THE Dean is the second most popular forest in the UK, as measured by the number of mentions it gets on social media site Instagram, a recent survey has found.

The Dean was beaten to the top spot by the New Forest, but beat Sherwood Forest into third place, according to an analysis of hashtags used for 70 forests in the country by holiday resort operator Away Resorts.

Maureen McAllister, executive director of Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism said: “We promote the Forest as a year-round all-weather destination and we’re thrilled that it is so popular with Instagram users from all around the world and that our #ForestofDean hashtag is proving so popular - it has been used 102,955 times on Instagram.

“The Forest is a destination that visitors flock to, and Instagrammers are spoilt for choice in the subject matter they can use throughout the year. In the spring we have stunning bluebells, during the summer shady walks amongst the trees, mountain bike riding, canoeing and exciting attractions to visit, then we have beautiful autumn colours as the leaves turn gold and red.