THE man behind the Forest's Clearwell Caves attraction has bought an area of scowles and ancient woodland 'over the road' and is set to open it as the "Secret Forest" this coming weekend.

It is many years since a new attraction opened in the Forest – ironically the ultimately doomed Cinderbury Iron Age Village close by – and Ray Wright and his son Jonathan have been restoring buildings and creating a network of wheelchair-friendly pathways for some time.

"It has taken a lot of work as things were in a bit of a mess but visitors can now see a fairy castle as well as a really interesting area," Ray said of the 17-acre site where some of the yew trees are reckoned to be 800-1,000 years old.

"They may look small but the experts say they have grown really slowly because their roots are in solid rock just under the surface.

"You really have to come and walk around to appreciate it all. We will be offering entrance as a combination ticket with entrance to the caves."

Ray and his son have become experts in the ancient history of the area, the natural caves incorporating iron-ore and ochre mine workings extending hundreds of feet underground and dating back as far as the Neolithic age some 4,500 years ago.

While some of the scowles (large rock depressions) in the area may be natural it is believed many may have been mined for iron thousands of years ago.

"We believe the Secret Forest is a unique attraction for the Forest, and we have been hoping others in the Clearwell area might join us to promote the appeal of this part of the world."

Ray added the caves had enjoyed more visitors over Christmas than in previous festive seasons when snow had made travel difficult.

"The weather was kind to us this year," he said.

For entry details and opening times telephone 832535 or email [email protected]">[email protected]