Symonds Yat

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Symonds Yat is a village within the Forest of Dean and a popular tourist destination lying on both sides of the River Wye on the county border of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire in England.

Hand-pulled ferry over the River Wye at Symonds Yat

The view north towards Ross-on-Wye from Symonds Yat Rock

Top wave

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 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.