Hopewell Colliery Cafe in Forest of Dean

Great tour of the mine. Very interesting and informative. The guide was really good at explaining and he is clearly very passionate about what he does.. You can visit the site for free and without booking, but if you want to go on the mine tour you need to book and pay online via the website. Just beware that the café closes much earlier than advertised and also that some of the information on the website is out of date, including the café menu.

Great food, lovely service. There is so much rich history about the Colliery and the Forest of Dean.

Really interesting little tour underground with a guide who really knew their stuff. I really enjoyed learning about how coal was mined in the Forest of Dean and the experiences of those who mined it

Best breakfast in the forest, really delicious and great friendly people. Love the art work and the history of the place and will definitely be back!

Must see place for anyone visiting the area. Rich is a legend, he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the area, the geology, the history and mining, but most of all Rich is one of life’s amazing characters. It was an honour to spend time with him. Cafe is brilliant, highly recommended

14.04.24 I visited Hopewell last Sunday. 'Rich' was our guide. Extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the history of the mines and mining over the years right up to the mining that continues today, making our experience very enlightening and enjoyable. Thank you

A really interesting tour of a small mine. Rich was really knowledgeable and informative. Our boys (4 and 7) were fascinated. The food at the cafe was also great!

Interesting 200 year old coal mine. The pre-booked tour takes you down the mine to the coal face. Lots if detail and information given by the guide about the mine and how it's built. A good value tour & well worth a visit. The cafe serves good food with friendly staff and there is a picnic area too. Book tickets on website beforehand.

Totally awesome place , best Sunday roast around , the service is second to none, the food is good, home cooked and fresh veg. Amazing selection of homemade puddings and cakes, can highly recommend

A little gem of a cafe. We visited with no booking but we were greeted by such friendly people you'd think we were regulars. It's a bright spacious cafe serving a huge selection of food which is all home made! We had steak pie which was tender, rich and full of meat. I had cottage pie with veg and a good jug of gravy. Again, it was clearly home made, really tasty and huge portions. Despite being a bit full we couldn't resist the dessert, having pavlova and Malteser cheesecake. As you can see from the photos, the puds were gorgeous. All this teams up with a good pot of foresters tea. None of your one bag rations here! I can't recommend this cafe highly enough. It's a real gem, even if at first glance, it's a little unlikely from outside. Don't be put off on a rainy day, you'll get the warmest of welcomes. The history that adorns the walls inside, about the Freeminers of the Forest Of Dean clearly shows their commitment to the area and the adjoining pit which is well worth visiting too.

Great cafe. Food is lovely, but perhaps not the place if you are on a diet. You won't leave hungry!

Absolutely fantastic. As someone who is slightly claustrophobic I was a bit nervous about this experience but there was absolutely no need to be. As you walk down towards the coal face the path is pretty steep and I had to stoop my head for some of it but when we got to the coal face, which is where we spent most of our time, it was high enough for us all to stand up. Really interesting and a good laugh. I would definitely recommend.

Never had a bad experience at the Cafe: Sunday Roast, breakfast or a variety of very good cakes/puddings across weekends and week days (at various times). Very popular with locals work men, walkers, cyclists and OAP who know get value for money generous home cooked food with generous portions. Not a frozen anything in sight!. Coffee sometimes a bit weak for my taste (when I have forgotten to say I like a strong black) but I have always found them very accommodating when asked. Any fads or hates talk to them I know they will try and accommodate if they can. Will always try to accommodate walkers with dogs inside or out if they can . Friendly helpful staff

Nice place great fry up if your hungry lovely staff.

Disappointed, we would love to support little local companies such as this and would return every weekend but the food was horrendous, ordered 2 English breakfast,asked for crispy bacon, didn’t get that,the bacon we did get had metal from an old scouring pad stuck in it. The fried bread was either end of an old loaf and we failed to cut/ bite/ or rip it in any way to the point I bent a fork trying and the black pudding had only been cooked on one side so the top was totally raw! Left very disappointed and would hope the mine tour side is much better

Took an underground tour at Hopewell Colliery this morning. Fascinating to see the conditions in which the Freeminers worked and still do today. Very interesting talk from our guide, Rich and followed by a lovely lunch in the Colliery cafe where I had probably the best steak pie I’ve had in a long time! Another gem of the Forest!

Great experience learning how hard and dangerous the conditions were and still are for the miners. The guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.

Informative mine visit with very knowledgeable miner, who is still actively free mining in the Forest of Dean. Only downside was cafe was closed when we came out of mine, which was when it was needed the most. I would definitely recommend the experience as there is little else to see. Stout footwear essential along with warm clothing.

We only went to the cafe which was nice and the food was good.

A very good tour. We got to go down the mines and they guys were full of information on local skills and traditions. We ended up being down there for an hour and a half as we were all so interested with what they had to say. Definitely not one to miss!

Really interesting tour; historic and technical as well as fascinating. Guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. Cafe has a great atmosphere and supplies great food and drinks. I will definitely visit again and recommend to everyone highly.

