meant, the Beagles had to stay on their leads during the walks, as otherwise we would have a Fenton moment. We spend every day with long walks to the woods. Sherwood Forest is perfect for walking. You can choose between short or long walks, really depending how you feel. It is mostly flat, so easy for everyone. There is also the option to Go Ape and to hire a bike, in case you feel very adventurous. And after the long walks, back to the cottage and you can see, The Beagles felt right at home and snuggled up on the sofa to chill. Thats the life.

Imagine, waking up in the morning with this view. To the sound of the woods. The sun coming up behind the trees.The mist from the hot tub. Little squirrels hopping around and the deer right next to your window. It was magical and trust me, we did not want to leave.

We did venture out a little further one afternoon to the beautiful Rufford Abbey, a ruin of a 12th century Cistercian Abbey.
Founded by Gilbert de Grant in 1147 and used by cistercian monks, who came from the stunning Rievaulx Abbey. Interesting fact - apparently the abbey was and maybe still is haunted by a giant monk carrying a skull. The Abbey was converted to a country house in the 16th century and partly demolished in the 20th century. The remains and 150 acres of park and woodland are now open to the public and known as the Rufford Country Park. PS. the ice cream shop is highly recommended by us.

On our way back to the cottage we stopped at the impressive site of the Power House at the former Clipstone Colliery, a historical Grade II listed building. The colliery was opened in 1922 to exploit coal. Around the 1930s, the mine was producing around 4000 tones of coal per day. The shafts of the mine are around 920m deep and some of the deepest in the country. You can't visit the mine, but it is still an amazing sight from the road. Back at the log house, Archie and Lucy went to bed for snoozies. It's a Beagles Life. And as they are sleeping, here are some more photos from some of our long woodland walks.

So, lets warp it all up. We LOVED our stay at Sherwood Forest with Forest Holiday. We actually booked another stay, as we like it so much. We found it is perfect to recharge our batteries, chill out and just sit back and relax. Cup of tea in hand and sitting on the veranda, see the trees moving, see the clouds go by and just breathe. It was so healthy and good for our mental health. Catching the #forestfeeling

I hope you enjoyed our little woodland Beagle-venture. If you are looking for a lovely mini break for a couple of days, we can highly recommend Forest Holidays. We also stayed with them in Scotland last year and loved it.

BTW, this post is not sponsored by Forest Holiday. This is just us telling you guys about a lovely dog friendly place to stay.

But in case you want to check them out, here is the link: https://www.forestholidays.co.uk/
A big Awooof from Bridget and The Beagles

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Bridget Davey is a Professional Dog Photographer, working around Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and London, capturing your dog with all their cuteness and silliness in colourful images full of life.

Hodge The Cat - Southwark Cathedral