The Foresters’ Forest Hidden Heritage App is an exciting new way to explore the Forest of Dean because it’s like taking a step back in time, showing you the Forest’s industrial past in a series of magical ‘Then and Now’ images.

The Hidden Heritage App follows the route of the Forestry Commission’s Family Cycle Trail and as you move along the path your location is tracked on a 1920s vintage OS map using GPS so that it triggers a message when you are near a Point Of Interest. At each of these sites the App will show you fading ‘Then and Now’ images that brings the history of the Forest to life.

The App has been created by a group of volunteers who have a real passion for their Forest and wanted to share that knowledge, so that others can appreciate the industrial and social history contained within our beautiful green forest today. It’s taken hundreds of hours of labour, both out on the ground and behind a computer screen, all given freely by the volunteers.

Sue Middleton, Programme Manager for the Foresters’ Forest said:?“We hope that this is the first of a series of Heritage Apps as other community groups use this template to create their own Heritage App for their trail, site or building in future.”

The Foresters’ Forest, a Heritage Lottery Funded programme which financed the technical side of creating the App, which was made by Dan Boys of Audio Trails.  The route itself follows the Forestry Commission’s Family Cycle Trail which is a nine mile circular route, suitable for all ages and abilities, mainly following former railway lines with connecting routes to villages and picnic and picnic sites.

On Saturday, July 23rd there is a Family Fun Day event, starting at the Cannop Cycle Centre/Pedalabikeaway so you could download the Hidden Heritage App at home first and then try it out on the Family Cycle Trail. The App is free to download from the Apple iStore at itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1063997355 and will be available from Android in due course.