In the evening and at dusk, the Forest of Dean is home to all kinds of mighty and mysterious creatures.
Venture out on this evening safari just before the cloak of darkness settles in. Watch in awe as the forest's secretive and shy wildlife begin to resurface for the night. Wild boar, fallow deer, bats, and foxes emerge. Consider yourself even luckier to catch a glimpse of a pine marten or an otter!
During the spring and early summer, the evenings echo with the sounds of woodland birdsong from robins, song thrushes and blackbirds. Woodcock display overhead while tawny owls hoot in the twilight. You might even make out the sound of a churring nightjar.
Cannop Ponds come alive with waterbirds: mandarin ducks, mute swans, little grebes, kingfishers, dippers and grey wagtails. Safaris a little earlier in the day may reveal the local Forest of Dean birds: crossbills, siskins and hawfinches. While you're taking in all of these, don't forget to pay attention to all the butterflies, lizards, glow worms and woodland flowers. This experience is a feast of the eyes.
Please note the event will run once four or more customers have booked per date.
Age restrictions: 8+
per person | £40 |
We spent a great couple of hours with Ed learning about the birds and the forest. Even saw a few...
Ed is a great guide and educator who leads in a safe, enjoyable and welcoming way. He shares his ...
Ed was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, very enjoyable couple of hours
A relaxing and informative evening spent in the Forest of Dean learning about the wildlife and en...
We spent a great couple of hours with Ed learning about the birds and the forest. Even saw a few wild boar. Highly recommended.
Ed is a great guide and educator who leads in a safe, enjoyable and welcoming way. He shares his knowledge and infectious enthusiasm for the local wildlife whilst maximising opportunities to encounter the wild boar, deer, bats and birdlife of the Forest of Dean. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would highly recommend the experience to others.
Ed was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, very enjoyable couple of hours
A relaxing and informative evening spent in the Forest of Dean learning about the wildlife and environment. Ed was a great host, very knowledgeable and attentive to everyone in the group.
A really enjoyable time and I’d recommend it to others
It was a fantastic experience, Ed was so knowledgeable and friendly. We would definitely recommend to anyone who wanted to know more about nature in the Forest of Dean, seeing, smelling and hearing things that you might overwise miss.
We had a great time on the wildlife safari - Ed was an exceptional host, and we learnt so much about the Forest of Dean from his experience! Would definitely recommend!
A really well considered experience with lots of interesting information and the chance to share twilight with boar and deer. We had a great time I would definitely recommend!
Ed's knowledge was brilliant. Spent a wonderful evening exploring the wildlife of the Forest of Dean, and Ed made everyone feel really welcome. He also took care to make sure everyone was able to see the wildlife. Thanks for a fantastic evening!
Incredible evening with amazing wildlife and informative and friendly host. Thank you very much.
Had an amazing time!
An excellent evening with Ed, we were able to see wild boar, fallow deer and pipistrelle bats as well as woodcock, dippers and wagtails in the forest. Ed is highly knowledgeable about the wildlife and it is an easy walk. Thanks for a great evening!
Brilliant evening. Ed is so knowledgeable with great communication skills. We saw Boar, Deer, Buzzards, Bats and loads of rare birds including Woodcock. Thoroughly recommended!
We saw wild boar, a woodcock, many different birds and several deer. The location of the tour is very beautiful. We had a bit of difficulty finding the start point, though we managed to track the group down in the end. My sister loved her birthday treat. Thank you Ed!
Ed’s knowledge and enthusiasm was infectious. Stimulating to go forward to appreciate the points of nature around us. Would love to have the chance to return in different season etc.
Ed was an excellent guide with broad knowledge of everything we encountered. Geology, history and of course natural history. This was supported with plenty of audio and visual material.
Fantastic evening. Explored a beautiful area of the forest. We saw fallow deer, an abundance of birds, bats and then a female wild boar with her piglet! If you haven’t got binoculars, try and borrow some as they definitely helped!
Ed was a brilliant host. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the area, birds and animals enhanced the experience. He made sure we didn’t miss anything during this wonderful evening that I would recommend to anyone interested in nature and the outdoors.
Ed was excellent would thoroughly recommend
This was a Christmas present that delivered! I told the family that I really wanted to see Wild Boar so they bought me this experience. 10 boar later and I was a very happy guy. Thank you Ed for making this a successful evening.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Safari yesterday. Ed was very knowledgable and approachable and I learned a lot. I loved seeing our garden birds in a forest setting at dusk and the birdsong was amazing. The tawny owl at the end was fabulous too! The highlight was actually seeing wild boar - we were very lucky. Thank you so much.
Me and my boyfriend had the BEST time on our walking safari! It's such a beautiful part of the forest and we were able to see lots of beautiful wildlife – including a wild boar! Ed is an excellent host – so enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and considerate. Thanks so much Ed!
Ed was an excellent host looked after myself and my friend who were the older members of the group.Very knowledgeable. Would recommend
It was a very informative and enjoyable tour. Ed is an incredibly knowledgeable and friendly guide. Our group was lucky to see a few wild boar and deer, plus we had a very comprehensive introduction to the bird population of the Forest of Dean. Fantastic experience!