Fantastic place food and service at cafe absolutely excellent would recommend

Nice short tour down old coal mine. Enthusiast and friendly staff. Happy to answer any questions. Good and educational.

At £10 per head, I thought it was a bit pricey for the 40 minutes. Yes, it was interesting but 10 people x £10 = £100 for 40 minutes 'work'? Nothing else to see there other than walking about 300ft into the mine.

Huge portions. Bought enough home to last 2 days. Delicious

A very interesting place. A great tour guide. He tells an interesting story and comprehensively answered questions. Very friendly service in the cafe. Delicious coffee. Beautiful surroundings.

What a GEM. This cafe is Excellent The food was Gr8. Service was Gr8. Value was Gr8 I was so pleased to find this place, so next day l came back with my friends and they liked it just as much. I would give it 6 stars if l could and 10/10. Well done the staff of Hopewell cafe

Stopped at the café after a walk in the Forest. Lovely home made cakes and great coffee, if a little pricey.

Great place to visit, staff were very friendly and the food was belly busting brilliant 👏 x

Wonderful little cafe tucked into the heart of the forest of dean...lovely food, great Sunday lunch, friendly staff and luscious cakes.You can also buy home made preserves here

Only the cafe was open but that was good

An outstanding mine tour. Rich was incredibly accommodating and offered an insightful and interesting tour for a large school group. We’ll definitely be back!

Lovely friendly staff and nice coffee and cake 🎂 🥮 👍🙂

Great distancing in spite of everything. Good food.

Had a breakfast in the cafe, superb 👌

An amazing experience, with a out of season tour - we couldn't have expected anything better. We made use of the Café on site before meeting Rich who was our tour guide for the mines. The Café itself does great food, snacks & drinks and for the season was very festive! Meeting Rich was great, straight away very friendly, funny and informative on the process going into the mines, and during the mines! With us all being kitted up ready to go in. We had group 1 going in first and then a second group going in 40mins to 1hr later for the second tour. Small groups of 8 which worked really nice. Rich told us everything we needed to know, told us stories about the mines and even got us all to turn our lights off and experience true darkness for the first time. I think everyone took away something from this experience! and rich was more happy to answer any questions we had. Overall 10/10 for everything!

It was very good. I had large breakfast and my cycling partner had a small one. I've been 3 times now. And the service and the venue I can't fault it.

I didn't go down the mine, but the case is cheap and cheerful with friendly staff. Scary pictures of mines and newspaper clippings of appalling accident on the walls. Thank goodness coal is on the way out and people don't have to work in such danger, dreadful conditions and exploitation any more. Of course, they are still exploited, but usually in greater safety.

Friendly staff, gorgeous food for very reasonable prices. Try their homemade soup and cheese scones!

Very interesting, informative and educational. Guide was excellent. Shame it was so short though.

Excellent underground mine tours and the cafe food is great & wonderful value. A local favourite destination.

Tour guide was fantastic, and patient with some dude who turned up late being more interested in showing off his knowledge of Welsh mining. Really cool mine, if you're tall, you'll be crouching a bit, good cafe also.

Brilliant, informative excellent guide. Well worth the visit

Visited today and Rich was our guide. Such an amazing experience. Highly recommend a visit. Very informative, and very interesting. A steep decline into the pit, but several elderly people on our tour, and Rich was very patient and they managed it, albeit very slowly. This mine is still a working mine, a vary rare thing, which I feel very privileged to have been able to see, just how these amazing men have worked so hard for so many generations.

Very good experience Great staff

Only visited the cafe while working in the area. Had a full breakfast that was delicious and freshly cooked. Brilliant service, very clean and the food options where vast. A little gem that would have to call in again if found myself passing.

A fascinating and educational way to spend an hour or so. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable and the adjoining cafe a delight. Quite a steep walk own to the mine, with a very low roof!

A very interesting place to experience what the word 'graft 'actually means. Guide very happy to answer questions and a lovely cafe on site

Great experience with lovely people who are Free miners.

Very interesting mine tour. A museum and more information would be good.

Looks like a great place, unfortunately the day I was here, the mine was closed, apparently it is only open Wed - Sun.

Apart from the tour and cafe really boring. Now don't get me wrong the underground tour is amazing it's just that I think that it would be better there was even just like a museum there

Tour was a little disappointing in that once you are down there you don't really go anywhere else. Guide was late and so our tour was shorter but he was very informative. Very steep walk in and out. The cafe is the strength - lovely tea and cake afterwards including dairy and gluten free options.

Brilliant tour guide, great visit

A great insight into how mining happens. The tour guide was amazing, we all enjoyed the experience.

Very informative and interesting 👍

Even on a damp day, we sat outside with our dog and had lunch. Lovely and peaceful

Absolutely awesome. Friendly and informative guide too.

Great hour spent in the mine with Rich who was really informative and appreciates any questions. Then food in the cafe was excellent value for money and really tasty.

