Wye Valley & Forest of Dean Holiday July 2015 -
page 1
The stunning Symonds Yat Rock viewpoint high above the
Wye Valley in Gloucestershire sure takes your breath away! We
headed there during our holiday to absorb the beautiful scenery before
scrambling down the steep track to Symonds Yat East for an enchanting
cruise along the River Wye. And in a car-free day we enjoyed a
glorious river walk in the summer sun from Redbrook to Monmouth,
complete with an idyllic picnic on the banks of the Wye.
This is page one of three.
Wye
Valley Forest of Dean 1 | Wye
Valley Forest of Dean 2 | Wye
Valley Forest of Dean 3
|
|
There's a large car park at Symonds Yat Rock; although it's pay and
display the only payment machine was covered up so the £3.50 we saved...
|
...we spent instead on coffees in the reasonably priced log cabin
café. And in case you're wondering, yes, Yat Rock does have
toilet facilities. So on to...
|
|
...the famed Symonds Yat Rock viewpoint, 120 metres above the River
Wye. This Carboniferous Limestone cliff face has a spacious
viewing platform from which some splendid views...
|
...of the river valley below can be had; here's Mike admiring the
classic Wye Valley scene seen in many a photo. On the other side
of the viewpoint we were lucky enough to observe two Peregrine
Falcons...
|
|
...flying around the cliff side (on right, above pic, er,
somewhere). RSPB volunteers helpfully provide telescopes and info
for Yat Rock visitors - we found out that Peregrine Falcons can fly at
180 mph!
|
So after visiting beautiful Symonds Yat Rock and a snack at the log
cabin café it was onwards and upwards (or rather downwards), down the
steep wooded footpath to the River Wye...
|
|
...and Symonds Yat East in its...
|
...gorgeous riverside location.
|
|
The River Wye splits Symonds Yat village so this hand-pull ferry links
Symonds Yat East with Symonds Yat West and is operated by the pub staff
at...
|
...the Saracens Head. Here Mike came out with his usual statement
after exertion - 'the first pint won't touch the sides'. Hey, is
that the cruise boat there?
|
|
It was, so we decided the best way to enjoy the river was to take the
trip with Kingfisher Cruises, which lasted some 40 minutes and cost
£6. The fascinating cruise commentary enlightened us to many
interesting facts about the Wye Valley...
|
...such as its popularity as a filming location - the Countryfile
people often visit and the iron age hill fort was used in 'Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows' movie. The Wye is also popular for
watersport activities such as canoeing and kayaking.
|
|
Symonds Yat railway station was sited just up there, on the line from
Monmouth to Ross-on-Wye. Sadly the route closed in 1959 and
Symonds Yat station long gone but we can visualise what an incredibly
scenic train journey that must've been! We walked part of the
disused line doing a bit of the Wye Valley Walk on our next adventure
(below). So with our visit to Symonds Yat over, just got to climb
back up...
|
...the steep track to the car at Yat Rock, phew!
|
|
In a car-free day (well, we like to do our bit for 'green' tourism) we
headed down the hill from our Penallt holiday cottage to join the Wye
Valley Walk from Redbrook to Monmouth. Here's the Boat Inn...
|
...rather gorgeously located by the River Wye at an old railway bridge
that's now part of the Wye Valley Walk route. Anyway, after a
swift half at the pub (well, we like to do our bit for the local
economy)...
|
|
...we crossed the bridge, passing from Wales into England in the
process, and picked up the trail alongside this grassy river
bank. As you can see...
|
...the weather was brilliant, as was this splendid spot we found to
enjoy our picnic lunch at river level. The tranquillity was only
broken by some somewhat...
|
|
...excited canoeists passing by as we took our holiday selfie who
exclaimed 'oh look, there's a selfie going on!' - as if it was some big
deal. Kids, eh!
|
The trail along the Wye from Redbrook followed the route of the disused
railway that once ran from Chepstow to Monmouth and presently we...
|
|
...came across evidence of this with these two old bridges. Well
actually this is the girder bridge that took the line from Monmouth to
Ross (and Symonds Yat, see our Yat trip up the page) and here's...
|
...what's left of the stone bridge, of the line from Chepstow.
Now Mike was in his element as he loves railway history and exploring
old railway infrastructure, especially in idyllic places such as...
|
|
...the Wye Valley here. But all good things must come to an end
and at this point we headed back along the Wye Valley Walk to
Redbrook... and that steep hill up a mile to our Penallt cottage base -
but not before a refreshing drink at the inn again!
|
Awesome - in a word that about sums up our hugely
enjoyable visits to Symonds Yat and the short section of the Wye Valley
Walk we did (erm, just 5 miles of the 136 mile route!). And no
wonder it's a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); the
only one that spans the Welsh-English border at its heart.
If you'd like to find out more about the Wye Valley and
Symonds Yat check out our UK
tourism resources.
Now please follow us to our next Wye Valley holiday page
where we visit Goodrich and
Monmouth castles, and venture into the Forest of Dean to Clearwell
Caves >>>
|
|
Wye
Valley Forest of Dean 1 | Wye
Valley Forest of Dean 2 | Wye
Valley Forest of Dean 3
|
