Lydney

Not to be confused with Sydney.

Lydney is a town in Gloucestershire on the north bank of the Severn estuary, 9 miles from the Welsh border at Chepstow. It grew up as a small port in the 18th and 19th century, and in 2011 its population was 8766. The main reason to visit is to explore the Forest of Dean to the north.

Get in

By train from London Paddington take the hourly Cardiff and Swansea train and change at Newport for the train to Gloucester. Westbound from Gloucester that train trundles on from Lydney to Chepstow, Newport and Cardiff then winds up the Llynfi Valley to Maesteg.

Trains run hourly across the Midlands from Nottingham via Birmingham New St, Cheltenham and Gloucester to Lydney, continuing to Newport and Cardiff.

1 Lydney railway station is a mile south of town centre.

Stagecoach West Bus 23 runs hourly from Gloucester to Lydney (50 min) and continues to Coleford. Don't take Bus 24 which ambles through Cinderford, Soudley and Blakeney, almost two hours to Lydney then on to Chepstow.

Bus 27 runs three times M-Sa between Lydney, Whitecroft and Cinderford.

2 Lydney bus station is just a draughty square on Hams Rd east side of town centre.

By road follow A48, which hugs the north bank of the Severn. Cross the river either to the south by M48, or to the north at Gloucester.

Get around

Walk around town, but you need wheels for the Forest of Dean.

There are several taxi companies operating in Lydney. It is advisable to book in advance as, especially during peak times, supply is limited.

Bus 24 from Gloucester ambles through Cinderford, Soudley and Blakeney, taking almost two hours to Lydney, then on to Chepstow.

Bus 27 runs three times M-Sa between Lydney, Whitecroft and Cinderford.

Holders of English concessionary bus passes may use these as far as Chepstow in Wales, conversely Welsh pass holders may use them as far east as Lydney.

See

• 1 Lydney Harbour was built in 1810 at the outflow of the River Lyd - its lower mile is a canal to allow boats to reach the village. In 2020 the lock gates broke so the harbour has silted up and is unusable.
• 2 Romano-Celtic Temple and Lydney Park. The site was archaeologically excavated in the 1920s by Sir Mortimer Wheeler, with the assistance of J.R.R. Tolkien.  
• 3 Dean Forest Railway, 48 Forest Rd, Lydney GL15 4ET (on B4234), ☏ +44 1594 845840. This 4½-mile line runs through beautiful woodland and countryside. Five stations along the way give you time to explore the local area. Rides adult £12, conc £11, child £6. (updated Sep 2017)
• 4 Hopewell Colliery Museum, Speech House Rd, Coleford GL16 7EL, ☏ +44 1594 810706. W-Su 9AM-5PM. Most mining heritage reflects big industrial enterprises, but in the Forest of Dean it was more like prospecting in the Yukon: residents can mine their own claim, a right enshrined in law in 1838. This led to a plethora of small drift mines for coal and iron ore, and Hopewell is one of the few remaining. The tour takes you down into the seam, mind your head. Adult £8, child £6. (updated Jun 2021)
• 5 Dean Heritage Centre, Camp Mill, Soudley GL14 2UB, ☏ +44 1594 822170. Th-Su 10AM-3PM. Museum in an old watermill demonstrating forest trades such as charcoal-making, and the "free-mining" heritage as at Hopewell. Adult £4, conc and child £4. (updated Jun 2021)

Do

• 1 National Diving & Activity Centre is in Tidenham west on A48, see Chepstow.
• Study maggots on corpses: Lydney was the scene of one of the first murders solved by forensic entomology. Flies quickly alight on dead bodies and lay eggs, which hatch into maggots, which go through a series of moult cycles before buzzing off as mature flies. The stage of the maggots indicates when the body came to lie there. In 1964 the notable pathologist Prof Keith Simpson in this way identified the date of death of a rotting corpse in Lydney, which helped identify the victim and bring the culprit to justice. However it wasn't the very first example, as in 1247 AD Song Ci (宋慈) of Fujian, China, documented a murder solved by blow-flies.

Buy

• 1 Green Man and the Gatekeeper, Now at Taurus Crafts, The Old Park, GL15 6BU (on the A48, Chepstow road from Lydney to Taurus Crafts; look for the Bull sculpture on your right), ☏ +44 1594 843860. Daily 11AM-5PM. Inspired by history, tradition and heritage - original, unique gifts in leather, ceramics and pewter, greetings cards. Green Man plaques, bags, belts, masks, jewellery, brooches, badges, miniatures. 

Sleep

• 1 The Deangate Motel, High Street, GL15 5DX, ☏ +44 1594 844319, info@deangatemotel.com. Check-in: M-Sa 2-8PM; Su 2-5PM. 5 minutes drive from the train station. Continental breakfast is served in your room at £5 per person. Free parking and Wi-Fi. Tea and coffee facilities, flat-screen TV, hairdryer and adjustable heating system. Close to walking tracks and cycling routes, and fishing is available on the nearby Bristol Channel. Single/double with shared bath £39/49; double/twin with private bath £62.50, family room up to 6 £132, disabled access room £71.20. (updated Sep 2017)
• 2 Tudor Farmhouse, High Street, Clearwell GL16 8JS, ☏ +44 1594 833046. Gorgeous little hotel in Elizabethan farmhouse, great British cuisine. B&B double £130. (updated Jun 2020)
• 3 Forest House & Andersens, Cinder Hill, Coleford GL16 8HQ, ☏ +44 1594 832424. Charming hotel with 8 rooms in 18th-century villa. Comfy, great dining. No dogs. B&B double £100. (updated Aug 2020)

Connect

As of June 2021, Lydney has 4G from EE and O2, but a poor signal from Three and Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

• Forest of Dean is an ancient woodland, meaning it was a hive of industry in them there days. Medieval folk depended upon forest trades such as charcoal-making, and law and hoary custom fosters individual mining for coal and iron ore.
• Chepstow is across the border in Wales, where it's known as Cas-gwent. Go to the races, and explore the scenic Wye valley. The river defines the border.
• Gloucester is a fine old cathedral city.

Routes through Lydney

Newport ← Chepstow ←

SW  NE

→ Gloucester