Ed is tremendously knowledgeable about the animals, birds and flora in the Forest of Dean and very happy to share that knowledge and answer any questions. We had a great time and really enjoyed seeing a wide range of things with a very engaging host. The highlights for us were the wild boar and mandarin ducks.
Enthusiastic, knowledgeable host, great environment, we enjoyed it very much (helped by perfect weather!)
Ed was a very knowledgeable host who shared his enthusiasm for nature with our group. I had a lovely evening spotting a variety of wildlife and would highly recommend to anyone, nature lover or not!
Ed is extremely knowledgeable and really brought the forest alive for us. It was such a great and different way to spend an evening.
Ed was absolutely fantastic and an incredible host. His passion for wildlife and the forest really was infectious. I learned so much during this truly unique and enjoyable experience. Thank you!!
Such a lovely evening with Ed showing around a beautiful place. Got to see glimpses of the wildlife and learnt so much more about the habitat and birds in the area. Fabulous - thanks!
This is such an amazing and exciting experience. Ed is a brilliant guide - so knowledgeable, passionate and engaging. We had a really memorable time and even saw some wild boar and piglets along the way!
Great experience. Ed was really knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We saw some really lovely woodland and were lucky to see the Boar and Deer.
The group size was perfect as it meant the tour was personal.
A really informative and enthusiastic guide! We had a brilliant evening and loved learning more about the fauna and flora of the Forest of Dean.
This is the second guided walk I’ve done with Ed. He is an excellent host and very knowledgeable. It’s great to learn about the nature around us.
This is a truly awesome experience with an experienced and passionate guide. Ed really brought the forest to life, pointing out vital signs of the flora and fauna giving a new understanding of the Forest of Dean. Great sightings of both wild boar and deer were the icing on the cake. Highly recommended.
Excellent. Ed was an great host, passionate and knowledge about the Forest of Dean. We saw some good birds on Cannop Ponds, deer in the Forest and we were lucky to have had superb Wild Boar views. The Forest is both interesting for natural history and it's social/industrial history.
Ed is a great guide who kept interested as we walked through two different environments. He showed us both the range of wildlife but also the impact of some of those wildlife.
Great evening in great company. Very interesting walk, heard and saw wildlife going about their routine, very exciting to be part of their environment.
Ed is very knowledgeable, patient and easy going, will recommend to our friends.
Fantastic wildlife safari with Ed Drewitt. Ed was very engaging and informative. Really enjoyed the experience.
Ed is an engaging guide who draws your attention to things you just wouldn’t have noticed without his knowledge. We also saw a sole fallow deer grazing in a woodland meadow and came within feet of a pack of wild boar who thundered off through the bracken when they realised we were close by. Recommended!
Ed is an excellent host. A very enjoyable experience. Hearing wild boar a few feet away and seeing a beautiful, pregnant fallow deer were the highlights.
A very enjoyable evening with a knowledgeable host in Ed Drewitt and like minded companions. Heard and saw numerous birds, sightings of deer and a very close encounter with the elusive wild boar. Ed taught us to look for the clues of the wild life in the magical Forest of Dean. Highly recommended.
A regular walk brought to life with the relaxed but informative style of Ed Drewitt
Ed was a great guide who had so much knowledge of the nature, history and geography of the Forest of Dean. His enthusiasm is infectious and he led us on a fascinating early evening tour on which we heard wild boar and signs of their digging and wallowing. We saw fallow deer, Woodcoks flying, Mandarin Ducks, greylag geese and other water fowl. We also heard lots of bird song which Ed was able to identify for us but even i could recognise the owl hoots (Tawny Owl).
It was a great evening.
Very enjoyable walk and I learnt lots from Ed, who is very friendly and knowledgeable.
Christmas Present no idea of cost. Instructions for arrival clear and concise. Enjoyed hugley Ed set the scene on landscape and its heritage. Helped to pick out birds - would not have been able to appreciate the birds without his guidance and support. No boar/deer did not detract on the day. However, whole experience was enjoyable - 2 hours was the right length. Not suitable for young children - as the get older I am sure they would appreciate it. Would recommend to friends and family
The activities are held outdoors at a time when there are little to no other people around and social distancing is easy to achieve. Participants will use their own transport and only those not experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms will be permitted to attend.
Your host Ed follows the current government guidelines on groups sizes. The covid-19 risk assessment is part of the overall risk assessment completed.
The safari times can vary depending on the sunset - these will be advised on booking
You will be out for around 2 hours and walk approx 1.5 to 2 miles (2.4km - 3km) at a steady or slow pace taking in the scenery, sounds and wildlife along the way
Walking is along well-surfaced tracks and you are able to venture off onto smaller paths and gentle uphill or downhill terrain
Torches, binoculars and weather-appropriate clothing are advised
Ed's got a passion for wildlife. He enjoys taking people out to see and experience it. Ed offers training courses on identifying birds and their songs. He has been studying urban peregrine falcons for the past 20 years and is the author of Urban Peregrines. He's got an educational background so is always on a quest to learn new things.
Ask your question directly to Ed Drewitt.