Coalway/Coleford, Forest of Dean/Glos

[AnythingConsidered]

Hi all

I have seen a house I really love in Coalway & want to put in an offer.

It backs on to wooded area, at the end of a close and is the perfect size for me. It will be a 15-20 year home & I'll be living there alone (dd visiting when home from uni), commuting to Bristol and Cardiff.

I've holidayed in Forest of Dean for years and always dreamed of heading this way from a town just outside of Bristol, but don't know this particular town/village (?) at all, other than driving through it to get to Puzzlewood!

Would appreciate some feedback or comments for anyone in the know.

Have you got 6 fingers on each hand 😉
People are snobby about the Forest, but personally I love it. I don't live there, but am not against moving there (I'm within 15 miles).
It's beautiful scenery, but a bit cut off. Can you access a shop/drs/anything else easily?
Wild boars are also a pain, but easy enough to keep them out.
If you like the house then I'd go for it. Not much to lose.

We have a little holiday home in Coleford, we really like it, nice little community, quiet and of course the lovely countryside.

Coalway/Coleford within the FoD is possibly the furthest from a rail station if that's important to you, but plenty of shops in Coleford including excellent LIDL, and a few nice pubs/bars/coffee shops - I think a wine bar opened recently and the Forest Deli is excellent, also has a teeny tiny cinema in the town.

Don't know Coalway as well but afaik it's quiet

In my experience it’s a very insular and cut off community. There’s a reason the first comment refered to having 6 fingers on each hand. It’s not somewhere many outsiders move to so I’m not sure how you’ll be received. It’s certainly not somewhere I would move to.

Coleford is probaly the best of the Forest's towns. Pubic transport is pretty hit and miss and the nearest railway station is in Lydney. It does have it's own little cinema, good shops and easy enough acess to Monmouth, Bristol, Gloucester, etc if you have a car. Winter can be tricky with local flooding/snow/ice on roads out but it is more than balanced out by the beauty of the area the rest of the year.

This is really useful feedback. Thank you everyone