Retreat, rest, recover, revive and all with a room with a view – explore a green and pleasant corner of the UK.

If, like me, you enjoy a relaxing experience on your time off, maybe do some walking, enjoy a pint and a pub meal and watch the world go by, then there’s a perfect tranquil spot hidden away in rural England.

Only a couple of hours drive from Dorset is the Forest of Dean, a gloriously-green patchwork landscape with river valleys and hills criss-crossing it – perfect for avid or leisurely walkers, cyclists, climbers, adventurers or just those that enjoy great views.

And nestled in the fantastically-named Much Birch (which I can testify is very green indeed,) in the Wye Valley is the Pilgrim Country House Hotel.

The hotel is situated – and well signposted – off the main road, and when you wake up in the morning you look right out across a valley – it’s a beautiful view. The rooms are cosy and have everything you could need.

But be warned – the food at the Pilgrim is fantastic!

They use fresh Herefordshire produce in all their dishes and everything we tried, from the steak, beef bourguignon and curry to desserts like the salted caramel chocolate mousse and ice cream was lovely.

It was presented beautifully, didn’t scrimp on the portion sizes and left us very full and satisfied – it’s easy to see why you meet so many locals and holiday-makers alike at the bar.

We even got a glimpse of one of their famous Murder Mystery nights, taking place in the function room – it sounded like a lot of fun.

If like me, you love walking you should visit because the Pilgrim is a great base for the forest and is only 15 minutes drive from Symonds Yat – a glorious deep-sided river valley.

We had a great day walking along the banks towards Ross-on-Wye, although we did spend much of it trying to spot the famous peregrine falcons that nest on the rocky cliffs. For those walkers with dogs, I should mention that well-behaved pooches are welcome at the hotel too.

The welcome is extremely warm at the Pilgrim and the staff were always incredibly helpful and made some great suggestions for trips during our stay. In fact, we would never have discovered the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo without them.

This was an unexpected treat – a small zoo featuring some incredible (and utterly massive) butterflies. The indoor facility is heated (so great on those slightly chilly days) and features incredible exotic species.

The butterflies fly around and you can explore their life-cycles – maybe one will even land on you and bring you good luck – like the staff explained to us as a massive blue and grey creature made its home on my leg.

I can imagine the Wye Valley would be a great place for families too as there is easy access to all kinds of activities like walking, cycling, canoeing, mini-golf and laser tag.

In short, if you are looking for a quiet yet beautiful corner of the UK, with a warm welcome, great food and a perfect base to explore some gorgeous scenery, then I can’t recommend the Pilgrim enough.

Just like its tag line suggests: retreat, rest, recover, revive.

Get away

The journey by car takes about two hours and you simply need to head to the M5, cross the bridge to Wales and follow the signs through Herefordshire for the Forest of Dean. 

Address:
Pilgrim Country House Hotel
Much Birch,
Hereford,
HR2 8HJ

Telephone: 01981 540 742
www.pilgrimhotel.co.uk