Getting away from it all couldn’t have been easier for GILES SHELDRICK as he ventured into the Forest of Dean.

Sometimes, just sometimes, it’s good for the soul to get away for the weekend, to a place where life is... slower.

Now I’m not talking about a city break to some European capital, no – but to somewhere random.... like the Forest of Dean.

‘The Forest of Dean?’ I hear you cry.

Beyond the Cotswolds, a short drive from Oxford, lies The Royal Forest of Dean, a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south and Gloucester to the east.

And as its name suggests, there is a lot of woodland.

When I first announced to my girlfriend I was whisking her away for the weekend, she reached for the Time Out Paris guide. She was a little bemused when I gave her a pac-a-mac and pair of stout shoes instead and told her this was to be a weekend of back-to-basics pleasure.

We stayed at the Tudor Farmhouse Hotel in Clearwell, a gorgeous 13th-century buildling with an assortment of little cottages, run by Colin and Hari Fell.

Our ‘room’ was the the Cottage Suite, which has a decent-sized and well-equipped lounge area downstairs with double room and en suite upstairs.

It even had fluffy dressing gowns. There was, however, no mobile reception (although the hotel does boast wireless broadband Internet access).

First up was to don Lycra and head for the nearby Pedalabikeaway Cycle Centre.

There are several of these brilliant little centres dotted around the south-west.

Nestled in the heart of National Trust woodland, a few miles from Clearwell, the idea is to pitch up, hire a bike and embark on an easy 12-mile lap of beautiful countryside.

It cost peanuts – about £16 for a couple of hours – but it was a great way to see large swathes of wooded countryside where (you guessed it) there was still no mobile reception.

Plastered in mud and tired, but refreshed after a strong cuppa, we headed back to our suite, showered and slipped into our comfy dressing gowns before an afternoon snooze.

We dined in the Farmhouse’s cosy restaurant (AA two rosette) which offers fine dining with a seasonal-based menu.

I opted for ballotine of local wild rabbit with harissa and melon relish for starter and loin fillet of Usk Valley beef, served with port wine red cabbage, potato fondant and oxtail jus for main.

My girlfriend chose Madgett’s Farm chicken liver parfait, toasted apricot brioche and plum chutney and breast of Madgett’s Farm duck, aubergine and lentil curry, mango relish and roasted sweet potato.

Suffice to say it was first class. Still no mobile reception.

The following day we took a long walk in woods close to Upper Soudley, which, at its peak, offered cracking views out over the Severn Estuary towards Stroud and Gloucester, and plenty of fresh air.

All in all, it was good for the soul.

As we left the Forest of Dean and approached west Oxfordshire, the phone went crazy – a bombardment of text messages, missed calls and voicemails.

The Forest of Dean might be the butt of many jokes, but at least you can switch off – literally.

Colin and Hari left the London scene and have injected a warm, friendly, family feel to the Tudor Farmhouse Hotel – and more importantly got in a decent chef. A converted farm (the farm dates from the 13th century) the hotel is surrounded by the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley countryside within easy reach of Monmouth, Chepstow, Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye. The Cottage Suite, with two persons sharing, costs £160 per night, bed and breakfast, Sunday to Thursday, and £170 per night Friday and Saturday. However, rooms start at £60 per person per night for bed and breakfast accommodation.

tudorfarmhousehotel.co.uk/ 01594 833046