What a great way to experience the bravery of miners. The guides above and below brought the reality of the experience home in a way that only someone who has lived the job can do. Great cafe. Great people. Great experience! Thank you.

Great hour down the mine. The more questions you ask the more you get out of it. Very steep but a handrail to help you. Miner was very informative. Wasn't sure about the blackness when we turned our miners lamps off.🙃 Kids (3 teenage girls) enjoyed it. Cafe there too but only stopped for drinks. Very busy and they seemed very efficient there too. Would recommend

One of the best experiences of mines I've had

Great food and a great insight into the royal forest of deans history

Great friendly staff, gorgeous home cooked food and great covid safety measures in place!

Really amazing place to visit. Learned so much about coal mining and the history of the area.

Really great experience. Going down the tunnel was interesting and trying to imagine what mining was like.

Really interesting and Rich was a brilliant guide. Cafe is lovely too.

My daughter love the place when she visited it today worth every penny ☺️

Great food and service, always made to feel welcome

A really interesting visit. Excellent guide who is still working as a miner in the Forest of dean. There is a steep walk into and out with limited head room so you will need to be reasonably mobile and need flat shoes/ boots. There is a nice cafe with toilets and plenty of parking.

Really interesting place and the guide was fantastic, with lots of knowledge to share.

I only dropped in to get a coffee but ended up with a very good meal

Really interesting and unique experience. Being able to go down into the mines was a treat. Great value for money and our guide Richard was brilliant!

Rick took us down ,it was amazingly interesting, and definitely worth a visit and the home made cakes in the little cafe after finished off a great visit ,Thankyou 😁

There is no bloody spots there all taken

Good food, excellent friendly service.

Went here today (27.05.21) after meeting a couple at Nagshead RSPB they recommended coming here. After our walk we decided to pay a visit for lunch the food was perfect hot and tasty. Staff excellent and Covid secure. We also had to try their Lemon Meringue, this too was very nice. Sat outside at the back in the sun. We enjoyed it so much we have booked for Sunday Lunch, before we head down to Axminster to continue our holiday. Well done to all the staff Update. Went for Sunday lunch 30.05.21, amazing food, we lost count of the amount of veg, we could not finish our food sadly. Fantastic service and price.

Great home cooked food, large portions (couldn't eat all of mine), excellent value, friendly staff. Desserts looked lovely but I was full. COVID restrictions fully adhered to, will go back.

Great food friendly staff and good service. Well worth a visit

Friendly staff and a great range of cakes

Lovely weekday lunch. I recommend the cheese and onion quiche.

Cafe with good coffee and very helpful staff. Visited on a sunny September afternoon - pleasant to sit outside - small children’s play area

Only uses the cafe but this is great for a pit stop ( sorry for the pun) if your in the area. easier that going to cycle centre for refreshments

Brilliant cafe, breakfast Bap is mega! Good food, friendly helpful staff.

Have yet to go down the line but the cafe is very good. Always get a nice cup of tea and something to go with it. Must do the rest of it at some point. Nice, friendly staff too.

Visited the cafe with our motorcycle club had a lovely meal and first class service.Cant wait for the next visit👍

Always enjoyed the home cooking and friendly atmosphere from this extremely professional team. The outside setting with well spaced seating gave us a safe environment for our first meal out since lockdown. Thank you!

Lovely afternoon tea for a baby shower 👍

Recommended by a friend. Worth having an appointment at the Dilke. Fantastic food and friendly efficient service. Great place for breakfast on a miserable wet day. Menu looks extensive and home made cakes mean a definite return visit already planned.

Hopewell colliery mining experience is great. The tour guide a miner himself provided great detail and demonstrations. A great experience for all, couple, families etc. A children’s outdoor play area is also available. The cafe is a must. From delicious cakes, full English breakfasts, roast dinners and meals. We have visited on several occasions.

Good honest food nothing fancy love it. Staff.......great

I went there for my Sunday lunch it's the best Sunday lunch that I've had for a long time I would highly recommend it lovely staff clean and tidy

Super food, good cake and cooked meals. Lovely and warm, it was a cold day. Staff very pleasant.

The cafe is excellent and staff are exceeding friendly and helpful.

Went there today and as always a good and personal service with a smile food always good and reasonably priced.

Friendly staff. Reasonable prices. Great service. Lovely atmosphere

So much food that we got nowhere near finishing it. They had a pre Christmas lunch menu for £20 featuring stater roast and desert. My favourite cheap eatery in the Forest.

The Cafe is 1st class the food is great well worth a visit

My wife & I visited the Hopewell colliery cafe on two occasions we went on Saturday 7/12 for a meal & it was wonderful I had fish cakes chips & peas On Sunday we returned for a traditional Sunday Dinner & as usual the food was first class & good helping so much so I unfortunately couldn’t make room for my dessert. The staff are all friendly & helpful & look forward to my next visit.

Absolutely great food cooked beautifully