Today was an amazing day. The height of the Great British summer was in full swing with the sun beating down its rays of delight. I had traveled out to a very enchanting, mystical spot called Puzzlewood deep in the heart of the Forest of Dean, here in Great Britain .

David Else from the bestselling worldwide travel book series ‘Lonely Planet’ praises the site as follows:

“It is an extraordinary area with a maze of paths, eerie passageways through moss-covered rocks, hidden dead ends, weird rock formations, tangled vines and gorgeous untamed scenery.”

There are mazes, playgrounds, a picnic area, farm animals to pet, a small cafe and gift shop too, along with cottages to rent. In fact there is quite the collection of animals: Highland cattle, Pygmy goats, Soay sheep, pigs, Call ducks, chickens, Silkies, Shetland ponies, donkeys, goats and rabbits!

All this makes it a great day out for all the family, but I was there for the main attraction: the labyrinthian like trail that winds throughout 14 acres of pristine forest land.

Julian Rix a journalist from the Guardian, one of the biggest newspapers in the nation, said this: “Puzzlewood is not to be missed and the magic is irresistible.”

Puzzlewood contains deep ravines, moss covered rocks, wooden bridges, fantastic trees and rock formations.
This unusual yet beautiful landscape has made it a popular filming location for TV and Film.

It is said to have inspired JRR Tolkien’s forests of Middle Earth in the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Doctor Who, Merlin and Arthur (three very popular TV shows from UK) have been filmed here along with more recently accommodating the filming crew for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Here are some pictures of the film crews camp and some of the scenes from the movie:

Kathleen Kennedy the producer and president of Lucasfilm said this about the area: "The most magical forest on the face of the earth!"

Me at the Entrance and the Walk Itself

The path starts open and with no sight off crevice or lush flora, but that soon changes after one descends down into the first dip, where there are elevated balancing beams and stepping stones that allow one to walk without getting too muddy or maybe it’s just there to have fun being a gymnast for a while :D

The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful.

The area is home to rare geological formations known as Scowles.

Over millions of years the natural cave system has been eroded and exposed to the surface. This gives rise to epic pathways where you can walk between towering jutting rocks.

The natural erosion exposed iron ore veins which are present all over the Forest of Dean. They have been mined as far back as the times of the Iron Age and the Roman Empire. In the 1800’s some men working in the wood discovered the presence of three earthenware jars containing over 3000 Roman coins!

Puzzlewood is home to a wide variety of tree species too, such as oak, beech, ash, lime and yew among many others. Yew apparently has a penchant for seeking out the iron ore veins to feed on, creating amazing root formations.