TS Vindicatrix

Standing on the banks of the River Severn near Lydney, this former Royal Navy training ship has an unusual claim to fame - she's one of the last concrete vessels ever built. TS Vindicatrix served as a shore-based training establishment from 1939 to 1968, teaching countless young sailors their trade during and after the Second World War. The concrete construction was a wartime necessity when steel was desperately needed elsewhere.

What remains today is essentially the ship's superstructure, looking rather like a landlocked destroyer that's lost its way. It's not exactly a polished tourist attraction - more a fascinating relic for naval history enthusiasts and those with a taste for the unusual. The site feels properly abandoned, which adds to its atmosphere if you're into that sort of thing.

Families staying at nearby parks like Whitemead Forest Park or Deanwood Holiday Cottages might find it worth a brief detour, though kids will likely be more interested for about ten minutes than an hour. The real appeal is for anyone fascinated by wartime ingenuity and naval heritage. You can walk around the exterior freely, though I wouldn't expect guided tours or visitor facilities. It's the sort of oddball attraction that makes the Forest of Dean such an intriguing area to explore - proper off-the-beaten-track stuff that most tourists never stumble across.