Symonds Yat
We’d just come out of 3 days of solid rain and yearned for a quick and easy adventure. The half term holidays were in full swing, the kids were bored and for various reasons the dog hadn’t had a walk for a few days. We needed adventure or at least a good walk before we went nuts!
We’d recently joined the Woodland Trust and flicked through their book to see if there was somewhere relatively local we could go. Te book doesn’t really give too many details of the walks available around the woodlands so we having pinpointed a few areas ariund 90 minutes drive away we hit the Internet to get more details.
I remembered from my days when I was deeper into the classic VW scene that a group of people would take their families to Symonds Yat right on the English/Welsh border. The photos were always spectacular so we looked further into what it had to offer.
Essentially Symonds Yat is a historic site comprising of an East and West side separated by the river.
On the West side there is a community of beautiful hillside houses with a windy network of tiny roads interlinking them and masses of woodland with numerous trails to follow.
The East side houses a waterside ‘leisure area’ with a couple of hotels and pubs, an old fort, Yat Rock and a canoe center with rapids.
After looking at the trail maps found on the Forestry England website we formulated a plan to head for the West side of the river for parking, use the hand ferry provided by The Saracen’s Head to cross the river, walk down through the woodland to the rope bridge and walk back up the other side. So, we packed a picnic, threw our boots and coats in the car and headed off down the motorway.
Unfortunately due to a navigational issue (I missed the junction) we ended up on the East side. But in the interest of having no real expectations other than doing the loop walk we continued and found parking at Ye Old Ferrie Inn which is about 1/4 mile from the point the hand ferry cross the river. They charge £5 parking for the day but you get that back if you purchase food or drink. Its worth mentioning they also hire row boats, have fishing spots and stand up paddle boarding (however this wasn’t available on the day we were there so may be seasonal or weekends only).
As soon as we got out of the car we realised coats and boots weren’t needed. The weather was beautiful, it was warm (enough anyway considering we were going to be walking) and the ground had dried out pretty nicely considering the rain the previous few days.
We found a map on the side of the pub which showed us out mistake with parking but pointed us in the right direction in terms of getting to the path we wanted to be on anyway. We walked up the pub driveway and looped back along the road and head off towards the woods.
At this point you’re about 20 meters above the river and the views are generally interrupted by picturesque cottages above and below you. The road steepens as you get closer to the forest trails but should be an easy walk no matter what your ability.
Just before the woods you’re presented with a pair of old lime kilns, evidence of the industrial heritage of the area when lime production was part of every day life. They were in use until around 1850 so its a testament to their build quality that they’re still standing.
Continuing into the merkiness of the woodland the first thing we notice is the light. The dappled rays of the sun forcing its way through the canopy and on to the woodland floor lends a strange green hue to everything. The plant cover is made up of an array of different species and the animal life can be heard continually. It’s soothing.
We took a left turn off the path down towards the waters edge so we could get some perspective on how deep the gorge was and what the flow of water was like. We could hear the flow was increasing as we’d reached a the point where the rapids for the canoeists on the other side of the river were. Down here the ground was a lot softer and muddy in places but still completely passable easily.
Looking across the water you can see the path on the other side, an old disused railway line, hidden behind the first row of trees. Listening you can hear the screech of the Peregrine Falcons that the area is known for.
Heading back up the hillside to the main path it becomes rockier underfoot. Cobbles and rocks make up the majority of the footpath with only a small run of ground either side that’s smooth. The cobbles seem to make an old paved ‘road’ through the woods, the reason for which I found out later. The path from this point is a gentle decline down to a waterside youth camping ground called The Biblins. Vast open greenery on the river bank with canoe launches, yurts and log cabins must be an amazing place to camp with friends when you’re young. It brings back fond memories of Scout and family camps when i was much younger. Dogs need to stay on their leads through this area and there is a water point and a dog bowl incase they’re thirsty.
The camping ground sits on the bend of the river so you get a fantastic panoramic view of the gorge from here. It gives true perspective of how deep you are and shows how tree-line goes all the way to the top of the cliff faces. It’s spectacular.
Half way round the campsite is the bridge we were aiming for. A rope bridge of sorts constructed by The Forestry Commission. It’s the kind of bridge that bounces and sways as you walk over it but that only adds to the fun and drama of crossing the river. Only 6 people are allowed on the bridge at any one time so be sure to courteous to other users if you’re in a group.
On the other side of the bridge the path forks. Going right takes you further round the woodland trails which can add up to a 15km walk. As we had the kids with us we turned left for the walk back up the main trail to the village on the East side of the river and the hand ferry back to the other side.
We found a tree that had been carved into seats nestled beneath a thick spot of leaf cover that was perfect for lunch so we stopped and ate. While we were sat a Robin decided to join us and happily sat on a branch only a meter or so away from us. He only flew off when a big boundy labrador came to say hello. Lunch was simple, a couple of flashs of soup, some oat cakes and some fruit.
We continued on with Wilbur off his lead so he could go and explore the woodland, which is far more open on this side of the river, and he had great fun running up the cliff faces only to come back down at speed. Eliot Mae was content with indentifying all the trees using her Woodland Trust tree identifying kit that she got as part of our family membership. While on the other side, in the woods, we didn’t see any other people walking back up the trail was far busier. Not a bad thing, as the trail is plenty wide enough and all the dogs we encountered were mild mannered and their owners polite and friendly.
We cut across through the trees a few times to walk along the river bank but it was muddy and tiring so cut back to the main path. The bank gains altitude again as you get towards the village and the canoe rapids so we put Wilbur back on his lead to make sure there were no watery mishaps and continued to press on towards the village.
The trail ends at a hotel carpark and a the tiny single track road through the end of the village. The hand ferry is situated across the road from The Saracen’s Head but as we found out when we arrived there it was running that day due to high water levels so we were struct with a connundrum of how to get back to the car. The walk had taken us about 1hr 45m at a wandering pace, a taxi was going to cost about £20. It was decided that the girls would stay at the pub and i’d walk back round with Wilbur as quickly as possible.
On the way back I took a different higher path through the woodland on the West side which showed more of the industrial heritage and evidence of an Iron forge (believed to be New Weir Forge, but I didn’t stop at the time to find out) in the hills. This is the assumed reason for the cobbles on that path to allow for easier transportation of materials/goods from the river.
We got back to the start point in 50 minutes which didn’t feel bad.
The route we took was just over 3 miles each way which was easily manageable for a nice family stroll in the sun on a Tuesday.
We’ll definitely be going back to explore the trails more in the future.