Forest of Dean
The Royal Forest of Dean sounds like it might have been Robinhood's secret hideout, tucked between two rivers in Western Gloucestershire near Wales. While the forest is one of few remaining ancient woodlands in the area, it has seen its fair share of industrial invasion; between timbering and iron mining for England's shipbuilding industry, the forest has been left with "scowles" - deep cavities in the land where resources have been dug up and removed.
A local landscape design and architecture firm called Reckless Orchard has been commissioned to design a strategy for public access into the scowles, called the Cinderbury Iron Age Settlement. The design will allow visitors to wander through the iron-red rock outcroppings and "Tolkienesque" trees, creating an ambient sense of the forest's ancient history while preserving its ecological integrity for the future.
Link: Reckless Orchard
Link: Forest of Dean
