Symonds Yat
Symonds Yat is a
village and popular tourist destination which straddles the
River Wye in
England.
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Hand-pulled ferry over the River Wye at Symonds Yat |
Symonds Yat West is on the
Herefordshire side of the river and Symonds Yat East is on the
Gloucestershire side. The only connection between the two banks are two ancient hand ("pull") ferries by which the ferryman pulls people across the river using an overhead rope, for a small fee. The only connection by road is upstream over Huntsham bridge; this is a five mile trip.
Symonds Yat Rock is a scenic viewpoint towering 120 metres above the river on the Gloucestershire side. From this viewpoint it is possible, between April and August, to witness a pair of
Peregrine Falcons nesting on the cliff side. Volunteers from the
RSPB help visitors to use telescopes provided in a joint project with
Forest Enterprise, owners of the site. Yat Rock is a popular location for climbers. Some of the climbs are dangerous and have cost lives so climbs need to be planned carefully. In general there are much better and safer climbs in other areas of the forest
The river at Symonds Yat has cut a deep gorge in the
Carboniferous Limestone exposing many impressive cliff faces. At the nearby '
King Arthur's cave' on the
Great Doward, there have been many important
archeological discoveries including the remains of a
hyena family and
Sabre-toothed Tiger bones.
Popular tourist activities in the area include
canoeing down the rapids, boat trips, a maze, an oriental garden and many country
pubs. The Old Court Hotel in Symonds Yat West was the ancestral home of the Gwillim family and was home to
John Graves Simcoe who was governor and one of the founding fathers of Upper
Canada.
A favourite pastime for many of the local children is to swim across the river to a small rock on the other side from the renowned hotel, although attempting this in early May while the
Spring tides are at their maximum is not advised.
